Chapter 4: Baptism in Berlin

There was the occasion when Bill fell into the pond in the garden of his house in Milinowksi Strasse . . .in broad daylight. He changed clothes, then sat in front of the fireplace, cleaning and oiling the guns he had been carrying. Finished, he twirled one of the revolvers, and, according to CG, accidentally fired a round into the wall. The terrified maid appeared instantly, followed almost immediately by the Black Watch, the caped policeman assigned to guard areas where Americans lived. Harvey was apologetic, but unrepentant.

Neill Prew, the Base Security Officer, was so discreet as at times to seem taciturn. For this quality, if for no other, he had Bill’s complete trust. On one occasion, Bill caught a very early plane to Frankfurt, then called Prew back in Berlin, woke him up, and told him to go to Milinowksi Strasse to remove two pistols from under Bill’s pillow, so the maid would not have a heart attack if she discovered them! The guns, Neill says, “were his safety blanket.”

Chapter 5: The Berlin Tunnel

"Bill said, ‘I think it’s about time to show these guys they’re not welcome in this part of Berlin’, and he pulled back the bolt of the machine gun and let it slap forward.

If you have ever heard the bolt of a .50 caliber machine gun
slide forward in a confined space . . . it’s a noise you’re not likely to mistake."

Henry Woodburn recalling the end of The Berlin Tunnel

Chapter 7: Into the Cauldron: Mongoose and Task Force W

President Kennedy’s curiosity had been aroused by what he had heard of The Tunnel-Maker, and he asked to meet Harvey. Depending on where you read it, the other principle character was either Ed Lansdale or Dick Helms.

The story goes that Harvey and his shepherd were waiting for the signal to enter the Oval Office. The escort leaned over to Bill: “You carrying?” Bill is alleged to have grunted, and to have reached into his shoulder holster. Harvey very slowly proffered his revolver to the Secret Service duty agent, butt first, and everyone relaxed. A few moments later, Bill grunted again, shifted his bulk, reached behind him, under his suit jacket, and extracted another, smaller weapon, which he also offered to the security man. In a few moments, the pair was called. The chaperone is alleged to have said, “Mr. President, I’d like to introduce you to America’s James Bond.” Harvey later told a fascinated listener that he actually had a third weapon on his person when he went into the Oval Office.