After retiring from government service in 1997, Wisner joined the board at a subsidiary of Enron, the former energy company and served on the board of American International Group (AIG). However, he got bored and enlisted in the United States Navy six months before Pearl Harbor. He wanted to start yet another secret agencythis one accountable to virtually no one. Probably the most powerful of the Georgetown insiders was Frank Wisner, chief of covert operations for the C.I.A., and one of the most zealous of the anti-Communist crusaders who turned the agency . His work involved planning a coup in Guyana, a country that had a left-wing government. When the war ended, the OSS was shut down and Wisner returned to the soul-draining doldrums of office life. A close friend, Avis Bohlen said he "was so depressed about how the world was going he felt we were losing the Cold War.". As Thomas Polgar later pointed out: "Sure, we never said rise up and revolt, but there was a lot of propaganda that led the Hungarians to believe that we would help. The UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was so upset by the actions of the USA that he considered resigning from his post. The whole arrangement of American power in the world from the nineteenth century was based on commercial concerns and methods of operation his had given America a material empire through the ownership of foreign transport systems, oil fields, estancias, stocks, and shares. Hector and I smiled at each other as Brad flushed with pleasure. Franklived in month1918, at address, Illinois. [21], In 1962, Wisner retired from the CIA. For months, waves of airborne spies in mission after mission landed, and each was killed straightaway. Five thousand refugees volunteered to be part of a post-nuclear guerrilla force, which was just what it sounds likeFallout: New Stalingrad. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. Eisenhower turned to his Chief of the Joint Chiefs. Hector (Rip Robertson) said only one, a courier . Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. [11] On September 1, 1948, the office was formally established, although it was renamed to the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) for obfuscation purposes. [13] The OPC initially received services from the CIA but was accountable to the State Department. As soon as the war ended Truman ordered the OSS to be closed down leaving a small intelligence organization, the Strategic Services Unit (SSU) in the War Department. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) And yet, the junior Wisner cut a path for himself in the diplomatic corps that made him one of the country's most accomplished, and respected, envoys. Date of death: 29 October 1965: Manner of death: suicide; Place of burial: Arlington National Cemetery (385229.114N 77414.088W, Section 6, grave 9395-C, 1965) Pseudonym: . It said that Frank had died and gave no reason, but I knew." Four months later he agreed to retire from the CIA. Wisner recruited Philip Graham (Washington Post) to run the project within the industry. She was born in Ashley, N.D. She grew up and attended schools in North Dakota. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. He was so depressed that his wife, Polly, worried that he would try to commit suicide. He was prescribed psychoanalysis and shock therapy (electroconvulsive treatment). Crocker's efforts contributed to the organization and successful discussions at the February 1984 Lusaka Conference regarding conflicts in Angola and Namibia.[9]. "They don't seem to be up to anything. All the top officials of the agency, from director on down, were in attendance. Other journalists willing to promote the views of the CIA included Stewart Alsop (New York Herald Tribune), Ben Bradlee (Newsweek), James Reston (New York Times), Charles Douglas Jackson (Time Magazine), Walter Pincus (Washington Post), William C. Baggs (Miami News), Herb Gold (Miami News) and Charles Bartlett (Chattanooga Times). Wisner came directly from central casting as the shady OSS spy from World War II. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. (Mockingbird wasnt the OPCs only psychological operation, and Wisners office had a great sense of humor. He served as third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers, Algeria. In June. No longer would the Monroe Doctrine, which was directed against foreign imperial ambitions in the Americas from across the Atlantic or the Pacific, suffice. This was the elite which ran American foreign policy and shaped legislation at home. In the 1950s and early 1960s the CIA's top leaders - men like Allen Dulles, Frank Wisner, Richard Bissell, Tracy Barnes, and Desmond Fitzgerald - were profoundly devoted to covert action. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. . At Arlington Cemetery, Frank Wisner was buried as a naval commander, his wartime rank. Iranians took to the streets against Mohammed Mossadegh. According to Alex Constantine (Mockingbird: The Subversion Of The Free Press By The CIA), in the 1950s, "some 3,000 salaried and contract CIA employees were eventually engaged in propaganda efforts". Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). In August, 1952, the Office of Policy Coordination and the Office of Special Operations (the espionage division) were merged to form the Directorate of Plans (DPP). This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. This included James Truitt, Russell Wiggins, Phil Geyelin, John Hayes and Alan Barth. