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Wild Bill and Intrepid: Donovan, Stephenson, and the Origin of CIA. By Thomas F. Troy. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1996. ISBN 0300-06563-9. Illustrations. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xii, 259. $30.00.
Thomas F. Troy is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) staff officer. His interest in Major General William J. Donovan ("Wild Bill") and Sir William S. Stephenson ("Intrepid") arose while on assignment with the CIA's Office of Training, during which time he was tasked to teach the history, mission, and functions of the agency. Intrigued by a book on the life of Stephenson and his influence on Donovan, Troy decided to uncover the reasons why no mention was ever made of Stephenson's role in the establishment by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI), from which came the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) and eventually the CIA. During the Second World War, Stephenson had been the chief of British intelligence in the United States as well as a close friend...