General Washington had a very closed circle of advisors that he shared secrets with.
They became aware of a double agent in their midst.
This double agent did not know he had been discovered.
General Washington wrote a letter regarding troop strength to be sent by courier to an allied army. He chose the double agent to deliver the letter.
General Washington knew the letter would be intercepted and that the enemy would learn its contents. General Washington planned that it would be intercepted by having the double agent deliver it.
The contents of the letter lied about the troop strength. It stated the number of troops were more than three times what they actually were.
The enemy intercepted the letter as planned and upon reading its content, decided that it would be best to wait until Spring of the following year to launch an attack on Washington’s army.
This bought General Washington critical time and allowed the Continental Army to fight another day. Without the time, they would likely have been wiped out,
Sometimes unwitting double agents can be more valuable than gold.
That’s a good point, and we know that’s the case in this White House because we’ve seen plenty of “leaks” that are clearly part of a well-orchestrated disinformation campaign.
Exactly. Turned enemy agents, too.
What was the name of the double agent? Great story!