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The Invisible Spy: The Untold True Story of an NFL Player Turned Spy and His Role in America's Covert WWII Operations
The untold WWII story of a former NFL player turned White House insider who worked with Churchill’s undercover agents in New York City to conduct the biggest foreign spy operation ever within the US, and inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond, for fans of Ben Macintyre and Erik Larson.
As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and “Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight.
During this time, Cuneo began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center—Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin inside her women’s dormitory near Rockfeller Center. Cuneo’s transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained “invisible” in the public eye—until now, with this unveiled look into his life.
From the bestselling author and producer of the hit cable series Masters of Sex, Thomas Maier delves into the little-known tales behind FDR and Churchill; Canadian William “Intrepid” Stephenson, who oversaw the Rockefeller Center operation; the OSS’s “Wild Bill'' Donovan and his in-house rival, Allen Dulles; and more. The Invisible Spy weaves Cuneo’s remarkable personal story with the vivid and insightful portraits of many top figures in his world. Full of action and fascinating characters, this untold history shows how the British launched a far-ranging covert campaign against Nazi conspirators hidden in America, a spy war unbeknown to many.
As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a City Hall lawyer and “Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight.
During this time, Cuneo began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center—Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin inside her women’s dormitory near Rockfeller Center. Cuneo’s transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained “invisible” in the public eye—until now, with this unveiled look into his life.
From the bestselling author and producer of the hit cable series Masters of Sex, Thomas Maier delves into the little-known tales behind FDR and Churchill; Canadian William “Intrepid” Stephenson, who oversaw the Rockefeller Center operation; the OSS’s “Wild Bill'' Donovan and his in-house rival, Allen Dulles; and more. The Invisible Spy weaves Cuneo’s remarkable personal story with the vivid and insightful portraits of many top figures in his world. Full of action and fascinating characters, this untold history shows how the British launched a far-ranging covert campaign against Nazi conspirators hidden in America, a spy war unbeknown to many.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 11, 2025
Fascinating info, slightly dry execution at times.
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March 1, 2025Espionage, Historical Biographies & Autobiographies, 20th Century United States History, World War II History
September 19, 2025
Thomas Maier’s “The Invisible Spy: The Untold True Story of an NFL Player Turned Spy and His Role in America's Covert WWII Operations” shatters the boundaries of traditional spy biographies by unearthing the astonishing saga of Ernest Cuneo—a man who moved from football fields to the heart of global espionage. Maier skillfully resurrects Cuneo, a Columbia University gridiron star and one-time Brooklyn Dodgers NFL player, revealing his transformation into a White House insider with a very secret second life: as America’s first World War II spy and key go-between for FDR and Churchill’s British agents in New York City. The narrative briskly whisks readers through Cuneo’s unlikely journey as he collaborates with figures such as Winston Churchill, the mysterious Canadian spymaster William “Intrepid” Stephenson, and Ian Fleming—who would later model aspects of James Bond on Cuneo’s exploits. With deft storytelling, Maier details how Cuneo navigated a clandestine world tucked away inside Rockefeller Center, orchestrating counterintelligence against Nazi operations inside the United States at a time when the very notion of American intelligence was embryonic. Perhaps most striking are the glimpses into Cuneo’s personal life, including a romance with Margaret Watson, a Canadian agent with a photographic memory—an affair that nearly cost her life in an encounter with a Nazi assassin. These humanizing moments ground the high-stakes drama, making Cuneo’s motivations and vulnerabilities tangible beneath the bravado of a spy. Maier’s research shines as he interlaces real-time danger, political intrigue, and vivid character studies, while shrewdly drawing parallels between the “America First” debates of Cuneo’s day and contemporary politics. If Maier’s style occasionally tips toward information-laden, the sweep of action and cast of larger-than-life personalities more than compensate. “The Invisible Spy” isn’t just a fascinating tale of derring-do; it’s a revelatory excavation of a quintessentially American figure who shaped—and haunted—the origins of modern espionage. For anyone intrigued by the blurry frontiers between sports heroism, political power, and spycraft, this book is a knockout.
July 27, 2025
This is an interesting read. I did skim over a few sections that were a tad dry for me. but it did not take away at all from the facts and trivia learned about spys! If you like James Bond, his creator was a real spy. "James Bond" was the most plain name he could think of.
