Julia Child: Mastering the Art of French Spying

Julia Child could do way more than saute. In fact, she could spy on Nazis. The Smith alumna was part of a pre-CIA group called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), created by FDR. Many other famous folks were involved with the OSS, which trained resistance movements and spied on German and Russian forces during World War II. The news of Child's spy(-ish) status wasn't a secret, but today, the government releases full documentation on Child and other WWII OSS workers, including applications, commendations and notes. Child applied to the agency under her maiden name, McWilliams, was initially hired for clerical work, and later worked for the director of the organization, William Donovan. No word on whether she held big dinner parties for fellow OSS staffers. We always knew there was tension between French and German cooking--looks like the Frenchies have it.