Dicky Cruyer

## Books

*Winter*
*Mexico Set*
*London Match*
*Spy Hook*
*Spy Line*
*Spy Sinker*
*Faith*
*Hope*
*Charity*

## Principal Characters

Daphne Cruyer
**Dicky Cruyer**
Frank Harrington
Alan Piper
Glenn Rensselaer
Brian Samson
Fiona Samson
Werner Volkmann
Zena Volkmann
Paul Winter
Peter Winter

## Associations

[please refer to the association charts page for explanation of solid, versus dotted line links - between associates as well as family]

The graphic published for *Berlin Game* refers to Dicky as German Stations Controller. He is therefore linked by dotted line to London Central as well as to Bernard Samson. Dicky is additionally shown as married to Daphne, an '*Advertising Exec.*'

By the time of *Mexico Set* Dicky is Head of German Desk, a position he holds through to and including *Spy Sinker*, in addition to his continuing links to Bernard and London Central. By now he also has dotted line links to Frank Harrington, as Head of Berlin Field Unit, and to Henry Tiptree, described as **Diplomatic Service & Internal Security** as well as Tiptree and Dicky being at Baliol together (the University of Oxford College).

Dicky's entry in the table for *London Match* links him by dotted line directly to Sir Henry Clevemore, the Director-General.

For *Spy Hook*, dotted lines link Dicky Cruyer to all the many other characters working for London Central. Connected by dotted line but underneath him - therefore possibly reporting to Dicky - are Harry Strang ('*Operations*') and Bill Ingsley (Data Centre. Sent to Hong Kong).

By the time of the table for *Spy Line*, Dicky has a dotted line link for the first time with Bret Rensselaer, now '*Liaising w. London Central from California*'. Dicky's link to Bernard is now via Tessa Kosinski ('*Fiona Samson's sister. Has been having an affair w. Dicky Cruyer*'). Dicky is also linked by dotted line to Augustus Stowe, Deputy Controller Europe and presumably, therefore, to whom he reports.

By *Sinker*, Dicky Cruyer is linked solely to Frank Harrington.

In *Faith*, Dicky is still shown as married to Daphne. His position is now Controller German Stations, almost identical with his job title back in *Berlin Game* although he is also listed as Acting Head of Operations. A dotted line once more links Dicky directly to the Director-General.

**Associations**

Before joining London Central, Dicky Cruyer was a Captain in the British Army [*Berlin Game* chap 3]

## Commentary

Richard Cruyer is ‘*handsome in the way that foreigners think bowler-hatter English stockbrokers are handsome. His face was hard and bony and the tan from his Christmas in the Bahamas had still not faded*.’ Additionally, he is ‘*a thin man, with thin arms, thin legs and thin, bony hands and fingers, with one of which he continually touched his thin bloodless lips*’ and has ‘*curly hair and liked to wear open-necked shirts and faded jeans, and be the Wunderkind amongst all the dark suits and Eton ties*.’ [*Berlin Game* chap 3]

According to Bernard Samson, Dicky and Daphne Cruyer’s ‘*boys were at boarding school; their parents only saw them at vacation time*. *It’s the only way to stay sane, Dicky had explained to me more than once*.’ [*Berlin Game* chap 4]

By his own admission Bernard Samson ‘*did dislike the little creep*’ and is therefore biased, but he expands on Dicky’s character: ‘…*under all the trendy jargon and casual airs, he was the most pompous stuffed shirt in the whole Department.*’ Dicky is *‘younger than I was by two years and his apologies for this fact gave him opportunities for reminding himself of his fast promotion in a service that was not noted for its fast promotions...Even Cruyer’s complaints were contrived to show the world how important he was*.’

In terms of his snobbishness: ‘*Dicky always said fine rather than brandy or cognac. Fiona told me he’d been saying it ever since he was president of the Oxford University Food and Wine Society.' [Berlin Game chap 3]*

Bernard believes his boss has led a sheltered life as a desk man: ‘*How the hell can you explain to a man like Cruyer what it’s like to be afraid day and night, year after year?*’ [*Berlin Game* chap 3] Generally, though, Dicky exhibits as great an appetite for office politics as Bernard tries to abstain from it: ‘*I lose count of how many committees he’s on … His appointment book reads like the Good Food Guide. Lately he’s discovered “breakfast meetings”*. [*Berlin Game* chap 4]

The need-to-know secrecy principle surrounding key human source Brahms Four doesn’t prevent Dicky trying to identity him, as: ‘*a secretary or personal assistant to one of the directors of the Deutsche Notenbank…Brahms Four has been feeding us this sort of thing too long to be anything but a clerk or assistant*’ [*Berlin Game* chap 3]. Dicky also mentions that ‘*I can’t even get a recent photo of him*’ [*Berlin Game* chap 4 - although why he might want a picture, never mind a contemporary likeness, is not clear].

Dicky demonstrates a ruthlessness too in discussing the human source’s wish to defect: ‘*It’s his idea that he should come over to the West, not mine! I want him to remain where he is. I can’t afford to lose him*.’ [quotes *Berlin Game* chap 3]

There’s a question mark however whether Dicky may have let slip that he has a closer relationship with - and even tighter loyalty to - the Director-General than his (senior, but not that senior) role strictly requires: ‘*You wait until I tell the old man that one*.’ [*Berlin Game* chap 4]