<P> In 1943, Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander, Ewen Montagu (Clifton Webb), comes up with a scheme to deceive the Nazis about the impending invasion of Southern Europe . It entails releasing a dead body just off the coast of Spain, where strong currents will almost certainly cause it to drift ashore in an area where a skilled German secret agent operates . The corpse will appear as a plane crash victim, the non-existent Royal Marine, Major William Martin, who is carrying false letters about a forthcoming Allied invasion of Greece, rather than the obvious target of Sicily . Time is short, but the impatient Montagu is finally given approval to carry out the mission: Operation Mincemeat . </P> <P> On the advice of a medical expert, Montagu procures the body of a man who died of pneumonia (so that he will seem to have drowned) from the grieving father . Then, after proper preparations, he and his assistant, Lt. Acres (Robert Flemyng), take the corpse (concealed in a canister packed with dry ice) to a waiting submarine . The submarine travels to the Mediterranean, along the way evading a depth - charge attack, before surfacing at night to release the body . As hoped, the body washes ashore on a Spanish beach and is processed by local authorities, observed by German and British consulate staff . After the attache case containing the letters is returned to London, as part of the personal possessions of the deceased Major Martin, Montagu is disappointed the documents do not appear to have been tampered with . However, a laboratory expert confirms that the key letter, describing the (false) Allied attack in Greece, was cleverly opened and resealed . </P> <P> Hitler is convinced the document is genuine, even though a German intelligence officer is sceptical . He orders an IRA Nazi spy, Patrick O'Reilly (Stephen Boyd) dispatched to London to investigate . What O'Reilly uncovers is inconclusive, in his mind, until he checks out Martin's "fiancée", Lucy Sherwood (Gloria Grahame). She is the roommate of Montagu's assistant, Pam (Josephine Griffin). O'Reilly shows up at their flat, posing as Martin's old friend, on the same day Lucy received news that her real boyfriend has been killed in action . Her genuine grief mostly convinces O'Reilly . As a final test, however, he leaves the address of his lodgings in north London, telling Lucy to contact him if she needs anything . He then informs his German superiors by radio to expect a message from him in an hour, unless British counterintelligence comes for him . Montagu almost makes this very mistake, but realises in time why O'Reilly left his address and, with some difficulty, convinces his superiors not to order O'Reilly to be arrested . O'Reilly then sends a "Martin genuine!" radio message, and the Nazis transfer most of their Sicily - based forces to Greece, making the Allied deceit successful . </P> <P> After the war, Montagu leaves a medal he was awarded at the grave of "the man who never was". </P>

Where was the man who never was filmed