There’s not much that happens these days that actually makes me waggle my hairy eyebrows but yesterday’s news about Julia Child made me not only waggle them, I actually read two full articles and today, the just released CIA report about her work in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII; the forerunner of the CIA.

And it seems she not only cooked up great dishes on her long running cooking show but she also cooked up shark repellent during her time in the OSS. Glad she never got the two mixed up:

Julia then worked with the OSS Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section, where she helped develop shark repellent. The repellent was a critical tool during WWII, and was coated on explosives that were targeting German U-boats. Before the introduction of the shark repellent, curious sharks would sometimes set off the explosives when they bumped into them.

Seems she was hoping she actually might become a spy but that never came about. Perhaps that she was 6’2” tall had something to do with it. Still, being Chief of the OSS Registry with the weight of top security clearances riding upon her shoulders is nothing to smirk at.

From 1944-1945, Julia was sent overseas and worked in Ceylon, present day Sri Lanka, and Kunming, China. During these last two years in the OSS, Julia served as Chief of the OSS Registry. Julia — having top security clearances — knew every incoming and outgoing message that passed throughout her office, as her Registry was serving all the intelligence branches. During her time in Ceylon, Julia handled highly classified papers that dealt with the invasion of the Malay Peninsula. Julia was fascinated with the work, even when there were moments of danger.

I always knew from my time in the US Submarine Force during the Cold War that my country was damn good at keeping it’s war related/military secrets to themselves but I never new they were that good. It seems that she was a lot more than a decent, funny, and rather unique chef on television that appeared to occasionally put a bit more wine into herself than she did into her cooking. But then again…looks can be deceiving can’t they?

Bless ya’ Julia, we never knew.