Evening star., 1953-11-15
Quentin Reynolds
Victim Of Canadian S
Torture Tale Hoax
By the Associated Pres.

IOnuIe IdIe nOdX
By the Associated Press
NEW YORK, Nov. 14.-Ouen-
tin Reynolds. who wrote the
Readers Digest story of 1.-THE
Canadian Who Wouldn't Talk
despite Nazi tortures, was dis
closed today as the victim of a
fantastic literary hoax.
This became clear after a dis
dispatch from Calgary, Alberta,
reported that the supposed
hero-spy, George Dupre, had ad-
mitted he never was a British
spy, never was captured by the
Nazis, never had boiling water
poured down his throat or had
to endure all the other tortures
he had described to Mr..
Reynolds.
In fact, he has never been in
France-the scene of all these
1dLCdSClC adventures
Dupre Breaks Down.
While the New York publishers
were ordering another printing
of Mr.. Reynolds '"True Story
book about Dupre, "The Man
Who Wouldn't Talk" Dupre
broke down yesterday under the
questioning of a Canadian news
paperman and admitted none Of
it was true.
People asked to hear my ex-
periences and I obliged them, ;"
said Dupre.
"I tried to tell George that this
would get him into trouble" said
Mrs. Dupre. "He didn't need to
be a hero. I was quite satisfied
with him the way he was"
Mr.. Reynolds, together with
editors of the Readers Digest,
which published "The Canadian
Who Wouldn't Talk" in its No
vember issue, and of Random
House, which published the book
three weeks ago, confessed their
bewilderment over one of the
most successful hoaxes in mem
DRY.
This may turn out to be my
first novel," said Mr.. Reynolds,
whose previous published works
have been non-fction.
Reynolds Is Shocked.
GA fantastic hoax" the writer
added, as he del tailed his careful
checking of Dupre' background
and reputation before the story
was published.
IT might add" Mr.. Reynolds
said, "that I am bewildered as
to what motive actuated Dupre
in presenting this skillful fabri-
cation. I am shocked and sad
dened."
At his Calgary home Dupre,
whose story had won him the ad-
miration of countless Cana
dians-from Boy Scouts to cab
met ministers-long before pub
lication of the Reynolds story
was trying to explain his motives.
Interviewed early today by
Robert Christie of Calgary, mag
azine writer and novelist, Dupre
looked pale and sick.
He said he had slept poorly
although his doctor had given
him a sedative and he had been
unable to eat since his decep-
ton was exposed.
Story Got Bigger.
II. don't know. I don't know"
he kept repeating. II guess the
story just got bigger than I was.
I told it and then 1 told it
again-always adding a little,
always making it a little better.
II don't know how to explain
this, but it seemed the yarn was
always being told by request"
Rumpling his gray-white hair,
Dupre continued:
That's it. The story got bigger
than l was. I was only a means
of telling it. I honestly felt I
had a message
Asked what the message was,
Dupre looked grave, then rever-
ent and awed.
mo man can survive without
faith in God" he said. "I felt
the story would do a lot Of good.
A man can't do much without
God and I wanted to prove, es-
pecially to the young. that a man
with faith can endure anything
even death"
Expresses RemOrse.
Dupre told his interviewers
today he was truly sorry that
I misled Quentin Reynolds and
the editors of the Readers Di-
geSt.
These men were kindness
itself to me and believed in me"
he said. II don't know what I
can do now to make up to them
for what I have done"
The hoax was exposed by a
reporter on the Calgary Herald,
who had himself done British