Monopoly X with Philip E. Orbanes

How Top-Secret World War II Operations Used the Game of Monopoly to Help Allied POWs Escape, Conceal Spies, and Send Secret Codes

Monopoly X is arguably the most unusual and best-kept secret operation of World War II. The masterminds at England’s top-secret MI-9, and later America’s MIS-X, created a special version of the popular game, hiding tools, maps, and money within game boards—delivered by fictitious charities—to captured Allied servicemen held at gunpoint behind barbed wire in German prison camps. This ingenious and complex plot, dubbed "Monopoly X," was never discovered by the Nazis and led to many successful Allied breakouts.

The creation and consequences of Monopoly X remained a deep secret through the war and for decades after, until now. For the first time, Monopoly expert and game historian Philip E. Orbanes tells the full story of the people behind this clandestine program—how it was devised, implemented, and used to great success. 

Philip E. Orbanes, is the former president of Winning Moves Games, a game historian, and author. Prior to founding Winning Moves Games, he worked as a Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Parker Brothers. He is considered the foremost expert on the history of Monopoly, writing several books about the board game, including Monopoly: The World's Most Famous Game—And How it Got that Way. He lives in Massachusetts. 

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