Mischief Makers: Elvira Chaudoir

Elvira Chaudoir (c. 1910-1996) was a master of deception, whose double agent work during World War II led to the Allied victory on D-Day. 

This month, we’re talking about Mischief Makers:  oddballs, chameleons, and nonconformists. Queens of quick wit.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more.  Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. 

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Abbey Delk. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. 

Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month we're talking about mischief makers, odd balls, chameleons,
and nonconformists, queens of quick wit. Today we're talking about
a master of deception. She was known on her social
circles as a good time girl with no allegiance to

(00:25):
anyone except herself. But she proved this reputation wrong when
her double agent work in World War Two led to
the Allied victory on D Day. Please welcome Elvira Chadois.
Elvira was born in the early nineteen tens. Her exact
birthday isn't known. She was the daughter of a wealthy

(00:46):
Peruvian diplomat and developed a taste for the finer things
in life. She grew up spoiled in Paris and gained
a reputation as a bit of a vapid socialite who
enjoyed extravagant parties. Elvira was also openly bisexual. In nineteen
thirty four, Elvira married John Chadois, a wealthy Belgian stockbroker.
She was twenty three years old, but married life didn't

(01:08):
agree with Elvira. She thought both her husband and Brussels
were exceedingly dull, and she entertained herself through a string
of romantic affairs. Eventually she ran away to Cann with
her close friend and fellow socialite Romy Gilbee. Romy and
Elvira passed their days gambling away their money. The duo
was still in Cann when Germany invaded France in the

(01:30):
summer of nineteen forty. Elvira and Romi fled the city,
driving their convertible north. They caught a boat to England
to escape the approaching Nazi forces, But even hundreds of
miles from the front lines, adventure found Elvira. The night
started like many others, Elvira broke was gambling away money

(01:50):
she didn't have in an English casino. She was complaining
loudly about the usual. Her family was stuck in France,
her multilingual talents were being squad and she just couldn't
land an interesting job. That night. Though someone was listening,
Elvira's name passed up along the ranks until it reached
Claude Dancy, the assistant chief at the British Intelligence Service

(02:14):
m I six. Claude had a proposition for Elvira. With
a Peruvian passport, she could travel with ease throughout occupied Europe,
and her father's diplomatic status granted her cover and to
Vichy France. She could be a top notch spy and
the Germans would think the same. Would she consider becoming
a double agent to help Britain spy on the Nazis?

(02:37):
Elvira immediately said yes. M I six agents quickly trained
Elvira for her new spy work. They then sent her
to Vichy, France. There she'd report on daily movements of
the German troops in the area and hopefully she'd get
herself noticed by the enemy. She was in another casino,

(02:57):
this time back in can when she caught the eye
of Henri Chavell, a wealthy Nazi supporter. Through him, she
found herself drinking cocktails and rubbing shoulders with other Nazis,
including the German agent known as BB. He saw potential
in Elvira's easy charm and offered her work as a spy.
Everything had gone according to plan. The Germans sent Elvira

(03:20):
back to England, promising to send her a modest sum
each month in exchange for any information on the British.
Back in England, Elvira moved from m I six to
m I five to work with their experimental double cross team.
This group would infiltrate German intelligence and feed Nazi's information
manipulated by the British. At first, this group of double

(03:43):
agents was wary of Elvira. They thought her flirtations with
women were easy blackmail material, and that Elvira, though clever,
was too frivolous to pull off such an important mission.
But Elvira eventually gained their trust. The team assigned her
a cover job at the BBC and a new code name.
They called her Agent Bronx, referring to a cocktail of

(04:05):
the same name. It was one of just a few
cocktails that were still easy to make during wartime rationing,
and as her handler put it, it was a very
appropriate short name for an exceptional woman. At her post,
Elvira wrote letters to her German handler and Invisible Ink.
Her writing was littered with gossip, half truths, and outright lies,

(04:26):
but her German colleagues accepted any information gladly. At the
same time, she published articles for the British press attacking
the Nazi regime. If her German contacts raised their eyebrows,
she claimed these publications were necessary to avoid suspicion from
the British Secret Service. Elvira's misleading letters to Germany were
a great help to the Allied cause. She successfully persuaded

(04:49):
the Nazis to avoid gas attacks on England by lying
about England's extensive supply of chemical weapons. Elvira also helped
to cover up the plans for the infamous invasion Normandy
on June sixth, nineteen forty four D Day. The Germans
knew that the Allies would try to invade France, but
they needed help from spies like Elvira to predict exactly

(05:11):
when and where troops might land on French shores. She
promised to send a signal if she learned of an
upcoming invasion. The plan Elvira would send a telegram to
a Portuguese bank controlled by the Nazis. She used plain
language code to send it. What looked like a totally
innocent telegram about needing money for a medical procedure, would

(05:33):
actually communicate the time and place of Allied movements to
those who knew the code. But Alvira directed German forces
away from Normandy toward the Bay of Biscay instead. When
soldiers landed on the beach, that fateful day, they found
offenses weakened and unprepared for a full scale invasion. Alvira's
deceit helped save lives and secure a critical victory for

(05:56):
the Allies. After the war, continue to serve the British,
sending telegrams and helping shape politics and post war Europe,
but her work as Agent Bronx didn't last much longer.
When peace was declared, she retired from espionage. She settled
in the south of France to enjoy a quiet life
running a small gift shop. She died in early nineteen

(06:20):
ninety six at the age of eighty five. All month,
We're talking about mischief Makers. For more information, check us
out on Facebook and Instagram at Wimanica podcast special thanks
to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator. Talk
to you tomorrow