12. Myth: George Washington Could Never Tell A Lie
Fact: He was a founding father of deception.
George Washington was said to be incapable of lying, according to Parson Weems, from a very young age, but the fact of the matter is that as commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War Washington had no peer at creating deceptions. He was the master of several spy rings, some of which are not fully revealed nearly two and a half centuries later. Washington as a military commander came to use the tactic which became known much later as disinformation, using his spies and double agents to provide false information to the British regarding his strength and intentions.
Many of the “deserters” who left the ranks of the Continentals and went over to the British were actually sent by Washington to provide the enemy with information the American commander wanted them to have. At the same time, Washington and the British commanders regularly exchanged letters on subjects including prisoner exchanges, the treatment of civilians, and the treatment of personal property. While it is highly doubtful that Washington would be deceitful in such correspondence, chivalry and the code of a gentleman prevailing, if any advantage could be gained he tried. In one such letter, he offered to trade Major John Andre, a prisoner, for Benedict Arnold.