Another man might have felt chastened by all these restrictions, but not Wild Bill Donovan; indeed, his ability to improvise and to maneuver around bureaucratic obstacles might have been one of the chief reasons Roosevelt chose him for the intelligence post in the first place. Both by temperament and by the ever-expanding responsibilities of his office, Roosevelt had a strong preference for subordinates who displayed personal initiative, who would operate with minimal direction or oversight, and who would not bother him with the niggling details. William Donovan certainly fit that bill. In the
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