The Irregulars (44 page)

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T
HIS ACCOUNT OF
Roald Dahl’s wartime adventures could not have been written without the encouragement of Robert Haskell III, heir to Charles Marsh’s passion for politics and journalism, and publisher in his own right of the family-owned
Martinsville Bulletin,
who gave me unrestricted access to the mass of correspondence between his grandfather and Roald Dahl, as well as to additional Marsh letters, family papers, and photographs. It is impossible for me to adequately express my gratitude to Robert and his wife, Elizabeth, for their extraordinary hospitality, generosity, and kindness. Not only did they provide bed and board at their beautiful Virginia farm, answer endless questions about the family, no matter how frank, but also somehow arranged for me to be allowed inside Marsh’s beloved Longlea, which is presently owned by the religious sect Opus Dei. I am also deeply grateful to Robert’s mother, Antoinette Marsh Haskell, for sharing with me her detailed memories of the young RAF officer who frequented her father’s house on R Street.

In pursuing firsthand sources, I was helped immensely by the author William Stevenson, who granted me access to his archive at the University of Regina in Canada, which includes the unedited and unpublished transcripts of interviews with members of the BSC conducted by the CBC for the 1972 documentary
A Man Called Intrepid,
which led to Stevenson’s best-selling book by the same name, as well as interviews and related correspondence for the radio programs
The Two Bills, The Great Canadian Spy
and
Martin Bormann
. William Stevenson was a wry and thoughtful guide to navigating this complicated and controversial material, which over the years has spawned a mini-industry of Intrepid critics and debunkers. I am also greatly indebted to the writer John Pearson for making available interviews he did for his authoritative 1966 biography of Ian Fleming, which provided rare insight into the complex friendship between Dahl, Fleming, Bryce, Cuneo, Ogilvy, and their collective hero, Bill Stephenson.

For research assistance, I would like to record my gratitude to the Roald Dahl Estate, which is administered by his widow from his second marriage, Felicity Dahl, and Amanda Conquy. Pinning down wartime dates can be a tricky business, and I greatly appreciate the contribution of Jane Branfield, archivist at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, which houses the bulk of Dahl’s papers and correspondence.

I would also like to thank the following for their recollections, family letters, diaries, photographs, and documents: Patricia Neal, Beth Warner, Davis Haines, Creekmore Fath, John Forester, Jonathan W. Cuneo, Elizabeth Winthrop, Annette Tapert, and the late Peter Viertel. For their Jamaican hospitality and tales of island life, I must pay tribute to my hosts Michael Thomas, Chris Blackwell, and Nigel Pemberton. My thanks also to several former members of the OSS who agreed to reminisce a little for my benefit but asked not to be named, and to the mutual friends who made the introductions.

Too many individuals and organizations provided assistance to mention them all, but special recognition is due to John Huey, editor in chief of Time Inc. At the Public Welfare Foundation, Elaine Shannon was exceptionally resourceful and hunted down obscure facts and old pictures and, when all else failed, turned photographer. For his assistance with the Ralph Ingersoll Collection at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, I want to thank Charles Nile. I also benefited from the hard work of a number of researchers: Paul Veneziano of History Associates, Donna Coates, Katharine Dale, Ruth Tenenbaum, and in Britain, Christopher Werth. Cavelle Sukhai manages everything, and I would be lost without her. For their unflagging support and friendship, which means so much more than this small mention can convey, I am beholden to Barbara Kantrowitz, Mary Tavener Holmes, Perri Peltz, and Toni Goodale.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Kris Dahl, my literary agent, who was especially helpful to me in focusing this project, and first planted the kernel of an idea that became
The Irregulars
. She, too, is a distant descendant of brilliant, blue-eyed Viking stock, though there is no evidence she is related to Roald. This is my third book for Alice Mayhew, my editor, whose intelligence, patience, and boundless enthusiasm make all things—even finishing—seem possible. There are so many at Simon & Schuster who have contributed to this book, beginning with David Rosenthal, an exuberant champion of his writers, on whom Dahl, who was most particular about people, would doubtlessly have bestowed his favorite adjective, “sparky.” I would also like to acknowledge Roger Labrie’s careful shepherding, Janet Biehl’s painstaking copyediting, and Michael Accordino’s inspired art direction.

Finally, I dedicate this book to my boys—my husband, Steve Kroft, and son, John—who are my best friends and favorite coconspirators. You have braved years of war stories, and I am deeply grateful to you both.

Jennet Conant
Sag Harbor, 2008

Numbers refer to photos in the insert.

Courtesy of Haskell Family: 2

Courtesy of Elaine Shannon: 3, 20

Historical Society of Washington, D.C.: 4, 5

Courtesy of Jonathan W. Cuneo: 8

Weidenfeld & Nicholson Archive: Frontmatter
(bottom left and bottom right),
11, 12

Lyndon B. Johnson Library: 19

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library: 23, Chapter 10
(both letters)

2
The self-styled Texas newspaper tycoon Charles Marsh became Dahl’s mentor and volunteered his services to help the British cause.