Linda Ciampoli ’68

Not many people can say that they spent summers on the French seaside with Winston Churchill or even that they knew someone who did. But Linda Ciampoli ’68, wife of Max Ciampoli, has shared a detailed account of the guidance her husband received from the legendary wartime leader, in the couple’s book Churchill’s Secret Agent.

The first time Linda Ciampoli awoke in the middle of the night to hear her husband screaming, she knew it was because of nightmares. Max had served in the French army during World War II as one of Churchill’s secret agents, an assignment that would affect his life forever. Battle flashbacks haunted his dreams for decades after the war.

When Ciampoli started to worry about her husband’s well-being, in addition to her own sleep schedule, she urged him to write down his stories as a form of release. After reading a complete account, she decided to share his experiences with the rest of the world.

While neither Ciampoli had any professional background in writing, Linda Ciampoli was able to turn her husband’s account into a remarkable literary accomplishment. The novel, Churchill’s Secret Agent, was born on the idea that “There is no turning back” in life, but only remembering and acknowledging what lies in the past. Much of the philosophy is based on actual conversations with Churchill. By applying the writing skills she had gained as a UCLA student, using her natural business acumen and forging a deeply empathetic bond with her husband, she was able to create Churchill’s Secret Agent.

“The hardest part was reading his handwriting,” Ciampoli jokes. She also had to translate her husband’s stories from his native French. Luckily she had majored in French and even spent a summer abroad mastering the language. After graduating from UCLA, she lived in Israel for two years, where she taught English to Israeli and Bedouin children. She then returned to Los Angeles to pursue a career in hotel management.

When they met in Los Angeles in 1986, the Ciampolis had no idea that their friendship and romance would lead them into a successful literary career. After months of translating, inserting proper dialogue, and interpreting bits and pieces of her husband’s memory, she finished the manuscript. She showed it to a few friends, and soon agents began contacting the couple requesting permission to find a publisher. Ciampoli quickly finished a successful book proposal and, that same year, seven publishers expressed interest in the story.

Churchill’s Secret Agent became a national bestseller, and the Ciampolis are working on a second book that tells the story of Max’s life in Haiti and the United States after WWII. Their careful collaboration on Churchill’s Secret Agent allowed her to record her husband’s bravery and heroism during the war. The story imparts an important piece of history and is evidence of the treasured relationship between Max Ciampoli and Churchill, and between the two Ciampoli authors.

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