William Stevenson (1) (1924–2013)

Knowing I enjoy espionage novels, my neighbour lent me this classic true story. It became the first five-star read of the year.

When searching for a man to help bring the Americans into the war Churchill said that man must be not just fearless, or dauntless, but intrepid! William Stephenson was that man. Among other unfamiliar topics, I learned about Camp X, the fascinating top secret spy training centre in Canada. Stephenson developed a talent for recruiting agents, Sir Noel Coward among others, and asked diplomat Lester B. Pearson (future prime minister of Canada) to become a “King’s messenger” conveying secret documents across the Atlantic. A quote from Pearson’s autobiography relates the danger and unexpected risks involved. Ian Fleming worked closely with Stephenson and trained at Camp X. He later admitted that many of the devices portrayed in his James Bond series were derived from Intrepid’s operations. This is a terrific book, well written and interesting throughout: one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read about WWII.… (mais)