Inverness author Ivan Light’s new novel, “Deadly Secret of the Lusitania,” is a story about two mysteries: one factual, one fictional. A partial account of the events surrounding the sinking of this great liner—resulting in the deaths of over 1,100 passengers and crew—is wrapped around a tale of a deadly investigation into the circumstances that lead to the tragedy. What exactly happened to the Lusitania remains an unsolved mystery to this day.
A German submarine torpedoed the ship during a 1915 voyage from the United States to England; the boat sank unusually quickly, within 19 minutes. The catastrophe was used to help sway American opinion toward supporting the entrance into World War I on the side of the British. Up until the Lusitania sank, most Americans were reluctant to declare sides and enter the war. Later, Woodrow Wilson won re-election with the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” During his ensuing term, he decided that the United States should join Great Britain and its allies against Germany. An important part of his rationale involved the sinking of the Lusitania.
Though the ship sustained two explosions, the Germans insisted they used only one torpedo. They claimed the Lusitania was carrying American-manufactured war material en route to the British and that the passengers were merely a decoy. (The rules of war may have permitted the attack were weaponry on board.) Some speculate that the war-related cargo caused the second explosion, and it is even rumored that President Wilson was apprised of the shipment of explosives, but kept it secret for political reasons. If it is true that the British endangered the many Americans on board, sympathy might have shifted toward the Germans.
An alternative theory, put forward to dispel the claim that the English were responsible in some degree for the catastrophe, asserts that the torpedo strike set off volatile substances in the engine room, causing the second explosion. This explanation also made it possible for the Lusitania’s owner, Cunard Lines, to avoid liability for the deaths, which might have led to the shipping line’s bankruptcy.
The novel’s second mystery concerns an Italian immigrant, working as a stevedore, who discovers concealed explosives while loading the ship and is subsequently murdered. The plot thickens as various attempts are made to find out who is responsible. As the drama unfolds, readers are treated to graphic descriptions of politics, crime and corruption on New York’s waterfront, as well as in the city and beyond. The complex relationship between the Mafia and elected officials is highlighted, as are the roles of the Wobblies, the Socialists, the Catholic Church, Democrats, Republicans and the Bull Moose Party (whose influence was at its height because of the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt).
Interwoven with all this are the interests of various immigrant groups. Through an account of a fictional trial, the novel underscores traditional Irish antagonism for the mistreatment suffered at the hands of the English, and the ascendency of Irish immigrants and their offspring to positions of power in early twentieth-century New York.
It is not surprising that Dr. Light uses the experiences of immigrants to help shape his story. A professor emeritus in the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, he has written or co-authored a number of important nonfiction works—including six books and countless articles about the impacts of immigration on various ethnic groups. For Dr. Light, the challenge of this novel—his first—is to translate his academic knowledge into an absorbing work of fiction. In this he succeeded admirably.
But he has not only created an entertaining story. He has also brought back to life an important period in American history, the prelude to World War I. For this reader, he also drew lines between the story of the Lusitania and the false propaganda that led to some of our current wars, such as the false claim about weapons of mass destruction that was used to justify President Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Dr. Light does not make this link or others explicit, but the connections are unavoidable.
The book offers more than entertainment: the factual elements of the story are important for Americans to know. World War I, the “war to end all wars,” was only the beginning of more than a century of international hostilities that continue to this day. A clear understanding of its antecedents may help engender ideas about how to stop this unending series of conflicts. Whether a reader is interested in a short summer read or is looking for insight into the more serious problems of our times, “Deadly Secrets of the Lusitania” is a good place to start.
Herb Kutchins is a professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, and had a varied career organizing social welfare and criminal justice reform. He lives in Inverness Park.