Wild Bill Donovan

The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage

By: Douglas Waller

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

He was one of America's most exciting and secretive generals - the man Franklin Roosevelt made his top spy in World War II. A mythic figure whose legacy is still intensely debated, "Wild Bill" Donovan was director of the Office of Strategic Services (the country's first national intelligence agency) and the father of today's CIA. Donovan introduced the nation to the dark arts of covert warfare on a scale it had never seen before. Now, veteran journalist Douglas Waller has mined government documents and private archives throughout the United States and England, drawn on thousands of pages of recently declassified documents, and interviewed scores of Donovan's relatives, friends, and associates to produce a riveting biography of one of the most powerful men in modern espionage.

The son of poor Irish Catholic parents, William Joseph Donovan married into Protestant wealth and fought heroically in World War I, where he earned the nickname "Wild Bill" for his intense leadership. After the war he made millions as a lawyer on Wall Street until FDR tapped him to be his strategic intelligence chief. A charismatic leader, Donovan was revered by his secret agents. Yet at times he was reckless, risking his life unnecessarily in war zones and engaging in extramarital affairs that became fodder for his political enemies.

Wild Bill Donovan reads like an action-packed spy thriller, with stories of daring young men and women in Donovan's OSS sneaking behind enemy lines for sabotage, breaking into Washington embassies to steal secrets, plotting to topple Adolf Hitler, and suffering brutal torture or death when they were captured by the Gestapo. It is also a tale of political intrigue, of infighting at the highest levels of government, and of powerful men pitted against one another.

©2011 Douglas Waller (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Waller's realism about these issues combined with an obvious affection for the remarkable charter of Wild Bill Donovan have resulted in a splendid biography." ( The Los Angeles Times)

Birth of the Spyworks Industry

I was drawn to this title primarily because of my role as an associate in the early 1980s of the now defunct NYC office of the law firm, Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine, which claimed "Wild Bill" as its primary founder. A number of the vestiges of Donovan remained at that time, including several elderly, but rarely seen, senior partners and the afternoon tea caddy visit to each office.
I found some of the book quite interesting, including Donovan's early years and his interactions with J. Edgar Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. There were long sections that dragged--at least for me--relating to WWII strategies and political infighting. I suspect that these sections would be of more interest to aficionados of WWII familiar with the various characters and strategies influenced by the role of the OSS.
What does come across clearly in this book is a portrait of Donovan as a free-wheeling lawyer and businessman who, either courageously or recklessly, depending on your point of view, but always with total self-confidence, threw himself into the realm of subterfuge in what he believed was the best interests of his country. Indeed, his style is can still often be detected in the modus operandi of today's CIA.

Review of a biography of William Donovan

This is a fascinating biography of the man who developed the OSS which was the forerunner of the CIA. Donovan was a complex man who loved his country and wanted to protect the USA from aliens intent on harming the country. Single handedly, he developed the spy agency which has guarded us from enemies abroad.

I can highly recommend this biography with one minor exception.

My only complaint is that the reader has a pronounced nasal quality which I found very annoying. I wish they had chosen a better reader! Even with that complaint I still recommend the book.

Fair story, almost to much detail

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, because I learn that the legend of Bill Donovan is partly true and partly fiction.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Just a wrap up of what happened following his death.

Have you listened to any of Johnny Heller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Do you think Wild Bill Donovan needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No follow up needed. The story of the CIA had been told.

Any additional comments?

None

Johnny Heller is a miserable narrator

This is a fascinating story, but Johnny Heller is a miserable narrator. He reads too fast!! And his nasal delivery is irritating.
And why the heck is Alexa so stupid that she cannot read at 3/4 speed like my iPad??
Like every war America has ever fought, the rich and or the crooked, have taken advantage of the situation at the expense of the unknown, common soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation, but eventually even the rich and famous return to dust.

good but it was no Legacy of Ashes.

makes you want to scream at the end of your rope, raise the bkack flag. and commence slitting the throats if the politicos. was that reallythe few number of spies the FBI uncovered on their own investigations?
An interesting account of War Command in the Battle pf gibberish, not much to be proud of in this account of a good idea soured by WASHINGTON politics.

American James Bond

Fascinating biography of a spymaster who was ahead of his time. His personal life reads like a political scandal, while his professional life is one courageous chapter after another. He laid the groundwork for the CIA and US Special Operations Command while advancing US interests during WWII. Strongly recommend.

Adventure Part 1

This story was driven by the force of personality of Donovan.; an innovator with ambition and poor relationship skills in his career and his personal life. The captivating way this story was written has led me select Waller's Disciples as my Adventure Part 2.

overall great read

this is like chapter one of the the history of american spy craft.. chapter 2 would be the devils chessboard, which picks up where this leaves off offering a great history of the CIA.

Warts and all

An unflinching and detailed biography of America’s spymaster in WWII, warts and all.

His perspicacity, leadership and seat of the pants intelligence are portrayed. His headstrong, pugnacious and competitive nature were both his weaknesses and assets.

I will listen to this narrator read any title on almost any topic.

It is a fun story about just the man we needed.

Bill Donovan was just the man for the times and this story does honor.