New Book Alleges Coco Chanel Was a Nazi Spy

Coco Chanel, creator of the brand Chanel, is the subject of a new book that will be coming out on August 16^th. The book is written by Parisian reporter Hal Vaughan and is titled “Sleeping With the Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War.” The book will shed a not so positive light on the designer, who died in 1971. It alleges that Chanel was a Nazi Spy during World War 2. According to the writer,

“in 1940, Chanel was recruited into the Abwehr (a German military organization), having been introduced to the organization through one of her lovers, Baron Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a German agent who was honored by Adolf Hitler during the war. Dincklage managed Chanel’s relations with Nazi officialdom in Paris and Berlin and arranged for her to live in the Hotel Ritz in occupied Paris, which had been reserved for Nazi officials. Coco was labeled in Abwehr records as Agent F-7124. Her code name was Westminster, borrowed from Chanel’s longtime friend and sometime lover, the Duke of Westminster.”

The author of the book also claims that

“Chanel used her Nazi ties to try to regain ownership of Chanel No. 5 perfume from her Jewish partners, the Wertheimers, who produced and distributed her fragrance across the world. Her bid was unsuccessful, as the Wertheimers had shielded their businesses before fleeing to the US. Chanel No. 5 went on to be the biggest-selling fragrance in history. Chanel later fled to Switzerland with Dincklage for nine years until she returned to Paris at 70. She was never charged for any involvement with the Nazis.”

My question is, can these allegations tarnish the legacy of Coco Chanel?

-@Kami2Kute