# Books about the OSS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430 "2014-09-13T23:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2014, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/1 "2014-09-13T23:12:28Z")
Can anyone recommend books dealing primarily with the OSS? I’m reading a novel set during WWII and the main character is doing clerical work for the OSS. I’m interested in learning more about it. So, non-fiction and fiction are both welcome, but I do want accuracy. I’m interested more in the day-to-day lives than the big picture, but I’ll take a look at anything. Recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/2 "2014-09-14T01:15:03Z")
It wasn’t about just the OSS but _Roosevelt’s Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage_ by Joseph Persico is a good general history on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/3 "2014-09-14T01:21:18Z")
You might look at the Wikipedia entry: > **[Office of Strategic Services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Services)** > > The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branches of the United States Armed Forces. Other OSS functions included the use of propaganda, subversion, and post-war planning. > The OSS was dissolved a month after the end of the war. Intelligence tasks were shortly later resumed and carried over by its su... Or read reviews of the books listed at Amazon: [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=oss&tag=mycroft02-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=oss&tag=mycroft02-20&index=books&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325) ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/4 "2014-09-14T01:29:34Z")
WEB Griffin wrote a [series of novels about the OSS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_at_War_%28series%29), but I haven’t read it. I have read and enjoyed a few of his other series, dealing with the Army and Marines. He’s a great story teller, but I can’t vouch for his accuracy. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/5 "2014-09-14T01:56:00Z")
_You’re Stepping on my Cloak & Dagger_ by the late Roger Hall is, IMHO one of the best. An anecdotal and highly irreverent look at the author’s own wartime experiences as an OSS officer. The book is recently back in print and available at Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-about-the-oss/698430/6 "2014-09-14T04:40:18Z")
These look like awesome suggestions with great variety. Thanks! I always like tackling new topics from lots of different angles, so this mix looks ideal.