George Locke Howe (1898–1977) was an intelligence operative in World War II, an author, and a well-known architect in the Washington, D.C. area. His 1949 novel , drawn from his war experience using captured German soldiers to re-enter the Third Reich to gather intelligence, earned him a first prize cash award in a contest by the Christophers, "an organization devoted to bringing Christian principles into everyday life." The novel was turned into a 1951 Hollywood film, Decision Before Dawn.