J.R.R. Tolkien, British spy!

[arnisador]

JRR Tolkien trained as British spy

The novelist JRR Tolkien secretly trained as a Government spy in the run up to the Second World War, new documents have disclosed.

Tolkien, one of his generation's most respected linguists, was ''earmarked'' to crack Nazi codes in the event that Germany declared war.

Intelligence chiefs singled him and a 'cadre' of other intellectuals to work at Bletchley Park, the codebreaking centre in Buckinghamshire.
[...]
According to previously unseen records, Tolkien trained with the top-secret Government Code and Cypher School (GCCS).

 

[grydth]

Bletchley Park developed into a large and critical part of the Allied war effort... did Tolkien ever actually work for Intelligence in any capacity?

 

[J Ellis]

Very interesting. Perhaps it should not be surprising considering the man's talent for and training in languages. He would have the natural and professional aptitude for code-breaking, one would think.

Joel

 

[mwd0818]

Very interesting. Perhaps it should not be surprising considering the man's talent for and training in languages. He would have the natural and professional aptitude for code-breaking, one would think.

Joel

Agreed - the man was a genius.

 

[stickarts]

wow!

 

[MA-Caver]

He would seem to be a logical choice. Brilliant man and linguist specialist.
He did after all create the Elvish language, written and spoken.

Sometimes it's easier to hide in plain sight when you're a spy.

 

[zDom]

He would seem to be a logical choice. Brilliant man and linguist specialist.
He did after all create the Elvish language, written and spoken.

Sometimes it's easier to hide in plain sight when you're a spy.

LanguagES, Caver He created (at least) two elvish languages (Quenya and Sindarian — languages of the high elves and the grey elves).

Not to mention Black Speech and Dwarvish (but I don't think those two were nearly as complete).

And several alphabets to go with those languages. And histories for the development of those languages.

And... the list goes on

 

[Tez3]

Certain British universities and public schools have always and still are the 'breeding grounds' for Intelligence Officers and their kindred, going right back to the start of The Great Game.

 

[girlbug2]

Everything I've ever read about Tolkein serves to increase my respect for the man. He's on my list of "10 People living or deceased you would like to have lunch with.".