# Jacques Cousteau -- Spy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacques-cousteau-spy/228231>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 9, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacques-cousteau-spy/228231 "2004-02-09T05:27:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacques-cousteau-spy/228231/1 "2004-02-09T05:27:31Z")

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Everyone knows that Jacques-Yves Cousteau worked for the French underground during WWII, and that he used his diving experiments and filmmaking as a cover for his intelligence gathering missions. But of what, specifically, did Cousteau’s espionage activities consist? Are there any documented accounts of them?

Were any comprehensive Cousteau biographies written? If so, what are their titles?

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacques-cousteau-spy/228231/2 "2004-02-09T19:11:55Z")

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Okay…

What sort of operations, in general, did the French underground carry out in the Mediterranian in the south of France?

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**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacques-cousteau-spy/228231/3 "2004-02-09T19:35:52Z")

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> [@Johnny L.A.](#):
>
> Okay…
> 
> What sort of operations, in general, did the French underground carry out in the Mediterranian in the south of France?

Oui, oui! As opposed, shall we say, to _operationnes generalles_ which zee French undersea did carry out in zee Mediterranean in zee north of France?

“Zee grou-paire, he iz a verrry deefeecolt feesh to cap-chaire!”