PREFACE
The True Intrepid
Sir William Stephenson and the Unknown Agents
This book retraces the life of World War II spymaster William Stephenson and the organization he created, British Security Coordination (BSC).Yet it didn't start out that way and its course was predicated by a number of twists, some unique to the world of espionage.
Stephenson, known widely as the man called Intrepid, died in Bermuda on January 31, 1989. His war efforts were celebrated in his lifetime in two major books, but subsequently some observers questioned certain aspects of his career and others attempted to discredit his reputation or reduce his role in history. He died relatively forgotten. Stephenson's obituaries said he was a Canadian, born in Winnipeg in 1896, a graduate of Argyle High School, and the son of a lumber mill owner. An interesting life come to a close. Rest in peace.
However,there were no lumber mill owners named Stephenson in Winnipeg at the turn of the century. No one with his parents names lived in the city then. Manitoba Vital Statistics has no record of the spy chief's birth. There was no Argyle High School. So began the difficult task of trying to learn about the life of William Stephenson...
© Bill Macdonald