” which was ultimately to include an all-star cast of Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alex Baldwin, and Robert De Niro among others. This film was a “based upon the true story” of the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency, known commonly as the CIA.
The first contact was from a researcher who told me that an important series of scenes took place on Deer Island, apparently due to a Skull and Bones association. Ultimately, we had several discussions about how people would get to Deer Island and how interactions might have taken place there. I was also contacted by a location scout who was interested in finding a suitable location for the scenes on Deer Island to be filmed. They needed a dining room capable of handling over 50 people in a manner that might have been appropriate to the private-club environment of Deer Island.
The “Outlook” building and boathouse on Deer Island
Deer Island Boathouse Ruins
I conveyed what insight I had at the time and was rather excited to have been contacted; though unfortunately a meeting with Mr. De Niro never materialized (nor was it suggested). In 2006 when the film was released, I watched with great interest to see how things were handled though I was never told exactly how or why it was felt that the dinner and interactions with the Matt Damn character would actually have taken place on Deer Island, to which I remain doubtful.
With the recent release of “The Martian
Of course the film is not a documentary but is historical fiction, loosely based on real people and events. Just how fictional might the involvement with Deer Island be? To a large extent that depends upon what involvement Skull & Bones had in either the original OSS and/or the early CIA.
It is definitely true that “Bonesmen” appear prominently in many aspects of American policy making (most recently, George W. Bush and John Kerry) but the suggestion that there was a large recruitment for counter-intelligence from Skull & Bones is likely overplaying the hand.
Yet it is true that Richard Bissel went to Yale but reportedly declined Skull & Bones membership, though his brother William was a member. Other key CIA players were apparently not members such a Allen Dulles (Princeton) and William Donovan (Columbia).
There are some important clues regarding how Deer Island was used by Skull & Bones members back in 1908 based upon a pamphlet that described the island and its facilities to members. Only one of the buildings — “The Ledges”, which still exists today — was made available “for men bringing their wives and family or friends.” If that protocol continued into the years depicted by the movie it is hard to imagine the large dinner party which would have taken place in “The Stone House” with all of the women present, let alone the character played by Angelina Joile who essentially corralled the Matt Damon character. Obviously they had need for plot development that was not conducive to the environment of a rather stuffy mens club.
Large Dinner Party Scene
The two main buildings — The Outlook and The Stone House along with a smaller boathouse — formed the heart of the Deer Island facilities and all of these structures burned down. I have not yet determined the exact date of the fire or whether one fire took out all of those structures. A River Guide with years of experience told me there was a large fire in 1946 but that has not yet been confirmed. Since the CIA was officially formed in 1946, the Deer Island scene would have taken place before that time. While it remains a far reach for many reasons it would technically have been possible.
Property Representing Deer Island
As the 1908 Deer Island pamphlet indicates, “the club launch will meet visitor at Alexandria Bay.” This was perhaps one detail I was able to provide that appears to have been incorporated into the screenplay for the film.
