At the first Quebec Conference , rugged Canadian Sergeant Major Emile Couture's job was to keep
conferees supplied with stationery. It was also his job to pick up the
unused paper when the Conference was over. One morning in the Chateau
Frontenac he found a piece of paper on which were boldly written the
alternative dates for Dday, the number of troops and ships to be
used, data on air cover. Sergeant Major Couture rushed to his commanding officer. Major Charles
Edward Gernaey, reported his find. Washington and London were
informed. Yes, the paper had been missed. Both men were rushed to
Washington. There, they took solemn oaths of secrecy. At the second Quebec Conference last week the story leaked out. Couture,
29, and Gernaey, 37, were awarded British Empire Medals for keeping the
biggest secret of the war. Who had lost the D-day document, or what had
happened to him, military authorities would not say.
