Carte Blanche

‘What is needed is a new organisation to co-ordinate, inspire, control, and assist the nationals of the oppressed countries… We need absolute secrecy, a certain fanatical enthusiasm, willingness to work with people of different nationalities and complete political reliability. The organisation should, in my view, be entirely independent of the War Office machinery.’

– Hugh Dalton, Minister of Economic Warfare, describing the formation of Britain’s Special Operations Executive espionage and sabotage group at the outbreak of the Second World War.