In April 1962 Richard Helms recalled Wisner to Washington. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). "[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. In the darkness I could see only a silhouette of the person entering the room; when the door closed it was dark again, and I could not make out the features of the man standing next to me. According to Nina Burleigh (A Very Private Woman) these journalists sometimes wrote articles that were commissioned by Frank Wisner. The Director turned to me "They tell me you know how to write. This included James Truitt, Russell Wiggins, Phil Geyelin, John Hayes and Alan Barth. Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. The DPP now accounted for three quarters of the CIA budget and 60% of its personnel. David Atlee Phillips was appointed to run the propaganda campaign against Arbenz's government. It was a warm summer night. Eisenhower spoke to his Chief of Naval Operations "Watch that sub. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. . Funded with money from the CIA and MI6, the pro-monarchy forces quickly gained the upper hand. Frank Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. [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. Wisner moved to Washington where he associated with a group of journalists, politicians and government officials that became known as the Georgetown Set. FrankWisner18791963Frank Wisnerin U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Frank Wisnerwas born on September 14 1879. Theres a general rule in secret operations: If it has a bland name, its important. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. 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. In July 19, 1954, he created the National Committee of Defense Against Communism and decreed the Preventive Penal Law Against Communism to fight against those who supported Arbenz when he was in power. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. On Tuesday, April third at Chicago, occurred the sudden death of little Frank M. Wisner, the three and a half years old son of Mr. and Mrs. L.S. Aid Groups Warn of "Secondary Disaster" as Death Toll from Turkey . "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. . Frank G. Wisner Jr. grew up in the long shadow of his secret agent father. Wisner also met Arthur Schlesinger, an OSS sergeant serving in Germany. Would the National Security Council really want to explain to the press why some official had to be bribed or some foreign election had to be subverted? According to Deborah Davis (Katharine the Great): "By the early 1950s, Wisner 'owned' respected members of the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and other communications vehicles.". He said that the country needed "an agrarian reform which puts an end to the latifundios and the semi-feudal practices, giving the land to thousands of peasants, raising their purchasing power and creating a great internal market favorable to the development of domestic industry.". The UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was so upset by the actions of the USA that he considered resigning from his post. He described the OPC as "Wisner's gang of weirdos" and began carrying out investigations into their past. Ernesto Guevara attempted to organize some civil militias but senior army officers blocked the distribution of weapons. For months, waves of airborne spies in mission after mission landed, and each was killed straightaway. 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. "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. 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." Wisner remained as Deputy Director of Plans (DDP) until September 1958, playing an important role in the early history of the CIA. The President strode from the room. It would nominally report to a senior State Department official. It was not successful and still suffering from depression, he was released from hospital in 1958. 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. This was followed by a week of bombing ports, ammunition dumps, military barracks and the international airport. Wisner told Clare Boothe Luce, the American ambassador in Italy: "All these people are getting killed and we weren't doing anything, we were ignoring it. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. Frank Wisner was brilliant, tortured, and a founder of American intelligence. 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. David Atlee Phillips was appointed to run the propaganda campaign against Arbenz's government. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, was put in charge of what became known as Operation Ajax. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. It has been estimated that between January and June, 1954, the CIA spent about $20 million on Castillo's army. Work out a new speech for Brad We went to the White House in the morning. 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. 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. Frank Wisner, Jr., had a more steady career in the State Department, was the ambassador in Egypt between 1986 and 1991. . 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. 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." While in Bucharest he became friendly with King Michael of Romania. All results for Frank Wisner. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. 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. He suffered a breakdown in 1958, and retired from the Agency in 1962. It was later discovered that one commander accepted $60,000 to surrender his troops. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. "He just has many, many friends in. The State Department didnt want anything to do with these precursors to the CIA, fearing that some blown secret mission might cripple diplomacy. Its worth noting that Wisner was the Christopher Hitchens of his daya relentless charmer and bon vivant who threw all the best parties with the most interesting, powerful, and influential guests. "The cable was from Des FitzGerald. 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". Wisner worked closely with Kim Philby, the British agent who was also a Soviet spy. Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. Death Frank Wisner reportedly committed suicide with one of his son's shotguns on October 29, 1965. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He worked tirelessly during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 to roll back Soviet expansion, but was largely ignored for fear of triggering a nuclear war. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. During World War II, Wisner and his wife Polly became close friends with Philip Graham and his wife Katharine Graham who after the war became publishers of The Washington Post. [12] Wisner was chosen to lead the OPC in the capacity of Assistant Director for Policy Coordination (ADPC). As one of the agents involved in Operation Bloodstone, Harry Rositzke, pointed out, Wisner was willing to use anyone "as long as he was anti-communist". But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". 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. Others like Stewart Alsop, Joseph Alsop and James Reston, were recruited from within the Georgetown Set. He was assigned as a vice consul at the American Consulate General in Tangier, Morocco. Edit your search or learn more. The Scroll and Key tomb is admired for its Moorish Revival style Scroll and Key, Yale, New Haven, Connecticut As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. He was so depressed that his wife, Polly, worried that he would try to commit suicide. Frankpassed away in July 1963, at age 83. