Roald Dahl - British Spy, Adept of OTO and Children's Author

RAF Air Attaché Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl

"The Irregulars", Operation Intrepid 1940-1945

Washington DC

Despite changes to tone down that aspect of the final manuscript, feminists saw The Witches as a complete disaster. Catherine Itzin reported that the book is an example of "how boys learn to become men who hate women." 

Michele Landsberg wrote that, "Almost every one of his numerous books rehashes the same tired plot: a meek small boy finally turns on his adult female tormentors and kills them."

He explained to an interviewer in 1983 that "there is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity. I mean there's always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason." 

Eventually a class in San Francisco would write him a bunch of letters on this subject. Two children managed this effort:

Dear Mr. Dahl,

We love your books, but we have a problem... we are Jews!! We love your books but you don't like us because we are jews. That offends us. Can you please change your mind about what you said about jews!

Love,

Aliza and Tamar

CROWLEY:

“Let him train himself to think BACKWARDS by external means, as set forth here following:

(a) Let him learn to write BACKWARDS. . .

(b) Let him learn to walk BACKWARDS. . .

(c) Let him. . . listen to phonograph records REVERSED.

(d) Let him practice speaking BACKWARDS. . .

(e) Let him learn to read BACKWARDS. . .

(f) Instead of saying “I am he” let him say “eh ma I”

(Crowley, Aliester. Magick:Liber ABA, book four, 1994 Ordo Templi Orientis ediiton, p. 639)

This good luck gremlin mascot flew with 482nd Bomb Group (Heavy) 1942–1945.

I Quote The Enemy:

" The publication of The Gremlins by Random House consisted of a 50,000 run for the U.S. market with Dahl ordering 50 copies for himself as promotional material, handing them out to everyone he knew, including the British Ambassador in Washington Lord Halifax, and First Lady of the U.S. Eleanor Roosevelt who loved to read it to her grandchildren.

The book was considered an international success with 30,000 more sold in Australia but initial efforts to reprint the book were precluded by a wartime paper shortage.

Reviewed in major publications, Dahl was considered a writer-of-note and his appearances in Hollywood to follow up with the film project were met with notices in Hedda Hopper's columns.

Facing copyright problems and realising that the Air Ministry's "Clause 12" in the original film contract would restrict the studio, Walt Disney, who had a personal interest in The Gremlins, reluctantly began to "wind down" the project. 

By August 1943, Disney had even reconsidered an animated "short" based on The Gremlins and indicated to Dahl by correspondence that further work would not continue. After a year of story conferences and related research, Dahl realised that his book would be the only tangible product emanating from the aborted film. "

Flight Lieutenant Roald Dahl with notorious Jew-hater Walt Disney.

"I am all fucked out. That goddamn woman has absolutely screwed me from one end of the room to the other for three goddam nights. I went back to the Ambassador this morning, and I said, "You know it's a great assignment, but I just can't go on." 

And the Ambassador said, "Roald, did you ever see the Charles Laughton movie of Henry VIII?" 

And I said "Yes." 

"Well," he said, "do you remember the scene with Henry going into the bedroom with Anne of Cleves, and he turns and says 'The things I've done for England'? Well, that's what you've got to do."

Illustrations for the first British edition of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'

 "I created a group of little fantasy creatures.... I saw them as charming creatures, whereas the white kids in the books were... most unpleasant. It didn't occur to me that my depiction of the Oompa-Loompas was racist, but it did occur to the NAACP and others.... After listening to the criticisms, I found myself sympathizing with them, which is why I revised the book" 

- (Dahl in West, 1988).

"I have to keep it warm inside the factory because of the workers!" exclaims Wonka. "My workers are used to an extremely hot climate! They can't stand the cold! They'd perish if they went outdoors in this [winter] weather!" 

- (Dahl in CCF, p. 69). 

"a Black man floats away to his death stupidly silent, and no one among his family or friends misses him," 

- Lois Kulb Bouchard

[Wonka describes it as "very sad" (122) that one of his volunteers who drank Fizzy Lifting Drinks disappears forever.]

"Despite his love for them, he could not stay completely faithful in middle age. He took up with the wealthy heiress and mother of Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt, gamely coaxing her into the bed he shared with Neal while she shot another film on location.  He was finding women were still extremely attracted to him even in his advanced age."

Dear Roald,

This is not in response to the specifics of your last several letters to me and my colleagues, but a general response to everything we've heard from you in the past year or two.

In brief, and as unemotionally as I can state it: since the time when you decided that Bob Bernstein, I and the rest of us had dealt badly with you over your contract, you have behaved to us in a way I can honestly say is unmatched in my experience for overbearingness and utter lack of civility. Lately you've began addressing others here - who are less well placed to answer you back - with the same degree of abusiveness. For a while I put your behavior down to the physical pain you were in and so managed to excuse it. Now I've come to believe that you're just enjoying a prolonged tantrum and are bullying us.

Your threat to leave Knopf after this current contract is fulfilled leaves us far from intimidated. Harrison, Bernstein and I will be sorry to see you depart, for business reasons, but these are not strong enough to make us put up with your manner to us any longer. I've worked hard for you editorially but had already decided to stop doing so; indeed, you've managed to make the entire experience of publishing you unappealing for all of us - counterproductive behavior, I would have thought.

To be perfectly clear, let me reverse your threat: unless you start acting civilly to us, there is no possibility of our agreeing to continue to publish you. Nor will I - or any of us - answer any future letter that we consider to be as rude as those we've been receiving.

Regretfully,

BG

After Gottlieb sent it off, the entire office gave him a standing ovation.