William Stephenson
Sir William Samuel Stephenson (born
William Samuel Clouston Stanger, 23 January 1897 – 31 January 1989) was a Canadian soldier,
fighter pilot, businessman and
spymaster who served as the senior representative of the
British Security Coordination (BSC) for the
Western Allies during
World War II. He is best known by his wartime intelligence code name,
Intrepid. Many people consider him to be one of the real-life
inspirations for James Bond.
Ian Fleming himself once wrote, "James Bond is a highly romanticised version of a true spy. The real thing is... William Stephenson."
As head of the BSC, Stephenson handed British scientific secrets over to
Franklin D. Roosevelt and relayed American secrets back to
Winston Churchill. In addition, Stephenson has been credited with changing American public opinion from an isolationist stance to a supportive tendency regarding the United States' entry into
World War II.
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