Josephine Baker Was the Star France Wanted—and the Spy It Needed

Plus: Google’s caste-bias problem; some encouraging news on inflation; and the sublime comedy of Ernst Lubitsch. View in browser | Update your preferences Thursday, August 11, 2022 In today’s newsletter, the singing spy, and then: • Google’s caste-bias problem • Some encouraging news on inflation • Outliving Norma Desmond Josephine Baker Was the Star France Wanted—and the Spy It Needed When the night-club sensation became a Resistance agent, the Nazis never realized what she was hiding in the spotlight. Photograph from Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy “The Negro, historically, has always been in the espionage business,” Lauren Michele Jackson writes, in the opening of her fascinating appraisal of the art and spycraft of Josephine Baker, who was a dominant cultural figure of France’s Roaring Twenties, and later acted as a secret agent fighting the Nazis in the years of the Second World War. Both sides of Baker’s life had the allure of a thriller, Jackson writes, noting that “all identities are impostures, and Baker had a chameleonic gift for moving among them.” Baker entranced the likes of Ernest Hemingway, George Balanchine, and Alexander Calder; was recently inducted into the French Panthéon; and has been a subject of interpretation and inspiration for decades. Yet there remains more to discover—and central mysteries to untangle—about a woman who once said, of her own story, “I don’t lie. I improve on life.” —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » From the News Desk Our Columnists As Gas Prices Dip, There’s Finally Some Encouraging News on Inflation Barring an escalation of the war in Ukraine or a deadlier new coronavirus variant, the rate at which prices are rising appears to have peaked. By John Cassidy Q. & A. Google’s Caste-Bias Problem A talk about bigotry was cancelled amid accusations of reverse discrimination. Whom was the company trying to protect? By Isaac Chotiner Letter from Washington Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals Read the resignation letter that Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, wrote to the former President but never delivered. By Susan B. Glasser and Peter Baker Editor’s Pick Onward and Upward with the Arts Ernst Lubitsch Made the Hollywood Comedy Sublime His acolyte Billy Wilder is better remembered, but Lubitsch’s wit reigns supreme. By Alex Ross The New Yorker Live See Maggie Rogers Speak with Questlove and Perform Illustration by João Fazenda On September 7th, the acclaimed musicians will join the staff writer Kelefa Sanneh at New York City’s Symphony Space for The New Yorker Live’s first in-person event. Rogers and Questlove will discuss their music and influences, and Rogers will perform songs from her recently released album. Plus, the staff writer Hua Hsu will share a story about music and friendship from his upcoming memoir. A presale for subscribers lasts until 11 A.M. on August 16th » Culture Dept. Photo Booth A Buffalo Photographer’s Dignified Look at the Passage of Time In three decades, Milton Rogovin and his wife, Anne, captured changes in one upstate neighborhood, while also reaching deep into grand abstractions of nature and time. By Richard Brody Flash Fiction “Snowstorm” “She worried about me all alone on campus. She worried about me in the dead of winter. She worried about me living so far away, alone in America.” By Bruna Dantas Lobato L.A. Postcard Outliving Norma Desmond and Then Some Nancy Livingston played Gloria Swanson’s rival in “Sunset Boulevard.” Her memoir, “Front Row Seat,” spins tales of (director) Billy Wilder, (husband) Alan Jay Lerner, and (pursuer) Howard Hughes. By Dana Goodyear Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Daily Shouts The Cancelled Collection A one-stop shop of questionable films to satisfy all your guilty pleasures. By Zareen Choudhury Crossword A Beginner-Friendly Puzzle Makeup that’s key to a “smoky” look: nine letters. By Patrick Berry Daily Cartoon Thursday, August 11th By Jason Chatfield and Scott Dooley P.S. The Motown songwriting legend Lamont Dozier died this week at the age of eighty-one. Along with his partners, the brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, Dozier created dozens of chart-topping songs, including the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” and the Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).” For more on these hitmakers, read Vinson Cunningham, who writes, “With all due respect to Smokey Robinson, the Motown Sound as we know it was created by Holland-Dozier-Holland.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. 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