There are many theories about how Donovan acquired his lifelong nickname, “Wild Bill.” Some believed it came from the style of play that made him a star on the Columbia football team, while others said it was a product of his resourcefulness and endurance during combat in World War I.[1] In Ford’s biography about Donovan, the subject’s brother explained that the nickname came about in 1916, after Donovan became the captain of a newly-formed cavalry troop, who he subjected to strenuous training and sweaty, backbreaking marches.[2] One day, as his soldiers gasped for breath after a ten-mile hike and Donovan teased them about their fatigue, one voice responded “We ain’t as wild as you are, Bill.”[3] Sure enough, Wild Bill was a force to be reckoned with.
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“Bill Donovan is the sort of guy who thought nothing of parachuting into France, blowing up a bridge…then dancing on the roof of the St. Regis Hotel with a German spy.” —John Ford, Movie director (and wartime OSS officer)[4] |
DONOVAN IN WORLD WAR IEven as he went on to start his family and become a successful lawyer, Donovan searched for a way to serve his country. He joined the New York National Guard in 1912, was soon commissioned as captain, and, in 1916, commanded his cavalry troop on the U.S.-Mexico border to assist in the American government’s campaign against the bandit Pancho Villa.[7] When the U.S. entered World War I, Donovan led the legendary regiment, the “Fighting Irish,” against a superior German force during the 2nd Battle of the Marne in France in July 1918.[8] Throughout their battles together, Wild Bill was greatly admired by his men, heroic and inspiring in combat, and wounded numerous times. “By the end of the war, Donovan had been promoted to colonel and was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I;”[9] he was laden with achievements.
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FROM WAR HERO TO SPYUpon his return home from France in 1919, Donovan resumed his law practice, but also became more involved in government work, serving on many different federal organizations. After his unsuccessful campaign for Governor of New York in 1932,[10] Wild Bill shifted his attention to foreign affairs. Through his business travel, he obtained overseas clients and met with many foreign leaders. Donovan toured the battle lines in 1935 during fascist Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia, studied the modern weaponry used in the Spanish Civil War, and made observations about the rising conflicts in Europe that he reported back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[11] He already demonstrated the makings of a spymaster. Although his extensive travel experience helped him enter the world of intelligence, his most important champion in the Roosevelt administration was Frank Knox. Recently appointed Secretary of the Navy in June 1940, Knox advocated for Donovan’s potential value, believing that the President should make better use of him as an asset. The opportunity arose that very summer: when Germany attacked England, the Prime Minister Churchill sent William Stephenson, a representative of British secret services and an old friend of Donovan’s from World War I, to New York to connect with Donovan and acquire American aid.[12] President Roosevelt called in Donovan “to visit England as an unofficial envoy in November 1940 to interview British officials and determine if they could withstand Nazi Germany.”[13]
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