In June. David Atlee Phillips was appointed to run the propaganda campaign against Arbenz's government. . Wisner began having trouble with J. Edgar Hoover. 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. The CIA propaganda campaign included the distribution of 100,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled Chronology of Communism in Guatemala. To give some idea of how aggressively Wisner worked to build his spy network and subvert the Soviet Union, when the OPC was finally and officially absorbed into the CIA as the Directorate of Plans, it dwarfed the rest of the Agency, and consumed 75 percent of the CIA budget. 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. 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. The results were horrifying2500 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 were forced to flee their country, and tens of thousands were arrested and imprisoned. He whispered a number of questions: "Who is that? Afterward, he obviously wasnt equipped to go back to the Directorate of Plans, so he was made the station chief in London. Let's run over your presentations." . . The company wanted $16 million for the land. However, Barnes convinced him that it was vital important that the Soviets did not establish a "beachhead in Central America". He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". . Later that year Wisner established Operation Mockingbird, a program to influence the American media. After leaving the OSS Wisner joined the Wall Street law firm, Carter Ledyard. [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. Wisner began his intelligence career in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. Frank Wisner married Antonie Chalupsky, daughter of Frantisek Chalupsky and Katerine Chudly about 1881 and they . In 1950, the OPC was placed under the Central Intelligence Agency and renamed the Directorate of Plans. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. The Central Intelligence Agency decided that Arbenz had to be removed from power. The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. So still, there's still another, you know, year left in the war. . 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.". [11] On September 1, 1948, the office was formally established, although it was renamed to the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) for obfuscation purposes. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. Market data provided byFactset. Arbenz now believed he stood little chance of preventing Castillo gaining power. Death Frank Wisner reportedly committed suicide with one of his son's shotguns on October 29, 1965. ", General Ridgeway answered. Samuel Zemurray, United Fruit Company's largest shareholder, with the help of Tommy Corcoran, organized an anti-Arbenz campaign in the American media. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. This resulted in the religious community turning against Mossadegh. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. Eisenhower shook his head, perhaps thinking of the thousands who had died in France. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Wisner committed suicide. 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 This included the claim that Guatemala was the beginning of "Soviet expansion in the Americas". I was vaguely uncomfortable. It did not take him long to discover that some of them had been active in left-wing politics in the 1930s. In 1976, at the beginning of the Carter administration, he served under Cyrus Vance as Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State. Alsop was happy to comply, though he doubted his columns would have much impact on the Huks. Mussadegh in Iran was left-wing and had indulged in talks with Russian diplomats about possible alliances and treaties. He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Castillo now reversed the Arbenz reforms. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. "I got a cable in Kuala Lumpur, where I was stationed," said Arthur Jacobs, the "Ozzard of Wiz" who had been Wisner's aide in the early 1950s. 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. The DPP now accounted for three quarters of the CIA budget and 60% of its personnel. The growth of the OSS brought conflict with John Edgar Hoover who saw it as a rival to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. With so many talented officers working in covert action, and with most of the foreigners involved being friendly collaborators and not "recruited" assets, the do could scarcely base promotions on the number of recruitments a case officer made each year. Five thousand refugees volunteered to be part of a post-nuclear guerrilla force, which was just what it sounds likeFallout: New Stalingrad. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. President Dwight Eisenhower responded by claiming that Guatemala had a "communist dictatorship.. had established an outpost on this continent to the detriment of all the American nations". His work involved planning a coup in Guyana, a country that had a left-wing government. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Wisner remained as Deputy Director of Plans (DDP) until September 1958, playing an important role in the early history of the CIA. In all, some 1,700 American POWs were transported. Wisner Sr. died in 1965 by michael gordon. He was so depressed that his wife, Polly, worried that he would try to commit suicide. 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. Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. Mrs. Wisner had gone to Chicago to visit with friends for a few days, taking her children with her.. This was followed by a week of bombing ports, ammunition dumps, military barracks and the international airport. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. February 1, 2011. 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". Wisner became head of this new organization and Richard Helms became his chief of operations. Iranians took to the streets against Mohammed Mossadegh. 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. Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). First headed by Allen Dulles, Wisner succeeded Dulles in 1951 when Dulles was named Director of Central Intelligence. OSS agents penetrated the Romanian Communist Party and Wisner was able to discover that the Soviets intended to take over all of Eastern Europe. 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. Wisner was disappointed by the US government's reaction to this news and he was forced to advise the Romanian royal family to go into exile. Frank Wisner killed himself with one of his son's shotguns on 29th October, 1965. This was followed by a week of bombing ports, ammunition dumps, military barracks and the international airport. Khrushchev became increasingly concerned about these developments and on 4th November 1956 he sent the Red Army into Hungary. The FBI hated them because they didnt want competition. The State Department immediately disavowed his comments and said Wisner had not been serving as an envoy but as a conduit for certain administration views.