Wisner recruited Philip Graham (Washington Post) to run the project within the industry. It had also given America resources and experience (concentrated in private hands) with the world outside the Americas, used effectively by the OSS during World War II American government, however, had stayed in America, lending its influence to business but never trying to overthrow other governments for commercial purposes. All rights reserved. He announced a change in policy and gave orders for the Soviet Union's political prisoners to be released. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. "Incredible". "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. 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. It was an exhausting, stressful, and almost impossible job. Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. While the Guatemalan government valued $2.99 per acre, the American government valued it at $75 per acre. During the Hungarian Uprising an estimated 20,000 people were killed. It has been estimated that between January and June, 1954, the CIA spent about $20 million on Castillo's army. The results were horrifying2500 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 were forced to flee their country, and tens of thousands were arrested and imprisoned. This resulted in the religious community turning against Mossadegh. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. During the war William Donovan as head of the OSS, had built up a team of 16,000 agents working behind enemy lines. http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKwisner.htm Categories: People Articles with hCards In March 1953, 209,842 acres of United Fruit Company's uncultivated land was taken by the government which offered compensation of $525,000. 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: . They plan for apocalyptic scenarios and continuity of government. Market data provided byFactset. American diplomat and politician (born 1938), Genevieve Jeanne Marie du Fresne de Virel, Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs, United States Ambassador to the Philippines, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, "The extended family of Nicolas Sarkozy (de Nagy-Bocsa)", "La Giustizia amministrativa: Raccolta completa contenente le decisioni tutte della IV sezione del Consiglio di Stato, le decisioni pi importanti della Corte dei conti in materia di conti comunali, provinciali ed erariali, e di pensioni, le pi importanti sentenze della Corte di cassazione di Roma in materia elettorale e di competenza e monografie relative a questioni amministrative", "Nomination of Frank G. Wisner To Be United States Ambassador to Egypt", "Guiding Principles for U.S. Post-Conflict Policy in Iraq", "Ambassador Frank G. Wisner Joins Ergo's Advisory Board", "Frank Wisner, the Diplomat Sent to Prod Mubarak", Obama Egypt Envoy Frank Wisner Says Mubarak Should Stay, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, United States Ambassadors to the Philippines, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_G._Wisner&oldid=1135372820, Ambassadors of the United States to the Philippines, Ambassadors of the United States to India, Ambassadors of the United States to Egypt, Ambassadors of the United States to Zambia, United States Under Secretaries of Defense for Policy, People of the Egyptian revolution of 2011, Acting United States Secretaries of State, People associated with Squire Patton Boggs, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles needing clarification, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 January 2023, at 07:44. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Wisner became head of this new organization and Richard Helms became his chief of operations. To get better results, add more information such as Birth Info, Death Info and Locationeven a guess will help. When Truman signed the CIA into existence, the new agency found a similar reception. 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. During that time, Wisner and Bishop discovered and penetrated a Russian Intelligence service named GUGBEZ. The program successfully inserted countless pro-American news stories into coverage while suppressing reporting that might be embarrassing to the country. They were the patricians of the modern age, the paladins of democracy, and saw no contradiction in that. I saw Frank three days before he died and he seemed in good spirits. The Defense Department preferred to save its dirty tricks for times of war. Wisner remained as Deputy Director of Plans (DDP) until September 1958, playing an important role in the early history of the CIA. February 1, 2011. He was impressive - not at all the disturbing man he was in the shadows. A large number of these prisoners were tortured or killed. Senator McCarthy succeeded in forcing CIA director Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter to dismiss long-time staffer Carmel Offie in 1950, over Wisner's objections.[19]. 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. . Internationalist, abrasive, competitive, these men had an unshakeable belief in their value system, and in their duty to offer it to others. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) He could do that, because he was powerful. 