My Father, the Man Who Never Was

Major Ronnie Reed was Case Officer for Agent Zigzag, and the face behind Operation Mincemeat. He is introduced through a collection of recently released reports and photos from the National Archives, and intimate family snaps. How did this young man, with no money and minimal qualifications, reach such an important position in his twenties? Why did Agent Zigzag (aka Eddie Chapman) give Ronnie his Iron Cross, awarded to Zigzag by Hitler himself? And how, within ten years, did Ronnie find himself heading the anti-Russian department of MI5, dealing with notorious spies like Philby, Burgess and Maclean? In an interview filmed in 1994, shortly before Ronnie's death, his son Nicholas learnt his story in detail. Here Nicholas reproduces the interview and fills in the background of The Man Who Never Was.