[16]. Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. Funded with money from the CIA and MI6, the pro-monarchy forces quickly gained the upper hand. [1] He was also tapped for the Seven Society. Wisner arrived in England in September, 1959. Wisner was a genteel lawyer from Mississippi who grew bored with office life and joined the Navy. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. It was an exhausting, stressful, and almost impossible job. Thomas Braden later recalled: "Wisner brought in a whole load of fascists after the war, some really nasty people. Allen W. Dulles therefore sent him to London to be CIA chief of station in England. When the war ended, the OSS was shut down and Wisner returned to the soul-draining doldrums of office life. In April 1962 Richard Helms recalled Wisner to Washington. [5], He works as an international-affairs advisor at the firm of Squire Patton Boggs in Washington, DC.[6]. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. Almost 30 years after the fall of communism in. Others like Stewart Alsop, Joseph Alsop and James Reston, were recruited from within the Georgetown Set. Required fields are marked *. Legal Statement. degree. As Evan Thomas reported in The Very Best Men, the OPCs charter gave it responsibility for propaganda, economic warfare; preventative direct action, including sabotage, antisabotage, 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. The U.S. government would disclaim any responsibility of the OPCs missions. Wisner, one of the early members of the Central Intelligence Agency, helped build, and was the . He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". Husband of Mary (Polly) Knowles a dedicated arts philanthropist and legendary Washington hostess. 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. [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. Wisner began having trouble with J. Edgar Hoover. Manage Settings 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. 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. The CIA was feeling particularly embattled that October. The program lasted through 1971. The lighted shaft of the Washington Monument could be seen through the trees. All rights reserved. The questions from the unknown man next to me were very insistent, furtive. Wisner also met Arthur Schlesinger, an OSS sergeant serving in Germany. President Dwight Eisenhower responded by claiming that Guatemala had a "communist dictatorship.. had established an outpost on this continent to the detriment of all the American nations". The Director turned to me "They tell me you know how to write. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". In 19451946, he returned to law practice at Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. [vague][15] Wisner was unsuccessful in convincing Mubarak to do so. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The questions from the unknown man next to me were very insistent, furtive. He retired in 1963, and committed suicide with a shotgun in 1965. He later claimed that Wisner had become obsessed with the Soviet Union: "He was already mobilizing for the cold war. The only thing theyre proving is the law of gravity, said one CIA officer. They also produced three films on Guatemala for showing free in cinemas. [20] After a lengthy recovery, Wisner became chief of the CIA's London Station. 1930s. "The cable was from Des FitzGerald. "What about the Russians? Frank Wisner, Jr. WASHINGTON Once a month or so, a coterie of aging diplomats convenes at the elegant Metropolitan Club of New York. Wisner recruited Philip Graham (Washington Post) to run the project within the industry. After World War II, American governments were more willing to use their influence and strength all over the world for the first time and to see an ideological implication in the "persecution" of US business interests. During the Hungarian Uprising an estimated 20,000 people were killed. Wisner was also deeply involved in establishing the Lockheed U-2 spy plane program run by Richard M. Bissell Jr.[1], Wisner suffered a serious breakdown in September 1958. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Your email address will not be published. ", Wisner, who had been involved in creating this propaganda, told friends that he felt the American government had let Hungary down. 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 announced a change in policy and gave orders for the Soviet Union's political prisoners to be released. Wisner expected the United States would help the Hungarians. "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. No longer would the Monroe Doctrine, which was directed against foreign imperial ambitions in the Americas from across the Atlantic or the Pacific, suffice. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. Wisner's friends believed the illness was triggered by the failure of the Hungarian Uprising. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) Wisner moved to Washington where he associated with a group of journalists, politicians and government officials that became known as the Georgetown Set. Such vague accusations as that "more than ten people have died mysteriously" can always be explained in some natural way e.g. 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. Harvey reported back in June 1951 that he was convinced that Philby was a KGB spy. In April 1962 Richard Helms recalled Wisner to Washington. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. Eisenhower's first question was to Hector (Rip Robertson): "How many men did Castillo Armas lose?" Frank Wisner was head of Office of Strategic Services operations in southeastern Europe at the end of World War II, and the head of the Directorate of Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1950s. 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). Alumni include Frank Wisner, one of the CIA's founders, and US ambassador to the UN Edward Stettinius, Jr. 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 . Frank Gardiner Wisner was one of the founding officers of the Central Intelligence Agency and played a major role in CIA operations throughout the 1950s. 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.". FrankWisner18791963Frank Wisnerin U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Frank Wisnerwas born on September 14 1879. As a result the resolution was defeated by 5 votes to 4. Perhaps he had made up his mind to kill himself. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. As previously described at Mental Floss, one of their more brilliant, but alas, never executed, operations involved airdropping enormous condoms labeled medium behind the Iron Curtain, as a way of demonstrating the anatomical superiority of the American fighting man.). Frank G. Wisner, Sr. did not dabble in small matters. "They don't seem to be up to anything. He was impressive - not at all the disturbing man he was in the shadows. Later he became an informal adviser to the royal family. The nature of Arbenz's government, however, meant that Operation Success launched both the CIA and the United States on a new path. 