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. "Great," he said to Brad, "that was a good briefing." Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. [14], According to its secret charter, the OPC's responsibilities include "propaganda, economic warfare, preventive direct action, including sabotage, antisabotage, demolition and evacuation procedures; subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground resistance groups, guerrillas and refugee liberation groups, and support of indigenous anti-communist elements in threatened countries of the free world. Frank George Wisner II (born July 2, 1938) is an American businessman and former diplomat who had served as acting United States Secretary of State for a few hours following the resignation of the previous acting United States Secretary of State Arnold Kanter at noon on January 20, 1993 until the confirmation by the United States Senate and swearing in of Warren Christopher as United States Secretary of State later that day. As soon as the war ended Truman ordered the OSS to be closed down leaving a small intelligence organization, the Strategic Services Unit (SSU) in the War Department. OSS agents penetrated the Romanian Communist Party and Wisner was able to discover that the Soviets intended to take over all of Eastern Europe. Manage Settings Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. However, Wisner was cleared of all suspicions by the CIA Office of Security. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. Frank Wisner, the father of American covert operations, was both. The OPC had a staff of 10, so this wasnt likely to happen. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. During his absence Wisner's job was covered by his chief of operations, Richard Helms. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Thus by overthrowing him, America was in effect making a new decision in the cold war. Frank Justin Wisnerwas born on month day1879, at birth place. Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. First headed by Allen Dulles, Wisner succeeded Dulles in 1951 when Dulles was named Director of Central Intelligence. View. Media in category "Frank Wisner" The following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Guillermo Toriello, asked the United Nations for help against the covert activities of the United States. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. Wisner became head of this new organization and Richard Helms became his chief of operations. Also involved was Richard Bissell, head of the Directorate for Plans, an organization instructed to conduct covert anti-Communist operations around the world. Others like Stewart Alsop, Joseph Alsop and James Reston, were recruited from within the Georgetown Set. They also produced three films on Guatemala for showing free in cinemas. A decision was reached to create an organization within the CIA to conduct secret political operations. [10], Wisner was recruited in 1947 by Dean Acheson to join the State Department to become the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas. They were defiant and proud, but besieged. Members of what was later called the Georgetown Ladies' Social Club included Katharine Graham, Mary Pinchot Meyer, Sally Reston, Polly Wisner, Joan Braden, Lorraine Cooper, Evangeline Bruce, Avis Bohlen, Janet Barnes, Tish Alsop, Cynthia Helms, Marietta FitzGerald, Phyllis Nitze and Annie Bissell. You've averted a Soviet beachhead in our hemisphere." The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. The real Angleton, the real Frank Wisner, the real Bill Harvey are stories in their own right. According to Nina Burleigh (A Very Private Woman) these journalists sometimes wrote articles that were commissioned by Frank Wisner. He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. At his funeral the Bethlehem Chapel in the National Cathedral was overflowing with old friends who sang "Fling Out the Banner" as Wisner's family marched down the aisle at the end of the service. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. "All these people are getting killed, Wisner later said, and we weren't doing anything, we were ignoring it. Eisenhower's first question was to Hector (Rip Robertson): "How many men did Castillo Armas lose?" ", General Ridgeway answered. The results were horrifying2500 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 were forced to flee their country, and tens of thousands were arrested and imprisoned. Hector and I smiled at each other as Brad flushed with pleasure. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. Nixon asked a number of questions, concise and to the point, and demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Guatemalan political situation. If it gets near the coast of Guatemala we'll sink the son-of-a-bitch. ' The most active element of this special staff came from the CIA's clandestine Air Division which at that time was under the control of Dick Helms. The program successfully inserted countless pro-American news stories into coverage while suppressing reporting that might be embarrassing to the country. These organizations were run by people with well-known right-wing views such as William Paley (CBS), Henry Luce (Time Magazine and Life Magazine), Arthur Hays Sulzberger (New York Times), Alfred Friendly (managing editor of the Washington Post), Jerry O'Leary (Washington Star), Hal Hendrix (Miami News), Barry Bingham Sr., (Louisville Courier-Journal), James Copley (Copley News Services) and Joseph Harrison (Christian Science Monitor). Who made that decision?". He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. According to Deborah Davis in Katharine the Great, "By the early 1950s, Wisner 'owned' respected members of the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and other communications vehicles." In defiance of federal law, John Loftus asserted, the Office of Policy Coordination helped obtain visas for Nazi collaborators from Belarus who were believed to have facilitated numerous atrocities by the Nazi Germany. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. He was first stationed in Cairo where he spent an uneventful year. Frank Gardiner Wisner (June 23, 1909 October 29, 1965) was one of the founding officers of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and played a major role in CIA operations throughout the 1950s. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. During that time, Wisner and Bishop discovered and penetrated a Russian Intelligence service named GUGBEZ. Allen W. Dulles therefore sent him to London to be CIA chief of station in England. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. Members are only revealed after their death - a wreath of black magnolias shaped like '7' is laid at the gravesite. However, in 1947, he was recruited by Dean Acheson, to work under Charles Saltzman, at the State Department's Office of Occupied Territories. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. In April 1962 Richard Helms recalled Wisner to Washington. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". Thats why when you read about something called the Mission Support Activity, your eyes glaze over before you realize that youre reading about the Joint Special Operations Commands special mission unit for intelligence commandos. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. This included James Truitt, Russell Wiggins, Phil Geyelin, John Hayes and Alan Barth. Wisner added that he felt personally betrayed by this behaviour. [12] Wisner is chair of the board of directors of The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.[13][14]. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. While in Germany he served under Allen W. Dulles. Required fields are marked *. They were the patricians of the modern age, the paladins of democracy, and saw no contradiction in that. The CIA propaganda campaign included the distribution of 100,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled Chronology of Communism in Guatemala. He persuaded President Harry S. Truman that the OSS in peacetime would be an "American Gestapo". Wisner was told to create an organization that concentrated on "propaganda, economic warfare; preventive direct action, including sabotage, anti-sabotage, demolition and evacuation measures; subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground resistance groups, and support of indigenous anti-Communist elements in threatened countries of the free world". Khrushchev's de-Stalinzation policy encouraged people living in Eastern Europe to believe that he was willing to give them more independence from the Soviet Union. Later that year Wisner established Operation Mockingbird, a program to influence the American media. "[15], During the early 1950s, Wisner was the subject of FBI inquiries in connection with his wartime work in Romania, including the claim that he had an affair with Tanda Caradja, daughter of Romanian princess Catherine Caradja during the war; Caradja was alleged in FBI reports to be a Soviet agent. This report examines the information and intelligence resources available to and relied upon by policymakers during the Rwanda crisis. Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. In addition, regardless of the principles being professed, when direct action was taken (whether clandestine or not), the interests of American business would be a consideration: if the flag was to follow, it would quite definitely follow trade. Early life [ edit] The company wanted $16 million for the land. CIA's Voice of Liberation also put out similar radio broadcasts. The plot against Arbenz therefore became part of Executive Action (a plan to remove unfriendly foreign leaders from power). A large number of these prisoners were tortured or killed. . Wisner and 21 OSS agents landed in Romania,[5] where he became head of OSS Bucharest. Covert action (orchestrating coups, anti-Communist insurgencies, academic conferences, labor unions, political parties, publishing houses, and shipping companies) required considerable manpower, and it drew the intellectual crme de la crme. It wasnt long before the United States recognized the obvious mistake it had made in shutting down its intelligence capabilities. "Thanks Allen, and thanks to all of you. In 1951 Allen W. Dulles persuaded Cord Meyer to join the CIA. To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. On April 4, 1953, Wisner persuaded Allen W. Dulles to approve $1 million to be used "in any way that would bring about the fall of Mossadegh." President Dwight Eisenhower was delighted with this result and asked Wisner to arrange for Kermit Roosevelt to give him a personal briefing on Operation Ajax.