When he received the Nobel Prize in 1954, Hemingway reminded us that writing was a lonely life occasionally “palliated” by organizations for writers. For a genius who was writing fiction, that was especially true. He was drawing on his imagination and his skill with words; so much of his professional life was literally in his head. For someone who is not a genius, and is writing nonfiction, it is still a lonely business, with long periods in the chair by yourself. But there are facts to find, and places to go to find them, and a supporting cast of scholars, archivists, librarians, editors, and other researchers, not to mention agents and friends. There are many people who have been with me on this journey, and it is my pleasure to thank them.
In the beginning there was Mark Bradley, longtime friend and fellow historian. I was lucky enough to be a member of his team of readers when he was writing about Duncan Lee, the descendant of Robert E. Lee who spied for the Soviets. I learned a great deal from the process, both about the subject matter and about writing a book. Mark more than repaid the favor when I embarked on this project, and I will not ever be able to thank him enough. Toni Hiley, the director of the CIA Museum, tolerated and encouraged my research when I was starting out. I am convinced that there is not, on this planet, a better museum director to work for. Jill R. Hughes, at the Editor’s Mark, played a vital role in helping me to shape the first five chapters that I used to market the book.
At my first meeting of the Hemingway Society, in Petoskey, Michigan, in 2012, Jean Jespersen Bartholomew and I were on a panel where I presented my first, very tentative findings. We struck up a conversation, then an email correspondence, then a literary partnership. I found out soon that she is the real deal. A longtime Hemingway scholar and aficionado, she became the irreplaceable friend, reader, and editor, someone I came to call “JMax” to evoke Hemingway’s relationship with Max Perkins.
Other scholars have been willing to correspond and share sources: Daniel Robinson was kind enough to send me copies of FOIA releases that no one in the government could find anymore; Hans Schoots corresponded with me about Joris Ivens; Jeffrey Meyers shared the results of his work on Hemingway’s lawyer; Joel Christenson told me about the history of the American Embassy in Havana. Kenneth W. Rendell, the founder of the Museum of World War II in Boston, sent me copies of useful letters in his collection. At the Library of Congress, John Haynes discussed the sources for Spies, his groundbreaking book on Soviet espionage in America, and pointed me in the direction of collections with Hemingway potential. At the National Archives, William Davis was an excellent guide to the HUAC files. Throughout my good friend Hayden Peake was an invaluable resource on the study of intelligence.
The Tabardiers, writers who meet at a round table at the Tabard Inn in downtown Washington, have palliated this writer’s loneliness for the last two years. We read and critique each other’s work, trade tips and references, and offer support. My heartfelt thanks go to Carol Meyers, Danielle Polen, and Kimberly Wilson. They were there during my somewhat depressing quest for a literary agent—when I couldn’t even get enough traction to be rejected. Danielle suggested I approach RossYoon, the DC firm that became the home team. Andrew Simon spotted the manuscript, Anna Sproul-Latimer developed the relationship, and Howard Yoon took me on for the long haul. Howard does it all for his writers: therapist, coach, salesman, editor, teacher. Two other friends, Richard Bangs and Anthony Vinci, listened patiently to all of my breathless updates on the book, and were kind enough to share contacts from their Rolodexes.
I have also been blessed with wonderful friends who have read and critiqued all or part of the manuscript, and pointed out a lot of things that I missed or could have done better: Tommy Sancton, Paul Nevin, Samuel Cooper-Wall, Bill Foster, Ann Todd, and my sister Mary Jane Miltner. Sam and I shared an office for over a year, and he was always willing to serve as a sounding board and provide his wise counsel. Ann brainstormed the title with me. The exceptional expatriate/writer/editor Abby Rasminsky worked with me on the last, hardest part of the book—how to write the introduction.
The results landed on the desk of Executive Editor Peter Hubbard at William Morrow, to whom I will be forever indebted for patiently and professionally shepherding author and manuscript through the publishing process. Thanks to his sure touch, and the careful work of assistant editor Nick Amphlett, production editor David Palmer, and copy editor Tom Pitoniak, this is a far, far better book than it would otherwise have been. Along with Gena Lanzi, Senior Director of Media Relations Sharyn Rosenblum has enthusiastically promoted the project from the day we met.
Late in 2015, my friend Kristie Miller invited me along to a meeting of the Washington Biography Group, a remarkably talented and supportive group that I have already learned a lot from. The same is true of Professor Sandra Aistars and her students at George Mason University Law School, who ran a clinic for writers. Another supportive group was at the CoworkCafé, in Arlington, Virginia, where I spent many hours finishing up the manuscript in comfortable surroundings.
The staff at the JFK Presidential Library, which houses the Ernest Hemingway Collection, has been uniformly helpful. On my first day there, Hannah German offered me a tour of the Hemingway Research Room (the place is set up like his living room in Cuba) and an associated display of memorabilia—starting off my research on just the right note. On subsequent visits staff members were good enough to listen to me expound on my ideas at a noontime talk, and to bring particular sources to my attention. Stephen Plotkin, Michael Desmond, Laurie Austin, Jessica Green, and Connor Anderson all made my work easier.
When it comes to research, no one can beat Mary Ellen Cortellini, who roamed the Net searching for useful tidbits that I otherwise would never have found. Similarly, Annette Amerman at the Marine Corps History Division is unbeatable when it comes to ferreting out and delivering odd bits of information about the Marine Corps at the cyclic rate. My good friend Nick Welch was kind enough to check out a lead at the National Archives in London, as did Katie and Peggy Lindsey at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. Another old friend, Dr. Samuel Yelin Zabicky, helped with facts about Mexico City in 1942.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the many Hemingway scholars on whose shoulders I stand. The first biographer, Professor Carlos Baker of Princeton, laid the foundations for the rest of us with his painstakingly thorough research, conducted while memories were still fresh. Of the biographers who followed Baker, I have found the works of Jeffrey Meyer and Michael Reynolds (no relation, alas) to be especially useful. Brewster Chamberlin’s very thorough chronology of Hemingway’s life was always within reach while I worked. Almost every day I checked a source in the Hemingway Review, whose authors I salute.
The Hemingway Society offers a great deal of scholar support, on line and in person, for which I am grateful. The staff of the International Center of Photography, especially Susan Carlson, made it easy and fun to source wonderful old photographs. Doug Miller, the administrator for the Pan Am Foundation, was equally helpful; I enjoyed corresponding with him about the glory days of America’s flagship airline.
As a former employee writing about intelligence, I had to submit my manuscript to the CIA for review of any possibly classified material. I would like to extend my thanks to the Publications Review Board for staying in touch during the process. The Board requested that I include the following standard disclaimer:
“This [book] does not constitute an official release of CIA information. All statements of fact, opinion, or analysis are those of the author and do not reflect the official positions or views of the CIA or any other US Government agency. Nothing in the contents should be construed as asserting or implying US Government authentication of information or CIA endorsement of the author’s views. This material has been reviewed solely for classification.”
And finally the home front. No book about Hemingway would be complete without a few words about what writing does to writers while they are working, and the temporary insanity that occurs along the way. My hat’s off, my head humbly bowed, to my wife, Becky, for cheerfully enduring the process.
One last word. Any mistakes of fact or interpretation are mine, and mine alone.