In the months before the invasion of Sicily, British spies fooled German spies with a caper inspired by a detective novel, but Malcolm Gladwell wonders whether the incident is a case for or against spying. The lesson of the incident was that “The proper function of spies is to remind those who rely on spies that the kinds of thing found out by spies can’t be trusted. If this sounds like a lot of trouble, there’s a simpler alternative. The next time a briefcase washes up onshore, don’t open it.”