Editing Tracy Barnes (section)

==World War II and Early Intelligence Career==
With the outbreak of World War II, Barnes’s career took a decisive turn. In 1941, he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces, training as a pilot and serving with distinction. Assigned to the Eighth Air Force in England, he flew bombing missions over Europe, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre for bravery. In 1943, his aircraft was shot down over France, but he evaded capture with help from the French Resistance, an experience that honed his covert skills and introduced him to intelligence work.

After returning to the U.S., Barnes was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, in 1944. Stationed in Bern, Switzerland, under Allen Dulles, he conducted espionage operations, leveraging his charm and linguistic abilities (fluent in French) to gather intelligence on Nazi activities. His OSS service, detailed in Gentleman Spy by Peter Grose, marked the beginning of his intelligence career, aligning him with the emerging U.S. national security establishment.