The Spy Who Gave London its Christmas Tree | 1

The Spy Who

Wondery

History

4.6 • 669 Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Each Christmas, a giant tree lights up London’s Trafalgar Square. Behind the custom: 007 author Ian Fleming and a secret mission to Norway. This is the story of how wartime espionage gave Britain its most spectacular festive tradition.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early and add free on Apple
0:06.9	podcasts or the Wondry app.
0:14.6	June 1940, the far north of Norway, in a remote wood cabin deep within a dense conifer forest,
0:23.6	King Hawken the 7th listens as one of his ministers urges him to flee.
0:28.6	Your Majesty, Hitler wants you captured dead or alive.
0:33.6	You cannot remain in Norway.
0:35.6	There's no hope of repelling the German invasion.
0:39.5	Please, leave with the British. The 67-year-old king's handle-bar mustache twitches slightly.
0:47.0	He's been on the run from the Nazis for almost two months, but the thought of leaving Norway
0:51.8	horrifies him. You ask me to abandon our nation?
0:57.5	The liberty and independence of the Norwegian people are my duty.
1:01.5	To leave is to fail in that duty.
1:04.5	No, your majesty.
1:06.2	I beg you to leave so you can continue to fight.
1:09.3	How?
1:10.5	How can I continue to fight if I abandon the country
1:14.1	in its hour of need? Sir, from the safety of Britain, the people can still take comfort and
1:20.6	strength from your radio broadcasts. Your words can keep hope alive. The king nods in understanding.
1:28.4	He rises from his seat.
1:30.4	Very well.
1:31.9	May God bless Norway.
1:36.7	A few hours later, the king stands on the deck of a British Royal Navy cruiser, bound for Scotland.
	...

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