How Julia Child Went From World War 2 Spy To Beloved Celebrity Chef

 

How Julia Child Went From World War 2 Spy To Beloved Celebrity Chef

"My first big recipe was shark repellant that I mixed in a bathtub for the Navy, for the men who might get caught in the water." Before she mastered the art of French cooking, Julia Child cooked up shark repellent while working for the precursor to the CIA as a covert operative during World War II. Sharks kept unintentionally setting off underwater explosives meant for German U-boats — until Child came up with an inventive recipe that saved the day. Learn the full story of Child's secret early career as a spy: To this day, Julia Child is remembered for her love of French cooking and her TV show that brought fine cuisine to the masses. Even more than her exquisite cooking, her sing-song voice and contagious enthusiasm endeared her to fans around the world. But before she churned out exquisite recipes on camera, she made a career as an intelligence officer working under the agency that preceded the CIA. In fact, Julia Child’s spy career generated her first big recipe, a shark repellent designed to coat both explosives and pilots’ lifejackets. Oddly enough, her intelligence work actually led her to discover her passion for food by way of her husband, fellow spy Paul Child. This is the strange but true story of how Julia Child’s spy career led her to become an iconic celebrity chef. Julia Child’s Spy Career During World War II Like many Americans, Julia Child wanted to help the country prepare for the war. In September 1941, three months before the U.S. entered the Second World War, Child began volunteering with the Pasadena chapter of the American Red Cross where she headed the Department of Stenographic Services. She also worked in the Aircraft Warning Service, a civilian service branch of the U.S. Army tasked to monitor enemy aircraft entering American airspace. Unfortunately, when she tried to join the military for good, she was rejected from both the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) and the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) because she was too tall. Undeterred, Julia Child found another way to contribute to the war efforts. In 1942, she became a senior typist with the Research Unit of the Office of War Information in Washington, D.C., and, by the end of the year, Child was a junior research assistant with the Secret Intelligence Branch of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency or CIA. She was among the 4,500 women who served in the OSS. As a research assistant for the OSS’ secret intelligence, Julia Child recorded thousands of officer names into the agency’s internal database system and handled highly-classified intelligence documents. Later, Julia Child’s spy career took her to the Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section where she helped develop a recipe for shark repellent. There had been multiple shark attacks against U.S. Naval officers since the start of the war. Curious sharks also often set off explosives meant to attack enemy parties. The OSS was tasked to create a shark repellent that could be used for the military’s underwater endeavors. After much trial-and-error involving over 100 different substances — including poisons, organic acids, and even decayed shark meat — and year-long field tests, the research team, which included Julia Child, found copper acetate to be the most effective repellent. “I must say we had lots of fun,” Child told Elizabeth McIntosh, another OSS Officer who interviewed her for the book Sisterhood of Spies: The Women of the OSS. “We designed rescue kits and other agent paraphernalia. I understand the shark repellent we developed is being used today for downed space equipment — trapped around it so the sharks won’t attack when it lands in the ocean.” The shark repellent — dubbed “Shark Chaser” — was issued by the Navy based on Child’s original recipe until the 1970s. Although it was rumored that the repellent was indeed also used to protect NASA equipment as Child told McIntoch, that has not been verified by documentary evidence. Source: https://allthatsinteresting.com/julia-child-sp