side by side, Prince Carl and Eric Erickson emerged. There was an audible gasp.
Erickson, too, was unprepared for what he saw. âI was taken aback,â he remembered. âAt the tables around us were all the people who hated and despised me because I was a Nazi.â But he simply nodded to his former friends and sat down. There were no speeches or awards given; it was a very Swedish affair, and the Swedes prize understatement. The Minister did, however, let it be known that Eric Erickson had been working with the Allies throughout the war, and that not only the Germans, but Stockholm society at large, had been the victim of a very long con.
In Ericksonâs archives, there is only one official piece of recognition from the United States of America, but itâs a significant one. The Medal of Freedom (the predecessor to the Presidential Medal of Freedom) was created by Harry Truman to honor the work of those who helped America and its allies in times of war. It was then and remains now the highest civilian medal that the U.S. government awards to men and women who serve it honorably. Dr. John von Neumann, the great mathematician whose work led to the atomic bomb, received one in 1956. John Foster Dulles got his in 1959.
The citation for Ericksonâs Medal of Freedom with Bronze Palm reads, in part: âEric Erickson assisted in the creation and personally carried out one of the most elaborate and successful intelligence schemes of this war. ⦠The cleverness and ingenuity displayed by Mr. Erickson ⦠his complete disregard for his personal safety ⦠and his accurate and detailed reports which furnished the Allies with innumerable targets for bombing clearly demonstrate the most unselfish interest in the Allied cause.â Flying over to the U.S. to receive the medal, Erickson met with Harry Truman at the White House.
But very few people knew his name. It took until the late 1950s for Eric Erickson to be discovered. His story appeared in Readerâs Digest , was turned into a book, The Counterfeit Traitor (1958), and a film of the same name starring William Holden (1962). Holden was so dazzled by meeting Erickson on the set that he remarked, âMaybe he should play my life.â The ex-spy appeared on an earlier incarnation of âNightline,â did a publicity tour, and was invited to dinner with Lyndon B. Johnson. He received fan letters from people he didnât know, flirted with women he wanted to get to know, spoke to the Cornell alumni (âLast luncheon of the season â and a thriller!â) and even advised Upton Sinclair, who was writing about the war for his Lanny Budd series of books. He took time out from traveling the world with his friend, Max Gumpel, and gambling in Monte Carlo alongside the likes of Winston Churchill and Daryl Zanuck, to tell his story. The legendary Mike Wallace, later of 60 Minutes, interviewed him (Wallace: âWerenât you afraid?â Erickson: âIâm not afraid - of anythingâ) and journalists wrote long features about his life, describing the secret agent as âone of those fabulous international figures who knows almost everyone worth knowing ⦠His horizons are limitless, his knowledge boundless and his manner so genial that after five minutes with him you are sure you have made a friend for life.â Erickson had become the most famous living spy in the world.
But the attention evaporated quickly. By 2011, Erickson had been almost completely forgotten. Most World War II buffs hadnât heard of him; most World War II espionage buffs hadnât heard of him. Those that recognized his name only knew the movie version of his life, which turns out to be largely faked. Among other things, the filmmakers had added the killing of Gestapo agent in a phone booth and a daring escape through Denmark, neither of which had happened. There remained only a flickering memory of the life of Americaâs most
Erickson, too, was unprepared for what he saw. âI was taken aback,â he remembered. âAt the tables around us were all the people who hated and despised me because I was a Nazi.â But he simply nodded to his former friends and sat down. There were no speeches or awards given; it was a very Swedish affair, and the Swedes prize understatement. The Minister did, however, let it be known that Eric Erickson had been working with the Allies throughout the war, and that not only the Germans, but Stockholm society at large, had been the victim of a very long con.
In Ericksonâs archives, there is only one official piece of recognition from the United States of America, but itâs a significant one. The Medal of Freedom (the predecessor to the Presidential Medal of Freedom) was created by Harry Truman to honor the work of those who helped America and its allies in times of war. It was then and remains now the highest civilian medal that the U.S. government awards to men and women who serve it honorably. Dr. John von Neumann, the great mathematician whose work led to the atomic bomb, received one in 1956. John Foster Dulles got his in 1959.
The citation for Ericksonâs Medal of Freedom with Bronze Palm reads, in part: âEric Erickson assisted in the creation and personally carried out one of the most elaborate and successful intelligence schemes of this war. ⦠The cleverness and ingenuity displayed by Mr. Erickson ⦠his complete disregard for his personal safety ⦠and his accurate and detailed reports which furnished the Allies with innumerable targets for bombing clearly demonstrate the most unselfish interest in the Allied cause.â Flying over to the U.S. to receive the medal, Erickson met with Harry Truman at the White House.
But very few people knew his name. It took until the late 1950s for Eric Erickson to be discovered. His story appeared in Readerâs Digest , was turned into a book, The Counterfeit Traitor (1958), and a film of the same name starring William Holden (1962). Holden was so dazzled by meeting Erickson on the set that he remarked, âMaybe he should play my life.â The ex-spy appeared on an earlier incarnation of âNightline,â did a publicity tour, and was invited to dinner with Lyndon B. Johnson. He received fan letters from people he didnât know, flirted with women he wanted to get to know, spoke to the Cornell alumni (âLast luncheon of the season â and a thriller!â) and even advised Upton Sinclair, who was writing about the war for his Lanny Budd series of books. He took time out from traveling the world with his friend, Max Gumpel, and gambling in Monte Carlo alongside the likes of Winston Churchill and Daryl Zanuck, to tell his story. The legendary Mike Wallace, later of 60 Minutes, interviewed him (Wallace: âWerenât you afraid?â Erickson: âIâm not afraid - of anythingâ) and journalists wrote long features about his life, describing the secret agent as âone of those fabulous international figures who knows almost everyone worth knowing ⦠His horizons are limitless, his knowledge boundless and his manner so genial that after five minutes with him you are sure you have made a friend for life.â Erickson had become the most famous living spy in the world.
But the attention evaporated quickly. By 2011, Erickson had been almost completely forgotten. Most World War II buffs hadnât heard of him; most World War II espionage buffs hadnât heard of him. Those that recognized his name only knew the movie version of his life, which turns out to be largely faked. Among other things, the filmmakers had added the killing of Gestapo agent in a phone booth and a daring escape through Denmark, neither of which had happened. There remained only a flickering memory of the life of Americaâs most
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