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We all know the Duke never served in uniform, and it has been said that while he applied, he did not apply hard enough,(whatever that means).

At any rate, here is his application in 1943 to get a commission as an agent with the O.S.S. as held by the National Archives.


http://www.archives.gov/press/press-kit ... html#wayne




(scroll down a bit).

Somehow I can't picture him going undercover successfully...[;)]

Wasn't David Niven S.O.E.?

He should have included 'cr*p at typing on the line rather than through it' <g>
David Niven, according to his own biogs., was as far as I recall a major in a recce outfit (Armoured cars etc) - I think this was called 'Phantom' - been a good few years since I read up on this though, so doubtless a lot more is now in the public domain than was publishable when he wrote 'The Moon's a Balloon' and 'Bring on the Empty Horses'. The impression is one of being not unfamiliar with clandestine ops, whilst not being officially part of that empire. Those currently, or recently, in the forces will be familiar I am sure with the way that the secret squirrels tend to co-opt others in on a temporary basis as the need arises.
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Dave

Niven was indeed a commando, as was Ian Fleming. Several well known celebrities served for various "secret" organizations, and some were successful. The ruse was that being so well known, they (in theory) could travel publically and never be suspected of being espionage/sabotage agents.
Leslie Howard was the most well known of these to be killed, when his plane was downed off the coast of Portugal.

John Wayne had applied for the USN in 1942,(with urging from his mentor Commander John Ford USNR ), but that application was also turned down.

Since WWII many have made negative comment regarding his non-participation, without knowing he had also applied for the OSS role, because of it being held secret for years.


http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/mil ... _wwii.html

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

Somehow I can't picture him going undercover successfully...[;)]

Whatever do you mean? John Wayne is a guy who once played a great Mongol leader . . . what makes you think he couldn't pass as Japanese?

Other than the reviews, of course . . .

By Stephen Healey

In the hilariously bad 1956 film, The Conqueror, John Wayne played Genghis Khan in what one critic called “history’s most improbable piece of casting unless Mickey Rooney were to play Jesus in ‘King of Kings.’” Wayne taped his eyes back to look more Asian, and he chewed up the scenery wearing a Fu Manchu moustache and spouting goofy lines like, “I believe this Tartar woman is for me. My blood says take her!”

So is it even legal to enrol in the armed services under a screen name?

Shouldn't his application be under Marion Morrison, his real name?

EDIT: Never mind, should have read page 1..

and wow..
Racial Origin of Mother.
Racial Origin of Father

not so long ago.. 66 years.

ORIGINAL: DaveB

David Niven, according to his own biogs., was as far as I recall a major in a recce outfit (Armoured cars etc) - I think this was called 'Phantom'

I've got a book about the ULTRA operation in Bletchley Park. The author mentions that a network of communications units was set up to distribute ULTRA information to high-level commanders in the field. This network operated independent of any other communications arrangements and had the cover task of independent information gathering and distribution. It was codenamed "Phantom".
When David Niven wrote his autobiographical books (good reads, both of them!), ULTRA had not yet been declassified, so he used the cover story.

ORIGINAL: Minedog

So is it even legal to enrol in the armed services under a screen name?

Shouldn't his application be under Marion Morrison, his real name?

EDIT: Never mind, should have read page 1..

and wow..
Racial Origin of Mother.
Racial Origin of Father

not so long ago.. 66 years.

I do not think there is a problem as long as he legally changed his name. I am sure he would have to list his old name under aliases or something.

MikeMike,
if you want a good book on somewhat later stuff try 'The Puzzle Palace'. (some of what I read in it 15 years or so back I thought was still rather highly classified....I was pretty surprised to read it in a bokk from my local library).

That makes Major Niven a sort of 'assistant to the sneaky beaky lot', I would surmise, charged with delivering the material (a recce outfit would seem ideal cover for this) without perhaps having too much (if any) knowledge of the contents.

Dave