Declassified: Anne Murray was CIA’s deadliest assassin

Springhill — In a startling revelation, newly declassified documents from the American Central Intelligence Agency have revealed that one of their deadliest secret agents in the 1970s was Canadian music legend Anne Murray.

In a The Manatee exclusive, one of the Grammy-winner’s associates from the dimly lit world of covert operations has stepped forward to confirm accounts of Murray’s pivotal role in shaping some of the greatest geopolitical events of the late 20th century.

“The second that we heard Snowbird in 1970, we knew Anne could be our ticket into every country in the world,” revealed the confidential source, who spoke to The Manatee on the condition of anonymity. “We recruited her right away as a courier for secret documents to our embassies worldwide. No one ever suspects the Canadian, right? What we didn’t realize at that time is that her talent for singing was outmatched only by her talent for killing.

“More than a few foreign adversaries learned that lesson only after it was too late.”

Born in Springhill, N.S., Murray began singing lessons at age 15 in nearby Tatamagouche. She attended Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax for one year, and completed a degree in physical education at University of New Brunswick in Fredericton in 1966. After university, Murray taught in Summerside for one year before joining the cast of Singalong Jubilee, which launched her on a trajectory to superstardom.

“As she began interacting with the clandestine agencies all over the world,” confided our source, “it became clear that Anne — code-name ‘Daydream Believer’ — had a talent for spycraft. She began accepting assignments that would put her at the nexus of some of the greatest spy missions of the 1970s.”

Heavily redacted documents reveal some of Murray’s greatest exploits:

• Infiltrating a Cuban paramilitary organization to rescue Canadian “snowbirds” kidnapped from southern Florida. She hotwired a prototype plane so it could spread its wings and fly away.
• Assassinations of rival spy codenamed “The Dragon” in his driveway, Soviet labour camp director “The Grizzly” on his lawn, and military dictator “El Hippo” in the bathtub.
• While stranded in enemy territory, even though she didn’t have money, she was so in love with her honey that she was able to bring a chain of love.

Presently, Murray lives in Thornhill, Ontario and is having this dance for the rest of her life.