Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
The Current

William Stevenson: A Reporter's Story of War

The story of two men -- both named William Stevenson, one a spymaster, the other the journalist who told his story and dabbled in some international intrigue of his own.
CBC Radio ·
William Stevenson was a WWII British naval pilot working intelligence who ended up as a foreign reporter for The Toronto Star after the war, a reporter who kept taking notes for MI6 - the British spy agency sending them through another agent called William Stephenson who happened to be A Man Called Intrepid. Today, William Stevenson retraces his own tangled career.

Journalist William Stevenson

" Obviously the establishment of a sacred organization to investigate enemy activities who institute adequate war time security measures in the western hemisphere in relation to British interests in a neutral territory were of importance, and American assistance in achieving this objective was essential." - Legendary Canadian spy master Sir William Stephenson talking about his exploits during the Second World War.

Sir William was the head of British intelligence operations in the United States, better known as A Man Called Intrepid, thanks to a best-selling biography of the same name. The author of that biography is a Canadian Journalist also named William Stevenson, though he spells his name differently. Over the decades, the two men -- spy master and journalist -- carried on a relationship that was, to say the least, unique.

In his new book, journalist William Stevenson tells the story of that relationship, as well as his own career as a journalist and a spy in his own right. The book is Past and Present: A Reporter's Story of War, Spies, People and Politics. William Stevenson was in Toronto.

This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal.

If you want to share your thoughts on anything you hear on The Current, we'd love to hear from you. Tweet us @thecurrentcbc. Find us on Facebook. Or call us toll free at 1 877 287 7366. You can email us from our website. And while you're there, download our podcast, check out our 10th anniversary site, and find lots of goodies about stories we've covered. And of course by Canada Post, Box 500, Station A, Toronto, M5W 1E6.

Last Word - We'll Meet Again

And since William Stevenson remembered Vera Lynn so fondly, we gave her the last word this morning with We'll Meet Again.


Other segments from today's show:

Venezuela in a post-Chavez era

Should Soccer officials ban score-keeping for kids?

More from this episode