William Stephenson (Spy)
Sir William Samuel Stephenson (born January 23, 1897 as William Samuel Clouston Stanger in Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada - died January 31, 1989 in Tucker's Town, Bermuda ) was a Canadian soldier , pilot , businessman , inventor , and chief intelligence officer for the UK .
As a secret service agent he organized the British Security Coordination (BSC) in New York City from June 1940 during the Second World War . His code name was Intrepid ( Intrepid in German). In addition to counter-espionage against the German Reich, an important goal of his activities was to win public opinion in the USA for entry into the war on the side of England.
In recognition of his services, he was knighted on February 13, 1945 as a Knight Bachelor .
It is said that he was the model for Ian Fleming, whom he personally knew, for the fictional character James Bond .
See also
literature
- William Stephenson (Ed.): British Security Coordination. The Secret History of British Intelligence in the Americas, 1940-1945. Introduction by Nigel West . 1st Fromm International edition. Fromm International, New York NY 1999, ISBN 0-88064-236-X .
- Bill Macdonald: The True Intrepid. Sir William Stephenson and the Unknown Agents. Raincoast Books, Vancouver 2001, ISBN 1-55192-418-8 (English; this book contains interviews with various Canadian employees of the BSC in New York).
Web links
- Eva C. Schweitzer: James Bond role model William Stephenson - The real 007. At spon ( one day ) from June 22, 2015
Notes and individual references
- ↑ Knights and Dames at Leigh Rayment's Peerage
- ↑ "Street named for WW II spy hero" , CBC television, November 15, 2009
- ↑ Ian Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is ... William Stephenson." Preface to Room 3603 by H. Montgomery Hyde
- ↑ The first edition in Great Britain was published in 1998, book review British Security Coordination (English; at h-net.org) .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stephenson, William |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stephenson, Sir William Samuel (full name); Stanger, William Samuel Clouston (maiden name); Intrepid (cover name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian soldier, pilot, businessman, inventor, UK senior intelligence officer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 23, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Winnipeg , Manitoba, Canada |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 31, 1989 |
| Place of death | Tucker's Town, Bermuda |