The surprising story of cork and its critical role in US security
and the war effort. Winner of the IPPY Book Award History (World),
Silver of the Independent Publisher In 1940, with German U-boats
blockading all commerce across the Atlantic Ocean, a fireball at
the Crown Cork and Seal factory lit the sky over Baltimore. The
newspapers said that you could see its glow as far north as
Philadelphia and as far south as Annapolis. Rumors of Nazi sabotage
led to an FBI investigation and pulled an entire industry into the
machinery of national security as America stood on the brink of
war. In Cork Wars, David A. Taylor traces this fascinating story
through the lives of three men and their families, who were all
drawn into this dangerous intersection of enterprise and espionage.
At the heart of this tale is self-made mogul Charles McManus, son
of Irish immigrants, who grew up on Baltimore's rough streets.
McManus ran Crown Cork and Seal, a company that manufactured
everything from bottle caps to oil-tight gaskets for fighter
planes. Frank DiCara, as a young teenager growing up in
Highlandtown, watched from his bedroom window as the fire blazed at
the factory. Just a few years later, under pressure to support his
family after the death of his father, DiCara quit school and got a
job at Crown. Meanwhile, Melchor Marsa, Catalan by birth, managed
Crown Cork and Seal's plants in Spain and Portugal-and was
perfectly placed to be recruited as a spy. McManus, DiCara, and
Marsa were connected by the unique properties of a seemingly
innocuous substance. Cork, unrivaled as a sealant and insulator,
was used in gaskets, bomber insulation, and ammunition, making it
crucial to the war effort. From secret missions in North Africa to
4-H clubs growing seedlings in America to secret intelligence
agents working undercover in the industry, this book examines
cork's surprising wartime significance. Drawing on in-depth
interviews with surviving family members, personal collections, and
recently declassified government records, Taylor weaves this by
turns beautiful, dark, and outrageous narrative with the drama of a
thriller. From the factory floor to the corner office, Cork Wars
reflects shifts in our ideas of modernity, the environment, and the
materials and norms of American life. World War II buffs-and anyone
interested in a good yarn-will be gripped by this bold and
frightening tale of a forgotten episode of American history.
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