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Frank Gardiner Wisner (June 23, 1909 - October 29, 1965) was head of Office of Strategic Services operations in southeastern Europe in 1944-1945 at the end of World War II, and served as the second Deputy Director of Plans (DDP) in charge of the Directorate of Plans (DDP) of the Central Intelligence Agency from August 23, 1951 to September 1958. Frank Wisners new agency was called the Office of Policy Coordination, which should tell you an awful lot about its business. He retired in 1963, and committed suicide with a shotgun in 1965. Wisner managed to get a copy of the speech that Nikita Khrushchev made at the 20th Party Congress in February, 1956, where Khrushchev launched an attack on the rule of Joseph Stalin. 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. As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. Frank Wisner was constantly looked for ways to help convince the public of the dangers of communism. This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. . [2] An event carried out Events Participated in References Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, Penguin, 2007, pp.36-38. Internationalist, abrasive, competitive, these men had an unshakeable belief in their value system, and in their duty to offer it to others. Record information. He became Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Coordination. Franklived in USA. According to Donald N. Wilber, who was involved in this CIA plot to remove Mossadegh from power, in early August, 1953, Iranian CIA operatives, pretending to be socialists, threatened Muslim leaders with "savage punishment if they opposed Mossadegh," thereby giving the impression that Mossadegh was cracking down on dissent. The military now joined the opposition and Mossadegh was arrested on August 19, 1953. He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". Perhaps he had made up his mind to kill himself. What right do we have to help someone topple his government and throw him out of office?" Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. His work involved planning a coup in Guyana, a country that had a left-wing government. Alsop was happy to comply, though he doubted his columns would have much impact on the Huks. "What about the Russians? [21], In 1962, Wisner retired from the CIA. Guillermo Toriello appealed to the United Nations to help protect Guatemalan government. In 1964 he became a rural development officer at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam, for the Agency for International Development. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. [16], On August 23, 1951, Wisner succeeded Allen W. Dulles and became the second Deputy Director of Plans, with Richard Helms as his chief of operations. Contents "Tomorrow morning, gentlemen," Dulles said, "we will go to the White House to brief the President. Wisner also met Arthur Schlesinger, an OSS sergeant serving in Germany. Over the next few weeks riots took place in Poland and East Germany. I was vaguely uncomfortable. Wisner's other great success was the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz. Evan Thomas, the author of The Very Best Men: The Early Years of the CIA (1995), argues that Joseph Alsop and Stewart Alsop worked very closely with Winser. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. To confront Soviet aggression, Wisner eventually organized a secret army in Europe. No longer would the Monroe Doctrine, which was directed against foreign imperial ambitions in the Americas from across the Atlantic or the Pacific, suffice. When this failed he put pressure on Security Council members to vote against the resolution. Athan Theoharis, Richard Immerman, Loch Johnson, Kathryn Olmsted, and, Assistant Secretary of State for Occupied Areas, guerrilla warfare in Soviet-occupied Europe, "Our History: Featured Alumni: Wisner, Frank G., 1934", Report on X-2 Activities in Bucharest, 25 April 1945, "Foreign Relations of the United States, 19451950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment - Office of the Historian", "National Security Council Directive on Office of Special Projects", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_Wisner&oldid=1141757345, United States Navy personnel of World War II, People of the Central Intelligence Agency, People of the Office of Strategic Services, University of Virginia School of Law alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 17:05. In all, some 1,700 American POWs were transported. The lights were turned off while Brad used slides during his report. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. Brad finished and the lights went up. Harvey reported back in June 1951 that he was convinced that Philby was a KGB spy. The Two Frank Wisners. In 1954 Wisner arranged for the funding the Hollywood production of Animal Farm, the animated allegory based on the book written by George Orwell. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. Four days later, after a day in which Mubarak allies took violent reprisal against democracy activists, Wisner spoke to a security conference in Europe and called it "crucial" that Mubarak stay on in the interest of "stability." Feit Frank Visner aka Wisner or Vizner was born about 1857 in Cslav, Kutn Hora District, (Central Bohemian District), Bohemia, Austria. First headed by Allen Dulles, Wisner succeeded Dulles in 1951 when Dulles was named Director of Central Intelligence. Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. "Great," he said to Brad, "that was a good briefing." In early 2011, the Obama administration asked Wisner to carry views to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, including advice that Mubarak should resign to defuse the crisis. Samuel Zemurray, United Fruit Company's largest shareholder, with the help of Tommy Corcoran, organized an anti-Arbenz campaign in the American media. Legal Statement. On January 31, 2011, he was sent to Egypt by President Barack Obama to negotiate a resolution to the popular protests against the regime that had swept the country. The Director turned to me "They tell me you know how to write. This included the claim that Guatemala was the beginning of "Soviet expansion in the Americas". He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. Afterward, he obviously wasnt equipped to go back to the Directorate of Plans, so he was made the station chief in London. Castillo now reversed the Arbenz reforms. "What about the Russians? He gained support for this from James Forrestal, the Defense Secretary. [6][7], Wisner arrived just as Romania joined the Allies and declared war on the Axis. Ernesto Guevara attempted to organize some civil militias but senior army officers blocked the distribution of weapons. She was born in Ashley, N.D. She grew up and attended schools in North Dakota. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. [10], Wisner died by suicide on October 29, 1965.[22]. Husband of Mary (Polly) Knowles a dedicated arts philanthropist and legendary Washington hostess. Wisner was too ill to return to his post as head of the DDP. Frankpassed away in July 1963, at age 83. Later, John Loftus, a prosecutor with the Office of Special Investigations at the U.S. Justice Department, accused Wisner of methodically recruiting Nazi war criminals. DR: In a sense, The Good Shepherd On October 28, before he drove out to his farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, she called the caretaker and asked him to remove the guns from the house. 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. Even with my curious nature, I myself was unaware, except in the vaguest terms, what political action projects were going forward and how (Frank Wisner was spending Marshall Plan counterpart funds.) From 1974 to 1975, he was Director of the Office of Plans and Management in the Bureau of Public Affairs and in late 1975 became Deputy Director of the President's Indo-China Task Force in the Department.[8]. Hoover also passed to McCarthy details of an affair that Wisner had with Princess Caradja in Romania during the war. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. When he finished Alien Dulles said, "Brad, I've never heard such crap." Arbenz now believed he stood little chance of preventing Castillo gaining power. While in Germany he served under Allen W. Dulles. 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. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Mussadegh in Iran was left-wing and had indulged in talks with Russian diplomats about possible alliances and treaties. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. The man moved away. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. [vague][15] Wisner was unsuccessful in convincing Mubarak to do so. According to Nina Burleigh (A Very Private Woman) these journalists sometimes wrote articles that were commissioned by Frank Wisner. Vibrant democratic parties, even socialist ones, were preferable to a Communist victory. Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. (The CIA posted guards to keep the KGB from seeing who was there.). About Frank G. Wisner. Sudden Death. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. She moved to Lodi in 1934. All results for Frank Wisner. post-template-default single single-post postid-2835 single-format-standard. The lights were turned off while Brad used slides during his report. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. [9], Immediately after the arrival of Major Robert Bishop (September 9, 1944) as head of X-2 (Counter Espionage) branch in Bucharest, Wisner started the search for German records. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. The only thing theyre proving is the law of gravity, said one CIA officer. "Frank Wisner, Jr. was a big catch for Enron Corporation. He could do that, because he was powerful. Later that year Wisner established Mockingbird, a program to influence the domestic American media. (1999) has pointed out: "In long exchanges, heated by intellectual passion and alcohol, their vision of a new world order began to take shape. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) Perhaps he had made up his mind to kill himself. Eisenhower shook his head, perhaps thinking of the thousands who had died in France. The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. Finally Brad (Colonel Albert Haney) rehearsed his speech. All rights reserved. "Incredible". Who made that decision?". The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. Wisner added that he felt personally betrayed by this behaviour. During that time, Wisner and Bishop discovered and penetrated a Russian Intelligence service named GUGBEZ. I suspect that had we known more (it would have just made us more appreciative.) No senior gure of the time at CIA ever had anything to do with that organization. . The Combat Applications Group does not write database software for infantry supply clerks; it is better known as Delta Force. Tracy Barnes was field commander of what became known as Operation Success. However, the CIA Voice of Liberation successfully convinced Arbenz's supporters that two large and heavily armed columns of invaders were moving towards Guatemala City. If it gets near the coast of Guatemala we'll sink the son-of-a-bitch. ' Let's run over your presentations." He was prescribed psychoanalysis and shock therapy (electroconvulsive treatment). 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. In 1951 Allen W. Dulles persuaded Cord Meyer to join the CIA.