By Canadian Eye Spy Associate Editor Lynn Philip Hodgson

It was a cold December day as I made my way up highway #12 in southern Ontario.  I was excited about the opportunity that faced me. About six weeks previously I had been contacted by a Major ‘X’ from the Canadian Army and asked if I would be interested in talking to a group of “students” about my experiences relative to Intelligence.  I quickly jumped at the chance and we agreed on a date of December 7th, one that “would live in infamy”.

It was 1999 and my best-selling book, ‘Inside Camp-X’ had just been published. How could I ever believe the response my book would receive, now having sold over thirty-five thousand copies worldwide and this from a self-published book!  Shortly after the publication, I received an e-mail from Colonel ‘A’ of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, N.C.  He asked me to dispatch a box of books immediately to the school; ‘Inside Camp-X’ was going to be mandatory reading for all students of the school.  The reason that he gave me for this request was that my book gave the best analytical explanation of unconventional warfare than any book that he had read since World War II and now, I can only hope that my book is in some way helping in Afghanistan and Iraq today.

Finally I had arrived at my destination, CFB Borden, a Camp that has seen literally tens of thousands of Canadian soldiers pass through its gates with many having ultimately paid the supreme sacrifice of dying on foreign soil both during the first and second world wars.  Also, many of the Camp-X agents were recruited from CFB Borden.

As I passed through the gates I presented my identification as the guard had asked for my purpose of being there. I told him that I was here at the invitation of Major ‘X’.  He gave me permission to proceed and asked me to drive straight ahead, take the fork to the right and look for a building with a sign saying Officers’ Mess. I was to park, enter the building and wait there. Doing so, and after introducing myself, I was lead to a lounge area where I was given coffee and asked to have a seat. I watched as several officers came and went, swagger sticks under their arms and looking very official. It took me back to WWII and I imagined officers of the day doing the exact same thing.

Eventually the man, whom I had met at a Camp-X function on Remembrance Day where I was speaking to a group on the subject of Camp-X, came into the room and sat down beside me. After some pleasantries, he advised me that he would now be driving me to another building within the camp. I told him that I was curious and looking forward to the visit. The Camp was very large and widespread; it took a few minutes by Jeep to get there.

As we pulled up to the compound and parked, I couldn’t help but notice that the entire compound was surrounded, strangely, by a twelve-foot barbed wire fence making this mysterious looking World War II vintage hut even more enticing; a camp within a camp. Behind the building were large satellite dishes. I wondered why a building would require being surrounded by barbed wire when it was already protected by hundreds of soldiers within the larger camp. The hut had the same appearance as the buildings of Camp-X or Hut 6 at Bletchley Park in England and it is explained to me that this is a restricted area for security reasons and that we will be entering the compound and going straight to a room where I will be lecturing a group of “special students”. I asked Major ‘X’ if there was a particular subject that he wanted me to talk about. He asked me to tell them as much as I knew about the training of secret agents, wilderness survival, etc.

The building was very old and it was obvious to me that it was likely WWII vintage or perhaps older. As we passed by one room in particular, I was keenly interested in the fact that I immediately recognized a picture of Sir William Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC.  I was told that ‘Intrepid’ was the honorary Colonel Commanding of this group, which told me a lot about the organization. Major ‘X’ took me into a room, which was filled with Sir William Stephenson artifacts: pictures, his medals and many personal effects. I was surprised to see so many artifacts but then again, I wasn’t. As we continued down the hall I asked to visit the washroom and the Major directed me with his eyes to a closed door. I reached for the handle and he immediately said, “Not that one Sir, that room is off limits.”

Finally we entered a room filled with young people eagerly anticipating hearing from me. They were all dressed in army fatigues and no introductions, other than mine we’re made.  After my presentation many of the students came up to me and thanked me for speaking to them. As quickly as I arrived, I was escorted out and taken back to the Mess where Major ‘X’ treated me to lunch.

After lunch I got back into my car and drove out the same way I came in passing by the mysterious building but now I had a pretty good idea of exactly what was going inside the top-secret building.
 

Award presented to Lynn Philip Hodgson December 7th, 1999 from the students
            and staff of a top-secret organization in Canada

                  At the top it has their motto:
            E Tenebris Lux - Out of darkness   comes light
 

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