During the closing weeks of the Pacific war, Lieutenant Lea Booth and the rest of Admiral William Halsey's Dirty Tricks Department faced a daunting task: fool the enemy into thinking that an invasion of southern Japan was underway.
Although many books and articles have been written about radio deception used during World War II, a top-secret hoax carried out on board the USS Tucson (CL-98) remained an untold story for more than 60 years. And to this day, very few Tucson crewmen know the real reason their ship suddenly came about and pulled away from Task Force 38 (TF 38) in the early afternoon of 10 July 1945. In fact, the light cruiser was the centerpiece of a complex operation planned by Rear Admiral Robert B. Carney, the Third Fleet's chief of staff. The Sailors on board her who would pull the wool over Japanese eyes (and ears) were members of Admiral William F. Halsey's "Dirty Tricks Department," led by Lieutenant A. Lea Booth, U.S. Naval Reserve.