Hello everyone. I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long. I've been busy with work and life. Let's jump right into things!
Intelligence gathering, and what is done with the information, can turn the tide not just of battles but of entire war efforts. This post will examine how intelligence was gathered and utilized in WWI, and the individuals and groups who participated in acts of espionage.
At the start of World War II the U.S. was lacking in a civilian agency dedicated to gathering foreign intelligence. That's not to say that the U.S. didn't participate in espionage-- the Army and Navy both had intelligence branches--but at the time those in charge of the federal government, including Henry Stimson who was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary of war, believed that espionage was immoral. This belief left the U.S. at a disadvantage compared to Britain, Germany, and Russia, all of which had intelligence bureaus and spied on adversaries and allies alike.
With the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was forced to admit their shortcomings when it came to intelligence gathering and established the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which would be a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The OSS did more than just intelligence gathering; in addition to espionage, the establishment of the OSS paved the way for the formation of the U.S. military's Special Forces and also carried out paramilitary operations overseas. The OSS had several branches, including: Intelligence Services, which was composed of Secret Intelligence (SI), X-2, and Research Analysis (R&A), as well as Strategic Services Operations. SI officers recruited foreign agents; X-2 officers dealt with counterespionage and were tasked with combating enemy spies overseas; and R&A officers processed the intelligence received from SI. The Strategic Services Operations carried out missions where small teams of officers trained resistance fighters as well as committed acts of sabotage to cause destruction and mayhem.
There was a bitter rivalry between the OSS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S. in the 1940s. Under J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI's jurisdiction was expanded beyond North America into South America. As a consequence of this, the OSS wasn't allowed to operate in South America despite the knowledge of flourishing spy networks in various South American countries who were sympathetic to the third Reich. Not only was there a rivalry between the OSS and FBI, but the Army's G-2 and the Navy's Office of Naval Intelligence often refused to cooperate with the OSS; General MacArthur banned the OSS from areas under his command, as opposed to Generals Eisenhower and Patton who recognized the benefits of the OSS and allowed OSS officers to play a role in the goings on in Sicily and North Africa.
According to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA: "At its peak OSS staff numbered about 13,000 people, 35 percent of whom were women. About 7,500, both men and women, served overseas. OSS officers were given military status and rank with most assigned to the Army, however many were also assigned to the Navy and Marines. Many of these OSS Marines were assigned to the European theatre."
The OSS had a short life span, lasting only three years and three months, but it had a lasting impact. In 1947, the CIA was officially established and one-third of the CIA's personnel were former OSS officers, including four of the Agency's directors. OSS veterans led the CIA through the Cold War era: and the US Army Green Berets and the Navy Seals can both trace their roots to the OSS, to the Strategic Operations and Maritime Unit, respectively.
Next time on the blog, we're going to start taking a more in depth look at espionage in WWII.