April 3, 2025
I always enjoy learning about the untold stories of spies and espionage and in that regard, this book did not disappoint. The warnings about the dangers of fascism and America first policies felt of course scarily relevant to current events. For such exciting content, I did find the narrative a bit dry at times and felt there could have been more of a story telling element. That said, the book packed a ton of information and I really enjoyed learning about this piece of history.
I also thought it was super cool to learn that Cunio’s first wife was from my tiny hometown. What an unexpected connection!
Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC!
I also thought it was super cool to learn that Cunio’s first wife was from my tiny hometown. What an unexpected connection!
Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Audio for the ARC!
November 16, 2025
I definitely learned a lot and thought about WWII in ways I never considered previously. The way the story was told kept me engaged. Three stars because I feel like there was a good bit of bias from the author that seemed to bubble up and take away from the life and story of Cuneo.
February 17, 2026
About 1/3 of the way through this book my thoughts are pretty bland. If you’re looking for some crazy spy book that tells you about scenes/scenarios of which you didn’t know, this is not it (at least at this point of the book).This whole thing pretty much tells you what you already know. The term “spy” is used rather loosely in my opinion as anyone that has any type of information about anything at all so I mean technically we’re all spy’s if we go by the mindset either by the author of this book or BSC all together. So far that’s all this is, a book that pretty much talks about propaganda and misinformation fed the stoke fires (which isn’t news to anyone) packed with a bunch of descriptions of people reused over and over and over again, masqueraded by a cool cover and title. This thing could’ve been cut in half and probably would’ve gotten a little higher score. The information is good and there were somethings I learned that I wasn’t privy to before but to throw it out there that this guys was the “spy that influenced James Bond” is almost as falsified as the map put out by the brits. In a nutshell the guys a political middleman. I just summed the whole thing up for you.
3/4 of the way through the book it’s pretty much a lot of the same. Once you reach the halfway mark it does get pretty interesting with the inside jobs, deceptions, mutiny and the d-day landings. My biggest gripe from my earlier review is the fact the author keeps referring to these people with titles and descriptions of what they do like we don’t already know (he’s told us 17 times). I don’t care for the “he referred to Cuneo, the oss, bsc, and white house liaison”… like we already know who he is, you don’t have to keep telling me. Just seems like a lot of page filler.
On the last stretch of the book the author really hit a stride respecting the life after war for Fleming and Cuneo and depicted how the Bond books and eventual tv shows came about. That section felt well laid out and very much intriguing as well as the remainder of the book. It’s hard to give a rating because the book does give a good story and it really pulls you in but the overuse of descriptions and jumpyness kind of throws you off. If you can hang on until the end of the book I give it a 👍
Final thoughts all together:
very detailed and a deep dive into the important shadow wars from the late 30’s to the late 50’s and the culmination of the Bond series but the writing seemed awfully fumbly in the same mentions over and over and over with no real felt flow state of writing until the last few chapters. If you’re looking for just details and a more learned experience of ww2 and parts of the Cold War I could go with a 4-4.5 stars. If you’re looking for a crazy spy novel that the cover/title/description, like the propaganda mentioned in the book, it’s kind of misleading. 3 stars
All in all I will go 3.5 stars. Not for the writing itself, but for the unknown story it ultimately brings to light
3/4 of the way through the book it’s pretty much a lot of the same. Once you reach the halfway mark it does get pretty interesting with the inside jobs, deceptions, mutiny and the d-day landings. My biggest gripe from my earlier review is the fact the author keeps referring to these people with titles and descriptions of what they do like we don’t already know (he’s told us 17 times). I don’t care for the “he referred to Cuneo, the oss, bsc, and white house liaison”… like we already know who he is, you don’t have to keep telling me. Just seems like a lot of page filler.
