Sir William Stephenson-- "A Man Called Intrepid"

[1938 Observer]

To begin with I will place a film verson of this amazing story, the book about this gentleman is well worth reading.

Here is a brief background of his life.


Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC (23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989) was a Canadian soldier, airman, businessman, inventor, spymaster, and the senior representative of British intelligence for the entire western hemisphere during World War II. He is best known by his wartime intelligence codename Intrepid. Many people consider him to be one of the real-life inspirations for James Bond.[2] Ian Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is ... William Stephenson."

Stephenson was born William Samuel Clouston Stanger on 23 January 1897, in Point Douglas, Winnipeg, Manitoba. His mother was from Iceland, and his father was from the Orkney Islands. He was adopted early by an Icelandic family after his parents could no longer care for him, and given his foster parents' name, Stephenson.

He left school at a young age and worked as a telegrapher. In January 1916 he volunteered for service in the 101st Overseas Battalion (Winnipeg Light Infantry), Canadian Expeditionary Force. He left for England on the S.S. Olympic on 29 June 1916, arriving on 6 July 1916. The 101st Battalion was broken up in England, and he was transferred to the 17th Reserve Battalion in East Sandling, Kent. On 17 July he was transferred to the Canadian Engineer Training Depot. He was attached to the Sub Staff, Canadian Training Depot Headquarters, in Shorncliffe, and was promoted to Sergeant (with pay of Clerk) in May 1917. In June 1917 he was "on command" to the Cadet Wing of the Royal Flying Corps at Denham Barracks, Buckinghamshire.

Read more here................. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stephenson

there are also other resources available.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Sir William Stephenson-- "A Man Called Intrepid"

Here is a snippet from another DVD,

Discover how a hardware salesman from Canada changed the fate of nations and helped win World War Two. Sir Winston Churchill once said, "In war, the truth is so valuable that it must be protected by a bodyguard of lies." At the outset of WWII, in the face of Nazi aggression and American apathy, the British PM required facts and fiction to achieve his goal of defending Great Britain. Churchill trusted one man above all others to generate both. That man was Sir William Stephenson, The True Intrepid.

Stephenson changed the course of the Twentieth Century, yet even after his death he remains firmly in the shadows. From his early family life in Winnipeg to heroic deeds on the front lines of World War One, to his pivotal role during the cold war, Stephenson blazed a trail so unique that history is divided on how he should be remembered.

Previous accounts of his life have been rife with factual errors, no accident when you consider Stephenson himself once said, "Nothing deceives like a document."

Now, for the first time ever, comes an accurate account of his work outside the established intelligence community where, under the guise of British Passport Control, his agents perfected coding, forgery, counter-espionage and propaganda, all with the intent of defeating Hitler's military juggernaut.

In this hour-long documentary, the life of a master spy is examined more closely than ever before. Recently declassified documents and intimate personal reflections from Stephenson's family, operatives, agents, and the former Chief Historian for the CIA offer new insight into a man who took most of his deeds to the grave.