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). It was the nearest thing to an expletive I ever heard Dulles use. Wisner's other great success was the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz. He persuaded President Harry S. Truman that the OSS in peacetime would be an "American Gestapo". Frank Wisner was married to Christine de Ganay, the stepmother of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France from 2007 until 2012. Admiral. Wisner began his intelligence career in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. In June 2013, Wisner joined the advisory board of Ergo, a global intelligence and advisory firm. Who made that decision?". On his watch, the CIA overthrew the governments of Iran and Guatemalathe only two such successes in the Agencys history. I suspect that had we known more (it would have just made us more appreciative.) Alsop was happy to comply, though he doubted his columns would have much impact on the Huks. Wisner committed suicide. Sudden Death. He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Mussadegh in Iran was left-wing and had indulged in talks with Russian diplomats about possible alliances and treaties. The man moved away. The growth of the OSS brought conflict with John Edgar Hoover who saw it as a rival to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Your email address will not be published. "They don't seem to be up to anything. This included the claim that Guatemala was the beginning of "Soviet expansion in the Americas". He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". Guillermo Toriello appealed to the United Nations to help protect Guatemalan government. He whispered a number of questions: "Who is that? Eisenhower's first question was to Hector (Rip Robertson): "How many men did Castillo Armas lose?" Feit Frank Visner aka Wisner or Vizner was born about 1857 in Cslav, Kutn Hora District, (Central Bohemian District), Bohemia, Austria. One of the most important journalists under the control of Operation Mockingbird was Joseph Alsop, whose articles appeared in over 300 different newspapers. It was later discovered that one commander accepted $60,000 to surrender his troops. Iranians took to the streets against Mohammed Mossadegh. Media in category "Frank Wisner" The following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. The lights were turned off while Brad used slides during his report. Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. Frank Wisner was the first American in, and this - you're talking August, September - I guess September of 1944. "The cable was from Des FitzGerald. On 18th June, 1954, aircraft dropped leaflets over Guatemala demanding that Arbenz resign immediately or else the county would be bombed. . Dulles decided that Richard Bissell rather than Richard Helms should become the new head of the DPP. Eisenhower shook hands all around. On January 4, 1951, the CIA merged the two offices and created a new Plans Division, which has had sole control over secret operations of all types since that date. To confront Soviet aggression, Wisner eventually organized a secret army in Europe. Wisner recruited Philip Graham (Washington Post) to run the project within the industry. Wisner, as head of the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), took overall responsibility for the operation. ", Later that year Wisner established Operation Mockingbird, a program to influence the American media. William (Rip) Robertson was also involved in the campaign against Arbenz. ", He didnt take it well. He was prescribed psychoanalysis and shock therapy (electroconvulsive treatment). In June. We drank iced tea as we sat around a garden table in Dulles' back yard. Faked photographs were distributed that claimed to show the mutilated bodies of opponents of Arbenz. Most men brought their wives to these gatherings. CIA's Voice of Liberation also put out similar radio broadcasts. Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. Ernesto Guevara attempted to organize some civil militias but senior army officers blocked the distribution of weapons. [10], Wisner is an advisory board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. Husband of Mary (Polly) Knowles a dedicated arts philanthropist and legendary Washington hostess. 1930 United States Federal Census. [2] After graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1934,[3] Wisner began working as a Wall Street lawyer for Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. In April 1962 Richard Helms recalled Wisner to Washington. Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. Toriello accused the United States government of categorizing "as communism every manifestation of nationalism or economic independence, any desire for social progress, any intellectual curiosity, and any interest in progressive liberal reforms.". We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The CIA began providing financial and logistic support for Colonel Carlos Castillo. Frank Wisner killed himself with one of his son's shotguns on 29th October, 1965. Arbenz now believed he stood little chance of preventing Castillo gaining power. 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. The lighted shaft of the Washington Monument could be seen through the trees. It is doubtful that many of the lawmakers who voted for the 1947 Act could have envisioned the scale on which the CIA would engage in operational activities all over the world. Over the next few weeks thousands were arrested on suspicion of communist activity. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. Over the next few weeks riots took place in Poland and East Germany. Wisner was transferred to the OSS station in Wiesbaden. According to Phillips he initially questioned the right of the CIA to interfere in Guatemala: In his autobiography Phillips claims he said to Barnes: "But Arbenz became President in a free election. According to Deborah Davis, Meyer became Mockingbird's "principal operative". This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. However, he got bored and enlisted in the United States Navy six months before Pearl Harbor. According to Nina Burleigh (A Very Private Woman) these journalists sometimes wrote articles that were commissioned by Frank Wisner. 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". [10], Wisner died by suicide on October 29, 1965.[22]. "Tomorrow morning, gentlemen," Dulles said, "we will go to the White House to brief the President. He was prescribed psychoanalysis and shock therapy (electroconvulsive treatment). Today, Wisner serves as an international affairs advisor for global legal powerhouse Squire Patton . 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. 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. His work involved planning a coup in Guyana, a country that had a left-wing government. . The CIA began providing financial and logistic support for Colonel Carlos Castillo. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. 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. Most men brought their wives to these gatherings. His army was outnumbered by the Guatemalan Army. After the West German counterintelligence chief, Otto John, defected to the Soviet Union in 1954, Wisner fed Alsop a story that the West German spymaster had been kidnapped by the KGB. 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. His work involved planning a coup in Guyana, a country that had a left-wing government. He served as third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers, Algeria. Phillips, along with E. Howard Hunt, was responsible for running the CIA's Voice of Liberation radio station. 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. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. The nature of Arbenz's government, however, meant that Operation Success launched both the CIA and the United States on a new path. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. ", Assassination of John F. Kennedy Encyclopedia, In December, 1956, Wisner had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed as suffering from manic depression. 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. Their articles appeared in over 300 different newspapers. "Great," he said to Brad, "that was a good briefing." ", General Ridgeway answered. A decision was reached to create an organization within the CIA to conduct secret political operations. The plot against Arbenz therefore became part of Executive Action (a plan to remove unfriendly foreign leaders from power). Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. The Defense Mobilization Support Planning Activity? 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." [11] On September 1, 1948, the office was formally established, although it was renamed to the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) for obfuscation purposes. After Pearl Harbor, he. 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. Eisenhower spoke to his Chief of Naval Operations "Watch that sub. post-template-default single single-post postid-2835 single-format-standard. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. They also produced three films on Guatemala for showing free in cinemas. Eisenhower spoke to his Chief of Naval Operations "Watch that sub. Mossadegh also abolished Iran's feudal agriculture sector and replaced with a system of collective farming and government land ownership. He worked in the Navy's censor's office before managing to get a transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). When this failed he put pressure on Security Council members to vote against the resolution. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Wisner and 21 OSS agents landed in Romania,[5] where he became head of OSS Bucharest. Thomas Braden later recalled: "Wisner brought in a whole load of fascists after the war, some really nasty people. "Incredible". This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. 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. She was born in Ashley, N.D. She grew up and attended schools in North Dakota. "Thanks Allen, and thanks to all of you. On August 2, 1936, she married Arthur S. Wisner in Sparks, Nev. Mrs. Wisner had been active in the Emanuel. From 1971 to 1973, he was first secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, and following that, from 1973 to 1974, he was first secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Dacca, Bangladesh. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. Wisner was transferred to the OSS station in Wiesbaden. Frank Wisner, who was part of the small network of OSS hands eager to get back in the spy game, had a solution to the problem. Another project started by Wisner was called Operation Bloodstone. 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). In this position, he was instrumental in supporting pro-American forces that toppled Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran in 1953[citation needed] and Jacobo Arbenz Guzmn in Guatemala in 1954. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. The OPC had a staff of 10, so this wasnt likely to happen. Frank G. Wisner discusses his distinguished career in public service, including working as former undersecretary of defense for policy, undersecretary of state for international security affairs . What right do we have to help someone topple his government and throw him out of office?" Allen W. Dulles therefore sent him to London to be CIA chief of station in England. 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. 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. Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". The questions from the unknown man next to me were very insistent, furtive. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. Frank Gardiner Wisner - Commander, United States Navy Central Intellignce Agency February 27, 2023 by Michael Robert Patterson Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. "Frank Wisner, Jr. was a big catch for Enron Corporation. The CIA also provided them with classified information to help them with their work. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. The growth of the OSS brought conflict with John Edgar Hoover who saw it as a rival to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. [17] Another project he was involved in was with regard to the Belarus Brigade's leaders, a unit incorporated into a German SS division, who were assisted into the United States after the Second world war, due largely to his efforts. 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 2nd Deputy Director of Plans in charge of the Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency from August 23, 1951 to January 1, 1959. That beginning took place for him in Romania, simultaneously dealing with the results of the German war and with the coming reality of Soviet power. Over the next few weeks thousands were arrested on suspicion of communist activity.