On the last stretch of the book the author really hit a stride respecting the life after war for Fleming and Cuneo and depicted how the Bond books and eventual tv shows came about. That section felt well laid out and very much intriguing as well as the remainder of the book. It’s hard to give a rating because the book does give a good story and it really pulls you in but the overuse of descriptions and jumpyness kind of throws you off. If you can hang on until the end of the book I give it a 👍
Final thoughts all together:
very detailed and a deep dive into the important shadow wars from the late 30’s to the late 50’s and the culmination of the Bond series but the writing seemed awfully fumbly in the same mentions over and over and over with no real felt flow state of writing until the last few chapters. If you’re looking for just details and a more learned experience of ww2 and parts of the Cold War I could go with a 4-4.5 stars. If you’re looking for a crazy spy novel that the cover/title/description, like the propaganda mentioned in the book, it’s kind of misleading. 3 stars
All in all I will go 3.5 stars. Not for the writing itself, but for the unknown story it ultimately brings to light
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2025
The Invisible Spy: The Untold True Story of an NFL Player Turned Spy and His Role in America's Covert WWII Operations. Thomas Maier. Hanover Square Press, 2025. 480 pages.
During WWII, American comic books, movies, radio shows, and propaganda convinced Americans that Axis spies and saboteurs were at large throughout the country and carrying out diabolical missions. And as far as Germans were involved that premise was more correct than they knew. What Americans didn't know, until quite recently, was that there were as many, if not more, British and Russian spies, agents of our allies, at work in the United States. During the late 1930s and the war itself, the British acted with impunity, employing hundreds of agents, including future literary figures like Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl, who operated out of an office on the 36th floor of Rockefeller Center in New York City. The British spy operation had the full support of President Roosevelt and reported directly to Prime Minister Churchill and his trusted subordinates. They investigated and shared information with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, planted disinformation and propaganda in American media, and actively carried out their own missions on American soil to further British war aims. British expats in Hollywood like Cary Grant, Noel Coward, and Alfred Hitchcock contributed helpful information gathered on the west coast and at New York cocktail parties. The man who served as the bridge between British and American intelligence was Ernest Cuneo, a first generation Italian-American who had been a standout football player at Columbia University and in the earliest days of the NFL, the late 1920s - the kind of player who played for the entire sixty minutes of regulation play, both offense and defense, often for as little as $50 per game. He was instrumental in making the connection between the established and professional British espionage organizations and the brash, upstart (sometimes reckless) American OSS founded by "Wild Bill" Donovan, the forerunner of the CIA. He had personal and professional connections to the two biggest media figures of the time, Walter Winchell and Drew Pearson, read and listened to by tens of millions of Americans weekly, and he became a master manipulator of the press. He and Fleming became extremely close and life-long friends. Bits of Cuneo are sprinkled throughout Fleming's James Bond novels, inspired by their collaboration at Rockefeller Center. All the while, he remained invisible and kept his pivotal role largely unknown, not only during the war but throughout his life. This book is really thorough and fascinating look at his incredible life and at the world of WWII espionage.
During WWII, American comic books, movies, radio shows, and propaganda convinced Americans that Axis spies and saboteurs were at large throughout the country and carrying out diabolical missions. And as far as Germans were involved that premise was more correct than they knew. What Americans didn't know, until quite recently, was that there were as many, if not more, British and Russian spies, agents of our allies, at work in the United States. During the late 1930s and the war itself, the British acted with impunity, employing hundreds of agents, including future literary figures like Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl, who operated out of an office on the 36th floor of Rockefeller Center in New York City. The British spy operation had the full support of President Roosevelt and reported directly to Prime Minister Churchill and his trusted subordinates. They investigated and shared information with J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, planted disinformation and propaganda in American media, and actively carried out their own missions on American soil to further British war aims. British expats in Hollywood like Cary Grant, Noel Coward, and Alfred Hitchcock contributed helpful information gathered on the west coast and at New York cocktail parties. The man who served as the bridge between British and American intelligence was Ernest Cuneo, a first generation Italian-American who had been a standout football player at Columbia University and in the earliest days of the NFL, the late 1920s - the kind of player who played for the entire sixty minutes of regulation play, both offense and defense, often for as little as $50 per game. He was instrumental in making the connection between the established and professional British espionage organizations and the brash, upstart (sometimes reckless) American OSS founded by "Wild Bill" Donovan, the forerunner of the CIA. He had personal and professional connections to the two biggest media figures of the time, Walter Winchell and Drew Pearson, read and listened to by tens of millions of Americans weekly, and he became a master manipulator of the press. He and Fleming became extremely close and life-long friends. Bits of Cuneo are sprinkled throughout Fleming's James Bond novels, inspired by their collaboration at Rockefeller Center. All the while, he remained invisible and kept his pivotal role largely unknown, not only during the war but throughout his life. This book is really thorough and fascinating look at his incredible life and at the world of WWII espionage.
