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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2008 > August > 14 > Entry
Julia Child was a spy ?
We knew her as a fantastic chef, a raconteur, and cookbook author. The late Julia Child loved a good sauce and the occasional nip. It has now been revealed that she was also a spy during WWII according to newly revealed secret documents. The Times of London has the story:
“One was a historian and assistant to John Kennedy, another was the chef who first introduced French cuisine to American households, and a third was the father of Stewart Copeland, drummer for the band The Police.
In their every day lives they had nothing in common but Arthur Schlesinger Jr., Julia Child and Miles Copeland shared a secret life - serving in an international spy ring at a time when Hitler was threatening the world.
Their work and that of thousands of other members of the Office of Strategic Services, an early version of the CIA, will be revealed today when previously classified files are opened by the National Archives in the USA. For the first time, the files identifiying nearly 24,000 spies who formed the first centralised intelligence agency will be released and the vast spy network of military and civilian operatives exposed.”
The late Arthur Schlesinger Jr. was a spy, too!? Amazing! One spy became an eminent historian. Another spy became a famous chef. One never knows does one?
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: clearing the cobwebs
Comments
By Mark from St Paul
August 15, 2008 7:24 PM | Link to this
It’s really odd that I didn’t already know about this. I wonder if the initial story overlapped with some major catastrophe and got lost in the shuffle? But PBS? That’s a source that rarely reaches me. I stopped watching them when they went to 50/50 programming/fundraising here in the Twin Cities.By victor mickunas
August 15, 2008 9:57 AM | Link to this
Thanks, Tom. Nicholas Dawidoff wrote a classic book about him in 1995; “The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg.” A great read!By Tom
August 14, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
Also A baseball player Moe Berg. Catcher for the Red Sox.By victor mickunas
August 14, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this
No doubt. Say, can I borrow your Cuisinart food processor, Julia? —O, there it is - it’s right there between the Geiger counter and the NCR code breaking machine.By Cyranetta
August 14, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this
I suspect that some publishing house right at this minute is gearing up to produce a series of spy novels (with recipes).By victor mickunas
August 14, 2008 3:09 PM | Link to this
Okey dokey, Roger. If it is a good enough story (old or not) to make the front page of Google News with 800+ links then it must be newsworthy? The news story here is that the rumors are being vaildated with actual documentation from secret archives.By Roger
August 14, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
Touché. But in the same Google search, the second result is an April 2002 article from NPR about the same thing. Also, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound rude in my comment. I could have said that despite newly revealed secret documents, it has been known for many years that she was a spy. I’m sure the book will offer new insights into that fact.By victor mickunas
August 14, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
Well Roger, I just typed in the search terms “Julia Child spy” into Google News and got almost 800 new news stories so it must be news to somebody?By Roger
August 14, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this
This is old news. I thought everyone knew she was a spy. My mom watched her show growing up and told me that fact back in the early 90’s. I also watched a documentary about her spy life on PBS a couple of years back. This nothing new!By lmj
August 14, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
Don’t forget Sterling Hayden. Sounds as if, in a different time, there would have been a job for Elvis!By lmj
August 14, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
Don’t forget Sterling Hayden.