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. 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. By Nicholas Thompson. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". Death 29 Oct 1965 (aged 56) Kent . [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. It also highlights the structure and personalities of U.S. decision-making during that late spring of 1994 when hundreds of thousands were killed as the U.S. and other nations stood by. Another project started by Wisner was called Operation Bloodstone. He talked about his children. This report examines the information and intelligence resources available to and relied upon by policymakers during the Rwanda crisis. Frank Wisner was the first American in, and this - you're talking August, September - I guess September of 1944. "He realized that his life would be circumscribed by increasing cycles of depression. The CIA sent Wisner to the Sheppard-Pratt Institute, a psychiatric hospital near Baltimore. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Guillermo Toriello, asked the United Nations for help against the covert activities of the United States. Eisenhower shook hands all around. 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." 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. The nature of Arbenz's government, however, meant that Operation Success launched both the CIA and the United States on a new path. The real Angleton, the real Frank Wisner, the real Bill Harvey are stories in their own right. Mossadegh also abolished Iran's feudal agriculture sector and replaced with a system of collective farming and government land ownership. The DPP now accounted for three quarters of the CIA budget and 60% of its personnel. This included the claim that Guatemala was the beginning of "Soviet expansion in the Americas". Wisner's FBI file tells scurrilous tales of his wild life during and after World War II. The Director turned to me "They tell me you know how to write. Frank Wisner, the first chief of the CIA's covert-operations unit, provides a top-down view of the early Cold War, while Michael Burke, a jack-of-all-trades charmer, delivers an agent's . It was not successful and still suffering from depression, he was released from hospital in 1958. Frank Wisner was married to Christine de Ganay, the stepmother of Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France from 2007 until 2012. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. 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. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. By this time Operation Mockingbird had a major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". Wisner, as head of the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), took overall responsibility for the operation. This became the espionage and counter-intelligence branch of the Central Intelligence Agency. ", Wisner, who had been involved in creating this propaganda, told friends that he felt the American government had let Hungary down. As a result the resolution was defeated by 5 votes to 4. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. 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). CIA's Voice of Liberation also put out similar radio broadcasts. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. Desmond FitzGerald, a deputy director of the CIA, remembered him as a watchmaker in Detroit on whose shoulders it fell far more than any other man, to build our defenses from the ground up and with all speed., 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. According to Deborah Davis, Meyer became Mockingbird's "principal operative". He could do that, because he was powerful. "They don't seem to be up to anything. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. [13] The OPC initially received services from the CIA but was accountable to the State Department. William (Rip) Robertson was also involved in the campaign against Arbenz. As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. Bissell replaced Wisner as Deputy Director of Plans. [12] Wisner was chosen to lead the OPC in the capacity of Assistant Director for Policy Coordination (ADPC). The lights were turned off while Brad used slides during his report. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. . He is the son of CIA official Frank Wisner (1909-1965). He described the OPC as "Wisner's gang of weirdos" and began carrying out investigations into their past. Brad finished and the lights went up. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. Frank George Wisner II (born July 2, 1938) is an American businessman and former diplomat. Wisner was disappointed by the US government's reaction to this news and he was forced to advise the Romanian royal family to go into exile. But the navy is watching a Soviet sub in the area; it could be there to evacuate some of Arbenz's friends, or to supply arms to any resisters.". Their published recommendations included: the establishment of law and order through the retraining of the Iraqi army, focusing on the distribution of humanitarian assistance and reestablishment of vital services, and the importance of avoiding the appointment of exiled Iraqi opposition leaders to dominant positions in the new government. Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. Dulles decided that Richard Bissell rather than Richard Helms should become the new head of the DPP. 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. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. He is a member of the Metropolitan Club of Washington DC. In 2012 he succeeded Paul A. Volcker as chairman of the board of trustees of International House, a cultural-exchange residence and program center in New York City. "Incredible". . Frank Wisners new agency was called the Office of Policy Coordination, which should tell you an awful lot about its business. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided byRefinitiv Lipper. This machinery was in the CIA but the agency shared control of it with the State Department and the Pentagon. All results for Frank Wisner. A close friend, Avis Bohlen said he "was so depressed about how the world was going he felt we were losing the Cold War.". [4] A White House spokesman said that Wisner had vast experience in the region as well as close relationships with many Egyptians in and out of government. 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. During that time, Wisner and Bishop discovered and penetrated a Russian Intelligence service named GUGBEZ. He had upset the US government by nationalizing Iran's oil industry. Through think-tanks to foundations, directorates to membership of gentlemen's clubs, these mandarins were interlocked by their institutional affiliations and by a shared belief in their own superiority.". I myself was no great admirer of the Soviet Union, and I certainly had no expectation of harmonious relations after the war.
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