July 10, 2025
The Invisible Spy offers an intriguing and well-researched exploration of Ernest Cuneo’s life as a spy during WWII. This book showcases his unique ability to work within and among various government entities to ensure the intended goals for the groups he worked with were achieved. Throughout his life he was well regarded by those who knew him, but he never really sought fame or distinction for the roles he played in obtaining and sharing information. The book further discusses his relationships with other spies and political figures and how these relationships impacted and shaped the decisions he made as well as the way he lived his life.
The Invisible Spy was captivating from beginning to end and provided insight into an aspect of WWII that I had not necessarily considered as much prior to reading this work. Maier’s work is a must read for anyone who holds a love of history.
Thank you to The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of The Invisible Spy.
The Invisible Spy was captivating from beginning to end and provided insight into an aspect of WWII that I had not necessarily considered as much prior to reading this work. Maier’s work is a must read for anyone who holds a love of history.
Thank you to The Hive, Harlequin Trade Publishing | Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of The Invisible Spy.
November 12, 2025
Very interesting stories of Ernest Cuneo, the NFL player and Ivy League lawyer and assistant to NYC Mayor LaGuardia who served as liaison among various government and cultural entities involved in the leadup to America's entry into WWII and afterwards. He was FDR's contact with Britain's undercover intelligence operation in the US as it oversaw Nazi agents in the US and helped tip the US away from its isolationist tendency prior to Pearl Harbor.
Cuneo also worked with "Wild Bill" Donovan, who led the precursor agency to the CIA in the war, and served as contact with FBI Director Hoover who, according to the author, resented Donovan's clandestine work on his turf. Cuneo also served as legal counsel to Water Winchell and Drew Pearson, two influential America columnists/radio personalities, with huge popular followings around the country.
I would have rated this book higher except for the repetitive nature of some of the writing. That lent the book a more informal treatment of the serious history covered.
Cuneo also worked with "Wild Bill" Donovan, who led the precursor agency to the CIA in the war, and served as contact with FBI Director Hoover who, according to the author, resented Donovan's clandestine work on his turf. Cuneo also served as legal counsel to Water Winchell and Drew Pearson, two influential America columnists/radio personalities, with huge popular followings around the country.
I would have rated this book higher except for the repetitive nature of some of the writing. That lent the book a more informal treatment of the serious history covered.
March 23, 2025
“The Invisible Spy” starts off with two Nazi spies walking through New York City, and one being hit by a car. Yes, Nazi spies in NYC! They were far from the only spies. Ernest Cune, a tough and smart Italian American guy who played NFL ball for the Brooklyn Dodger (yes football, not baseball) who becomes an intelligence go-between and political influencer. This book not only brings a ton of untold stories but all the big names like Fleming (yes Bond’s Fleming) and Wild Bill. If you love reading about true life spies, this is a great read.
Thank you NetGalley and Hanover Square Press #TheInvisibleSpy #NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Hanover Square Press #TheInvisibleSpy #NetGalley
June 7, 2025
Excellent book about a little known faction of British spies and intelligence headquartered in Rockefeller Center in NYC before and during WW2 and the American who worked with them as an unofficial liaison.
This book is non-fiction but grabs you more like an historical novel and I read it through it 2 days, pausing only for an overnight sleep. The book was fascinating and full of eye opening stories and anecdotes and included details about such notables as Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, Noel Coward, Fiorello LaGuardia, Alfred Hitchcock and others.
Highly recommend to any lover of US history in general or WW2.
This book is non-fiction but grabs you more like an historical novel and I read it through it 2 days, pausing only for an overnight sleep. The book was fascinating and full of eye opening stories and anecdotes and included details about such notables as Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, Noel Coward, Fiorello LaGuardia, Alfred Hitchcock and others.
Highly recommend to any lover of US history in general or WW2.
November 19, 2025
Thank You to The Hive and HTP Books for this free book in exchange for my honest review of The Invisible Spy: The Untold True Story of an NFL Player Turned Spy and His Role in America's Covert WWII Operations by Thomas Maier.
