Speaker spins spy stories

Elia Powers

George Morales hesitates when asked to provide an exact date of a

historical event. He refers to crib notes when giving a speech,

unafraid to admit to an occasional memory lapse.

But certain moments are etched into his mind forever.

Like the time he came within inches of taking bullets in the chest

while living in Cairo, Egypt. Or the time he witnessed a stabbing in

his Mozambique hotel.

Morales, a Costa Mesa resident and former World War II Navy chief

petty officer, told some of his favorite stories to a group of more

than 50 California Retired Teachers Assn. Harbor Division 77 members

Wednesday at the Costa Mesa Community Center.

At the end of the talk, he flashed his book, “And The Code Word Is

Mozambique Mystique,” a memoir he published last year that sells for

$15.

“I never intended to write a book,” said Morales, who gives

regular speeches to area clubs. “My daughter said it might be a good

idea. I was in an interesting situation [overseas], and it’s an

experience people enjoy hearing about.”

Born in Puerto Rico, Morales’ family moved to Manhattan when he

was 6 months old. He spent his entire childhood and young adult life

living in New York City.

He enlisted to serve in the United States Navy. Intelligence

officers envied Morales because of his fluency in Spanish.

But Morales ended up living in Brazil and learning Portuguese.

While training in the South American country, top Navy officials

brought him into their office for an important discussion.

“They asked me, ‘Do you know what sisal is?’ I said, ‘Is it

something you eat?’” Morales said, jokingly.

The officials explained to Morales his mission: Travel to

Mozambique, a country then in Portuguese possession, and persuade

local farmers to sell sisal -- the strong fiber product needed to

create ropes that tie vessels to docks.

Morales said German submarines had sunk so many merchant ships

that the hemp and sisal supply became a great concern.

Morales, then 22, took off for Office of Strategic Services

training and prepared himself for the espionage mission.

Soon after arriving in Africa, the Nazis managed to uncover

Morales’ identity and attempted to thwart his mission.

While in Cairo, Morales met a woman who introduced herself as a

Swedish journalist. The two spent days close to each other, but the

relationship came to a grinding halt one afternoon.

“A German officer approached us and told [the woman], ‘Annika, you

were supposed to kill him,’” Morales said.

The officer -- a Gestapo assassin -- shot at Morales, but Morales

said the woman jumped in front of him and took the bullets herself.

Morales shot and killed the officer, and the woman died of the

gunshot wounds minutes later.

“It gave me a new perspective on what intelligence is all about,”

Morales said.

The Nazis made two other assassination attempts, including one in

which Morales’ personal guard was stabbed to death by a German spy.

Web Jones, an author and former Newport Harbor High School

teacher, said he was glad he could secure Morales for the group’s

event.

“His story is interesting to hear,” Jones said. “He’s a wonderful

speaker.”