One of the most celebrated and highly decorated heroes of World War I, a noted trial lawyer, presidential adviser and emissary, and chief of America’s Office of Strategic Services during World War II, William J. Donovan was a legendary figure. Donovan, originally published in 1982, penetrates the cloak of secrecy surrounding this remarkable man.
During the dark days of World War II, “Wild … World War II, “Wild Bill” Donovan, more than any other person, was responsible for what William Stevenson, author of A Man Called Intrepid, described as “the astonishing success with which the United States entered secret warfare and accomplished in less than four years what it took England many centuries to develop.”
Drawing upon Donovan’s diaries, letters, and other papers; interviews with hundreds of the men and women who worked with him and spied for him; and declassified and unpublished documents, author Richard Dunlop, himself a former member of Donovan’s OSS, traces the incredible career of the man who almost single-handedly created America’s central intelligence service. The result is the definitive biography that Donovan himself had always expected Dunlop would write.
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“Wild Bill” Donovan was a dedicated American patriot who played important roles during both WWI and WWII. As the organizer and leader of the OSS he contributed to the successful outcome of victory both in Europe and Asia in WWII. Learning more about him personally is useful to understanding his contributions to the war effort.
Much has been written about William Stevenson, ‘intrepid’, but this deals with some of the same subjects from the American point of view. Read churchills books on the war along side this and the war is revealed to you – somewhat.
The ghastly movie that just came out, ‘Churchill’, boosts the American view that he wanted to scuttle the invasion of France. What a waste of film.
Must be a trump movie, the lies are thick, furious, and utter b.s.
A very informative book on Donovan, shedding light on many parts of his life I had never heard of before including his WWI service. Well worth reading.
A great biography about an equally great but little known American: William (Wild Bill ) Donovan, the founder, architect and brains behind America’s modern intelligence network. High-Powered Attorney, Businessman, Diplomat, War Hero, Donovan was a Madden day Renaissance man. This book was incredibly interesting and taught me a lot about a man I’d heard of, but never knew much about.
Bogged down about 1/3 through.
When I say that I have finished with this book, I mean that I’m not going to read anymore of it. It is very interesting and Donovan was certainly an illustrious Person. However, it seems that this book goes on and on and the writing is not very engaging.
Well written account of life of an amazing man. very well researched and presented. could have been a tedious book in some sections but was written so well that it was hard to put down.
Decent overview of U.S. history of amateur (pre-WWII) intelligence capabilities. It is obvious as one reads this, Donovan was a great organizer and skillful bureaucratic in-fighter. He seems almost self-designed from an early age to be a hero and national figure. But this reader is left wondering how much a hero at the national level, and how much a heel at the personal.
The actual details of the founding of the office of Coordinator of Intelligence and negotiated successor, OSS, are interesting, but if it was a meal, it doesn’t stick to the ribs. The overriding feel is the hero saved the day, almost all operations were amazingly successful and some died. The General is presented as this paragon of virtue, integrity, and honor while escapades of globe-spanning serial adultery are mentioned almost as if, boys will be boys. Evidently, like Roosevelt, his boss, great heroes have great deficits…and in the same areas.
They say we can never really know anyone. Even after reading this I do not know Wild Bill Donovan.
This is a well told story of a remarkable man operating on a world-changing scale.
It is like reading the inside story of the history of the time.
I thought that the book was overly long and sometimes went into more detail than was necessary while at the same omitting parts of Donovan’s story that would have been of considerable interest. As a case in point, Donovan seems to have been quite a lady’s man and to have had numerous affairs but the author gives all of them short shrift, from Donovan’s first fling with an older woman while he was still unmarried to quite a number of times in later life when he had extramarital affairs. I think a little more attention to these episodes would have made the book more well rounded and added some human detail which is sometimes lacking.
The start of the modern intelligence apparatus plus a lot about Donovan who was a genuine Hero!
Outstanding account of Donovan’s extremely dedicated and patriot life of danger and intrique.
Learn more about how the true patriots worked long before today’s technology was available
It’s a pleasure to read such a well researched book and learn a lot at the same time! This isn’t just a biography, but provides a lot of the back story for what was going on politically and in secret during the World Wars. I definitely recommend this book for history buffs.
This is a riveting story of an authentic American hero, flaws and all. Also a graduate level textbook about leadership.
A little dry. Some parts interesting, others not.
too detailed for other than a non military person. Great history and evaluation of his defenders and his detractors and triumphs and defeats. A real hero who would never succeed in todays PC military.
This is a very informative and interesting book. I am currently reading it. It is good
Beautifully researched
I learned a lot about America’s birth of our Intelligence services. Bill Donovan was a great American unsung hero.He certainly was a Man for All Seasons.