This is a page turning read that had me captivated from the start. It was a well written and researched read that I was glad to learn about. Most of these stories were eye openers for me. Even though this is a nonfiction read it is has action and characters in it that are so interesting. This is one history story that you don't want to miss. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any reader who loves nonfiction or history reads.
This is a page turning read that had me captivated from the start. It was a well written and researched read that I was glad to learn about. Most of these stories were eye openers for me. Even though this is a nonfiction read it is has action and characters in it that are so interesting. This is one history story that you don't want to miss. I highly enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any reader who loves nonfiction or history reads.
April 27, 2025
This is a wonderful biography of a man who played a key role in World War II. He was a major link between the espionage world and the upper layers of the US government. He was a link to British intelligence in the US prior to the war and played a key role in the development of the Office of Strategic Services. It is written in a 'chatty' style with some repetition, and seems well-researched. It covers a wide array of government, espionage, media, and society habuties. It is an interesting and quick read.
May 13, 2025
Interesting little-known story of a British Intelligence operation that worked out of Rockefeller Center in the years before the US entered World War II. Ernest Cuneo, a former football player, attorney and fixer, was the go-between for FDR and the top levels of the US government. Most interesting were the British spies Cuneo befriended, including Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl. Fleming remained a lifelong friend, and some of his exploits became fodder for the James Bond books.
August 3, 2025
Great audiobook. I learned a lot about the spying cooperation of Great Britain and US during WWII. The contributions of Ernest Cunio are something I was unaware, but for good reason as he wanted to remain. I found interesting his work with Walter Winchell and how powerful the press was and planted news stories have a long history in our democracy. His friendship with Ian Fleming during and after the war was also well told.
September 14, 2025
Fascinating book. Extremely well-researched and written. Stuff you never learn about in history classes. I would have rated it 5-stars, had I not found some of the reading to be a bit tedious. I found the final few chapters to be page-turners, and I highly recommend “The Invisible Spy” to all people interested in the history of spying during WWII and into the start of the Cold War period that followed.
February 6, 2026
Our book group chose this because it promised the spies upon whom James Bond was based. What a disappointment! This was not a spy story, not an interesting style of writing, nothing like an Ian Fleming novel. It was about the spies Ian Fleming met, yes, but they weren’t nearly as colorful as James Bond. I toughed it out till the bitter end waiting for something Bond-like to appear, and it finally did, but not till I was thoroughly bored.
February 2, 2026
A very readable and detailed description of the original development of the US intelligent service describing the tremendous contribution of a behind-the-scenes bureaucrat. Details given here corroborate descriptions given in numerous fictional novels over the past several years as well as some revelations previously secret. Most enjoyable, educational and informative.
August 12, 2025
really long and detailed - lots and lots of research went into this book.
The only thing I didn't care for was the number of times the author spoke about other spies and what they were able/unable to accomplish.
Hoover of the FBI. Ugh.
The only thing I didn't care for was the number of times the author spoke about other spies and what they were able/unable to accomplish.
Hoover of the FBI. Ugh.
December 18, 2025
Great book
Just finisher reading this book and was surprised by what was going on behind the scenes.of WW2. British spies setting up shop in NYC, also guiding the formation of the OSS, and the famous psople.involved. Delta book I would read again.
Just finisher reading this book and was surprised by what was going on behind the scenes.of WW2. British spies setting up shop in NYC, also guiding the formation of the OSS, and the famous psople.involved. Delta book I would read again.
April 13, 2025
Glad I read this book, although there were no citations. It’s hard to know what is actual and what are guesses by the author. Interesting period of our history.
May 18, 2025
Great biography of a little known figure and the British spy program in the US during World War II.
June 19, 2025
I knew nothing about the British spies in Rockefeller Center during WWII and it was fascinating.
July 24, 2025
Excellent! A good connect with"The Rose Code" by Kate Quinn.
July 31, 2025
Not very exciting.
August 16, 2025
Lots of details but SO interesting! Especially Ian Fleming and the history of James Bond!
September 7, 2025
I loved learning new historical true crime stuff. I need to own this soon.
September 18, 2025
Great book! I had no idea about this part of history!
October 7, 2025
Took a while to get through but packed to the brim with interesting tidbits and James Bond author facts. Enjoyable diving into some wwII spying between the us, England, Germany and Russia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews