From Past to Present

PAST TO PRESENT
A Reporter's Story of War, Spies, People, and Politics

William Stevenson may be best known for his friendship with---and best selling book about---William Stephenson, otherwise known as Intrepid whose spy network and secret diplomacy changed the course of history.  In Past to Present readers will be equally fascinated by the author’s own extraordianary life as a British naval fighter pilot during World War II and as a distinguished journalist and war correspondent covering the last half of the twentieth century.  Past to Present chronicles the major events of Stevenson’s life before and after WWII and describes in rich detail the personal relationships he had with many of modern history’s greatest figures.  As a reporter he traveled the world to meet with larger-thanl-life figures such as Ian Fleming, Prime Minister Nehru, Ho Chi Minh, Chiang Kai Shek, Mao Tse-tung, Zhou Enlai, Marshal Tito, Nikita Khrushchev and the King of Thailand. Always privy to top secret intelligence, Stevenson has led a life of international intrigue that few could ever imagine.  The story of his real life escapades and personal encounters will leave readers breathless.

“At the age of 16, during the London blitz he volunteered at the British Navy Office. . . . [as a pilot] he recounts his adventures and poignant loss of buddies in short, punchy chapters. ‘Help me justify being alive,’ he swore to the memory of lost comrades, and he decided to devote his life to the romantic idealism of his boyhood.”

                                                                                    ---Kirkus Reviews