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. However, there is evidence that he was recruited several years earlier and had been spying on the liberal organizations he had been a member of in the later 1940s. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. Work out a new speech for Brad We went to the White House in the morning. With the help of Romanian Intelligence, they manage to obtain tons of records, including SD files, 200 rolls of German film and a large amount of Russian information. 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. He orchestrated a massive spy ring, many of whose members were tasked with parachuting into Soviet territory and gathering intelligence. Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. 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". He persuaded President Harry S. Truman that the OSS in peacetime would be an "American Gestapo". He retired in 1963, and committed suicide with a shotgun in 1965. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". Mossadegh also abolished Iran's feudal agriculture sector and replaced with a system of collective farming and government land ownership. "He realized that his life would be circumscribed by increasing cycles of depression. Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. After Cairo (from June 15, 1944) he spent three months in OSS Istanbul, Turkey, as head of SI (Secret Intelligence) branch. The growth of the OSS brought conflict with John Edgar Hoover who saw it as a rival to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Castillo now reversed the Arbenz reforms. 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). According to Deborah Davis (Katharine the Great): "By the early 1950s, Wisner 'owned' respected members of the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and other communications vehicles.". The CIA propaganda campaign included the distribution of 100,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled Chronology of Communism in Guatemala. 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. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Frank Wisner was constantly looked for ways to help convince the public of the dangers of communism. It was not successful and still suffering from depression, he was released from hospital in 1958. Allen W. Dulles therefore sent him to London to be CIA chief of station in England. Eisenhower spoke to his Chief of Naval Operations "Watch that sub. Wisners office would be attached to the CIA only on paper, and strictly for funding and quarters. 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. Thomas Braden later recalled: "Wisner brought in a whole load of fascists after the war, some really nasty people. Wisner's other great success was the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz. Wisner was too ill to return to his post as head of the DDP. The FBI hated them because they didnt want competition. Wisner remained concerned about the spread of communism and began lobbying for a new intelligence agency. During that time, Wisner and Bishop discovered and penetrated a Russian Intelligence service named GUGBEZ. The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. ", In December, 1956, Wisner had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed as suffering from manic depression. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) Frances Stonor Saunders, the author of Who Paid the Piper: The CIA and the Cultural Cold War? The CIA also provided them with classified information to help them with their work. February 1, 2011. You've averted a Soviet beachhead in our hemisphere." [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. The CIA also provided them with classified information to help them with their work. 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. Wisner found one of his boys' shotguns and killed himself on October 29, 1965. This included the claim that Guatemala was the beginning of "Soviet expansion in the Americas". Its not like other countries were lining up to teach the United States the finer points of espionage, so those first CIA men had to be really smart or slightly crazy. "Thanks Allen, and thanks to all of you. In the darkness I could see only a silhouette of the person entering the room; when the door closed it was dark again, and I could not make out the features of the man standing next to me. Wisner remained concerned about the spread of communism and began lobbying for a new intelligence agency. 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. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. William (Rip) Robertson was also involved in the campaign against Arbenz. Manage Settings This included George Kennan, Dean Acheson, Richard Bissell, Desmond FitzGerald, Joseph Alsop, Stewart Alsop, Tracy Barnes, Thomas Braden, Philip Graham, David Bruce, Clark Clifford, Walt Rostow, Eugene Rostow, Chip Bohlen, Cord Meyer, James Angleton, William Averill Harriman, John McCloy, Felix Frankfurter, John Sherman Cooper, James Reston, Allen W. Dulles and Paul Nitze. Wisner added that he felt personally betrayed by this behaviour. Eisenhower shook hands all around. Britain and France were both initially in favour but eventually buckled under United States pressure and agreed to abstain. [20] After a lengthy recovery, Wisner became chief of the CIA's London Station. The Defense Department preferred to save its dirty tricks for times of war. Alsop was happy to comply, though he doubted his columns would have much impact on the Huks. This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. He described the OPC as "Wisner's gang of weirdos" and began carrying out investigations into their past. Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. In 1951 Allen W. Dulles persuaded Cord Meyer to join the CIA. Alumni include Frank Wisner, one of the CIA's founders, and US ambassador to the UN Edward Stettinius, Jr. Among his overseas assignments, Wisner served as the United States Ambassador to Zambia (197982); Egypt (198691), the Philippines (199192), and India, 199497. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". The lighted shaft of the Washington Monument could be seen through the trees. Wisner began having trouble with J. Edgar Hoover. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The military now joined the opposition and Mossadegh was arrested on August 19, 1953. 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 ", General Ridgeway answered. OSS agents penetrated the Romanian Communist Party and Wisner was able to discover that the Soviets intended to take over all of Eastern Europe. The President's final handshake was with Alien Dulles. [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. [6][7], Wisner arrived just as Romania joined the Allies and declared war on the Axis. They also produced three films on Guatemala for showing free in cinemas. Henry Breck, a junior CIA officer out of Groton and Harvard, watched his grim-faced elders as they mourned. During his absence Wisner's job was covered by his chief of operations, Richard Helms. He became Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Coordination. He lived in Romania with a beautiful Russian spy. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Wisner, 72, was U.S. ambassador to Egypt from 1986 to 1991 and developed a close relationship with Mubarak in that time, according to Hazard and news reports.