Man Called Intrepid [Paperback]

William Stevenson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1978

Man Called Intrepid

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 1978)
• ISBN-10: 9993990795
• ISBN-13: 978-9993990796
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, December 1, 1999

By 

Bill Black (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man Called Intrepid (Paperback)

A fascinating book, not just because of what it says, but because of what it doesn't say. Since it was 1st published in the 70's, more information on the Allies and WWII was been declassified. Cross referencing "Intrepid" with some "new" material from the British archives shows many of the stories in "Intrepid" in a different light. The reason in that not everything could be said at the time the book was first printed. Those who think the book is a work of fiction should really look at the newer declassified info. Remember...truth is stranger than fiction. No wonder this book spent so long on the best seller lists.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flirting with dirt to defeat the devil, November 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Man Called Intrepid (Paperback)

A terrific book! Only in a couple of instances did I find William Stevenson beginning to drag. Overall, he has opened up a heretofore classified series of events that had a great deal to do with winning World War II for the Allies. In reviewing it, I was able to relate what was in the media to what went on behind the scenes. Civil liberties took a back seat in many instances, as did morality. What was revealed even more vividly as a result of this book is the courage that Winston Churchill and FDR displayed, in showing their visible decisions on the war, and their not-for-display decisions. In FDR's case, he was setting himself up for impeachment had he been found out in the circumstances prior to America's entry into World War II. What was another new insight for many too young to have been aware of the happenings of WWII is how the Joseph Kennedy family built up a reservoir of enemies as a result of Ambassador Kennedy's beliefs and pronouncements when it appeared that the British Isles would certainly fall to Germany's onslaught. FDR chose not to fire Kennedy, but simply bypassed him with intelligence messages. In the 1960's J. Edgar Hoover and Robert Kennedy had no love for each other in a troubled working relationship. One can't help but notice how much more access today's media has to the running of wartime operations, and how difficult it has become for U.S. Presidents to work away from the public eye. Witness Watergate, Irangate, etc. A bit difficult to accept was how the sleep-around women spys were only gathering information. Stevenson implied that they were gathering nothing but accurate facts, all in the name of lust; if their paramours were as smart as they should have been, they may have been getting a romp in the hay while feeding disinformation to the WWII Mata Hari brigade.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunate, February 21, 2007

By 

John A. Murray "croozn" (China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man Called Intrepid (Paperback)

The true history of Mr. Stephenson would probably make for a fascinating book, but this does not seem to be it.

Among other things, he is credited with getting IBM into the computer business (to build computers to crack the enigma code), thinking up the use of four famous notes from Beethoven's 5th to spread the message of Victory in the war effort (this was actually suggested by a Belgian lawyer named Victor De Lavalaye), and numerous other highly dubious claims mixed in with some that at least appear to be plausible.

Ian Fleming apparently did say that Stephenson was the basic model for his later James Bond character and by any measure the man's life was impressive. And Bill Donovan's quotes about him can be verified. But author Stevenson seems to have gotten carried away and created a work of fiction under the guise of an historically accurate account.

My guess is that with all of the people who might know the truth now dead and buried, and with the understandably scarce documentation of Stephenson's contributions to the war effort and intelligence gathering, we may never know the truth. Good spies don't leave a lot of evidence behind.

Personally, I thought the descriptions of Joseph Kennedy were almost as interesting as those of Stephenson - and easier to believe.