Saturday, August 16, 2008

Julia Child: OSS Spy

You may know her as the host of "The French Chef" on television but during WWII she was a spy for the Office of Strategic Services(OSS), a precursor to the CIA. My limited knowledge of Julia Child was thanks to channel surfing and Foods 9 & 10 so I was surprised to hear this.

Apparently she applied for the post after the December 7 bombing of Pearl Harbour. Her job involved working as a research assistant and file clerk. She also worked directly for OSS chief Gen. William J. Donovan. She also was involved in a project to develop a shark repellent, to stop sharks from exploding underwater mines. (This just goes to show that shark repellent isn't ridiculous as I've often believed thanks to the use of shark repellent bat spray in the 1966 Batman movie). She was later, posted to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) where she met her husband Paul Cushing Child, also an OSS operative.

Documents released from the US National Archives on Thursday confirmed her participation in the organization formed by President Franklin Roosevelt. Without written proof I don't know that I would have believed it. If someone told you this you this nice lady holding a big fish was a spy would you be inclined to believe them?



Olmypic Update: The drought is over! Today I heard over the radio that we've won three medals, one of each. Our first gold of the games was won by a woman from right here in BC. Her name is Carol Huynh and she's originally from Hazelton, BC.

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