A Man Called Intrepid: The Incredible True Story of the Master Spy Who Helped Win World War II Kindle Edition

This book is a must read for anyone interested in history, war, and how the practice of intelligence (i.e. spies, encryption, code-breaking, etc.) is equally as important as strategy, weapons, and armies in winning or losing. The story is based on the leadership and brilliance of William Stephenson, a Canadian by birth but with close ties to Britain at very high levels leading up to and during World War II. Stephenson becomes the head of British Intelligence, pushing for establishment of that organization as it became clear (to some, not all) that Hitler was preparing Germany for war. He developed close relationships with both Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, and aided the secret communication and collaboration between those two leaders before (and after) America entered the war, when Great Britain heavily relied on aid (arms, war materials, ships) from the U.S. His code name, bestowed by Churchill, was "Intrepid", and the organization he ran went by various names over time but the information flowing from its clandestine activities was classified as "Ultra." Even as the organization grew into hundreds of agents and workers, there were strict rules regarding information - no agent, no matter how high up, knew any more than he or she absolutely needed to know for each of their missions or actions. The organization played a very large part in obtaining one of the German "Enigma" encrypting machines, and had a very close relationship with the British team working to break the Enigma codes in Bletchley, England. The book is long, and goes into intimate detail of the tremendous accomplishments of Stephenson's organization, as well as the danger and lost lives resulting from their clandestine activities. As an example, we find out that German General Erwin Rommel, the so-called "Desert Fox" of Tank warfare in North Africa, was not quite the genius we have been led to believe. The Germans had broken the American encryption and Rommel was getting fed information about when, where, and how many troops would be engaging with him, enabling him to beat them to the punch, as it were, and win his battles. It talks of the 1942 planned failure of an invasion, which took thousands of British army lives, across the English Channel to the beaches of France,whose sole purpose was to discover how Germany would react when the real 1944 D-Day landings took place. The action also served to delay Hitler from invading Russia due to the need to divert troops to Western Europe. It is a fascinating read, and I guarantee you will learn, and be amazed, at the many brave people, men and women, who went into the face of danger knowing there was a high likelihood they would not survive. Truth is better than the best fiction in terms of the fascinating revelations held under "Ultra" secret confidentiality for so many years - and could finally be told in this book. Read it!

Over the years I've read a large number of WWII books, but most of them only touched on the intelligence side of the war. This goes into much more detail and has changed my perspective a bit on the war. We've read plenty about the men slogging it out in the trenches, but this gives a much different, and enlightening view of the war effort. It also helped me to become a little more reluctant to believe everything I hear from a government source because this book talks about the various clever was in which both sides manipulated information. For example, I knew Stalin (admittedly a vicious dictator) killed thousands of officers in his army but never knew it was because of a message planted by the Nazis. As for reading the book it does get dry at moments and a little stilted, but overall I think this is a very good read and one everybody who is interested in the war should read. As a side note, I am troubled a bit about how those in intelligence often play god, for example, they didn't warn a city about an impending bombing raid, but a political discussion might be better some other time.

This is a fascinating story. Canadian industrialist and master spy Sir William Stephenson (i.e. 'Intrepid') was obviously a brilliant man who saw ominous signs in Europe after World War I. His business connections and unassuming demeanor gave him access to Germany and all of Europe during the period between world wars. His first-hand experiences in World War I gave him insight into imminent dangers related to the rise of Nazism in the 1930's. His character gave him access to what would be the main Allied leaders and he got their attention. The intelligence networks that he organized and operated were the few promising 'tools' that Britain had early in the war, before the U. S. officially entered the war. Stephenson also forged a relationship of mutual trust with Franklin Roosevelt that was instrumental in the U. S. quietly preparing for the war when public opinion was vastly isolationist. Somehow, I never thought about attempted Nazi influence in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Stephenson's network, in conjunction with the FBI, largely thwarted these efforts early in World War II. I could go on, but take my word that this book is fascinating. This book was written in the 1970's and features a foreword written by William Stephenson himself. Some may and questioned the authenticity of the information presented in this book. Stephenson clearly states that he can vouch for the authenticity of the information in this book. Verification of the information is largely impossible, even after 70+ years. I will let other readers decide if they believe what they read. If the central character of the book puts his word and credibility on the line, that is good enough for me.I summarized the mood of the book as 'dark'. That summary was my prevailing opinion as I read the book, based on some rough parallels I noted between recent events and events of the 1930's-1940's.While the book was fascinating, it was a bit hard to read at times. It did not always follow chronological order which bugged me a bit, but that is a very minor point.This book is well worth the effort to read.

If you've never read anything based on secret papers which have been released; if you thought you knew about the end of the first world war, the peaceful inter-war years, and the start of the second world war; and if you thought you knew all about who did what and why between '39 and 45 - then read this.It will blow your mind!Ever wondered about the so called "special relationship" between the UK and USA? Read this and be amazed.Have fixed ideas about Americans or, come to that, the French, Germans, Poles, Danes, Norwegians, etc. Thought you knew what the world was up against? Then prepare to be utterly horrified by the depths of depravity of the enemy, stunned by the stupidity of some of our "friends" and shaken to the core by unthinkable bravery, common decency, care for humankind, forgiveness and self-sacrifice.

plots hidden by other plots. stories about anonymous heroes. about hard decisions and leadership. about how ugly war can get. a must read

this was an excellent book. Anyone who was old enough to be aware of World War 2 would find it fascinating reading. At last I found out about a lot of things that I either heard rumours of , or actually was aware of ,in this book. Very exciting real stories of spies existing in very dangerous situations , and the bravery of untold thousands in a very treacherous time. Too much will never be known about that terrible war, and how close Hitler actually came to ruling the world if it hadn't been for the author and many others who worked with him. It tells much more of the connection between Churchill and Roosevelt that was not known, and how between them they saved the world as we know it. This was a wonderful book and I know I will be reading it again.

A well researched and entertainingly written aspect of the second world war still somewhat shrouded in secrecy and misdirection. Recommended for all buffs of the 'secret wars' wherever they are undertaken.

Mostra como os aliados usaram de métodos pouco ortodoxos para enganarem os nazistas. A luta dos bastidores entre líderes de várias potencias aliadas mostra que a guerra sempre funciona de uma maneira suja para ambas as partes, e pouco humana.