Freedom in a Deck of Cards
The Secret Tools of War
James Bond gets the movie credit, but real spies in World War II were pulling tricks long before 007 hit the screen. Their work wasn’t flashy; it was desperate. The British intelligence agency MI9 and later the American MIS-X program were tasked with helping Allied soldiers escape Nazi prisons or avoid capture. That meant turning everyday objects into tools. Take the button compass. It looked like part of a soldier’s uniform, nothing more. But inside sat a tiny magnetic needle. Line it up on a string, and suddenly you knew which way was north.
A few companies, including the U.S. Playing Card Company, also did their part. Soldiers could peel away the top layer of a card to uncover silk escape maps. Cigarette packs from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company carried radio parts. Gillette even made razor blades that acted like a compass if you balanced them on a stick. What’s remarkable is that the companies involved never asked for recognition or payment. Gillette, R.J. Reynolds, and the Playing Card Company volunteered and helped. And the gadgets kept coming. Radios hidden in suitcases. Hollow heels in boots with maps tucked inside. Even Ping-Pong paddles had secret compartments. Guards saw these items and didn’t give them a second thought. That was the point.
Most of the devices were destroyed when the war ended. But enough stories survived to give us a glimpse.
Hairbrushes carried folded maps or money. Monopoly boards weren’t just for killing time; they came with real bills mixed in, and if you saw a red dot on “Free Parking,” chances were good there was more than a game in the box.
Clever doesn’t even begin to cover it. For many prisoners, a deck of cards or a
shaving kit wasn’t just a distraction. It was a shot at freedom.
Is It Time for a Trust?
Protecting Real Estate the Right Way
There’s something about this time of year that makes people reflective. Maybe it’s being around family or the occasional moments of quiet that sneak in between busy days. Whatever it is, it’s when a lot of clients reach out with questions they’ve been putting off. One that comes up more and more is whether it’s time to put their property into a trust.
I help many clients navigate the real estate aspect of this puzzle. That involves drafting a realty trust, and deeding the property into the trust by recording the deed and a certificate of trust with the registry of deeds. The goal is to ensure that property ownership is properly set up and aligned with your intentions. In Massachusetts, if a property is not held in a trust and the owners pass away, the home typically must go through probate. That process can take up to a year, and in the meantime, it can tie up your assets and put pressure on your family. A realty trust avoids that. You remain in control while you’re still living. You can sell the property, refinance it, change your mind, or remove it from the trust altogether. But if something happens to you, the trust makes the next steps much smoother. The property automatically passes to the successor trustee, to hold title for the beneficiaries of the trust. There’s no judge involved, no court filings, and the details of this part of your estate stay private. If you’ve been meaning to sort this out but haven’t gotten around to it, now’s a good time to start. I’m happy to walk you through the process and ensure your property is taken care of as you intended. Please call us or contact us online to schedule a consultation.
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