Charlet, Valentine Blanche, 1898-1985

Valentine Blanche Charlet (May 23, 1898–October 11, 1985), code named Christiane, served in France as an agent for the United Kingdom's clandestine Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. She was imprisoned and proved adept at portraying herself as a vacuous woman ignorant of politics, concocting elaborate stories about lovers and fainting when under pressure from her interrogators. In November 1942, she was sentenced to incarceration in Castres prison in southern France. The prison, run by the French, was lax about security. On 16 September 1943, at least 37 of the prisoners, including Charlet, escaped.