Thread by @CIA

Today marks 75th anniversary of Office of Strategic Services, CIA’s predecessor & US #WWII intel apparatus!
#OSS75
bit.ly/2skBrDB

Before #WWII, collecting & disseminating intel was done by US foreign-policy experts & elements of the armed services.
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America’s entry into #WWII following intel failure of Pearl Harbor led to creation of #OSS on June 13, 1942.
bit.ly/2qC2uqm
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1942: Roosevelt appoints William “Wild Bill” #Donovan, a highly decorated #WWI officer, as #OSS Director.
bit.ly/29wa2C2
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#OSS employed nearly 13,000 men & women at its peak & operated in Europe, N. Africa, & Asia for 3+ years, 1942-1945.
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#Donovan centralized intel & uniquely combined:
- research & analysis
- covert ops
- counterintel
- espionage
- tech development
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#OSS Research & Analysis Branch, the cornerstone of #OSS, was staffed by some of the best minds in America.
bit.ly/2sxUKtR
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R&A provided analysis of Allied bombings, studied ops where Allied forces fought, & developed preparations for occupation of Germany.
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R&A proved #Donovan’s idea of all-source analysis
Vital intel could be gained thru reports, photos, maps & it started modern analysis
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Operational Groups: small US commando teams fighting in uniform w no overt #OSS connection, so as not to be shot as spies if captured
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OG training covered:
- parachuting
- amphibious operations
- skiing
- mountain climbing
- radio operation
- espionage tactics
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Foreign language skills were essential.
OGs fought in France, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Burma, Malaya & China, often w partisans.
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#Jedburgh teams consisted of 2 to 4 men: US #OSS officer, British #SOE officer, Free French, Belgian, Dutch, or Canadian soldier.
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First Operation #JEDBURGH team deployed the night before D-Day.
More than 90 teams parachuted into France in 1944.
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Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Legend of the #Jedburghs
1.usa.gov/1TUoPHA
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Detachment 101 served in Burma, recruiting, training, & supporting Kachin tribesmen to collect intel & fight Japanese occupiers.
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1944: Det 101 gathered intel, sowed rumors, sabotaged installations, rescued pilots & took Japanese positions
bit.ly/2skEI60
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To liberate Thailand from Japanese domination during #WWII, #OSS launched the “Free Thai” movement.
bit.ly/2skFBLS
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#OSS trained best & brightest volunteer Thai students from US universities & sent into Thailand by seaplane, sub, parachute & foot.
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Free Thai provided accurate intel on Japanese military deployments, rescued Allied soldiers & prepared ground for Japanese surrender.
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Best intel available to British & American commanders during #WWII came from intercepted & deciphered enemy messages.
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#Donovan created X-2 Branch to provide British intel services w liaison office in #OSS for sharing ULTRA.
bit.ly/2rXl4MS
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With this secret intelligence, X-2 guided #OSS operations and developed innovative counterintelligence actions.
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All #OSS activities & missions created a demand for devices & documents to trick, attack, & demoralize enemy.
bit.ly/2rXxg08
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Research & Development Branch (R&D) proved adept at inventing weapons & gadgets, & in adapting Allied equipment to new missions.
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#Donovan hired chemist Stanley Lovell to lead R&D.
Lovell: “…consider any method that might aid war, however unorthodox or untried.”
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Even though #OSS was disbanded October 1, 1945, CIA still derives institutional & spiritual legacy from OSS.
bit.ly/2spGjbA
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Key personnel, files, funds, procedures, & contacts assembled by the #OSS found their way into CIA more or less intact.
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CIA owes a debt of gratitude to #OSS & William #Donovan, the charismatic leader & moving force behind it all.
bit.ly/2qGev2i
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