Anthony Wells was born in Coventry, England. He is the only living person to have worked for British Intelligence, served in the Royal Navy and on exchange with the US Navy as a British citizen, and worked for US intelligence and the US Navy as a US citizen. He was educated at Durham University, King's College, London, and the London School of Economics. He was trained at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and the School of Maritime Operations. His mentor as a young man was Sir Harry Hinsley, the Bletchley Park codebreaker.