Ernesto Guevara attempted to organize some civil militias but senior army officers blocked the distribution of weapons. At this time Wisner began plotting the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran. 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. DR: In a sense, The Good Shepherd Wisner also met Arthur Schlesinger, an OSS sergeant serving in Germany. 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. In fact, according to several of his friends, on social occasions he became very aggressive when discussing politics. The CIA also provided them with classified information to help them with their work. They were the patricians of the modern age, the paladins of democracy, and saw no contradiction in that. It wasnt long before the United States recognized the obvious mistake it had made in shutting down its intelligence capabilities. Hoover also passed to McCarthy details of an affair that Wisner had with Princess Caradja in Romania during the war. In March 1953, 209,842 acres of United Fruit Company's uncultivated land was taken by the government which offered compensation of $525,000. 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". Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. [11] On September 1, 1948, the office was formally established, although it was renamed to the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) for obfuscation purposes. Frank Wisner killed himself with one of his son's shotguns on 29th October, 1965. It said that Frank had died and gave no reason, but I knew." In 1964 he became a rural development officer at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam, for the Agency for International Development. Brad finished and the lights went up. This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. He talked about his children. Wisner, as head of the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), took overall responsibility for the operation. In the cases of Frank Wisner and Philip Graham, it played a role in their suicides. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. Wisner expected the United States would help the Hungarians. Henry Breck, a junior CIA officer out of Groton and Harvard, watched his grim-faced elders as they mourned. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). Frank Wisner married Antonie Chalupsky, daughter of Frantisek Chalupsky and Katerine Chudly about 1881 and they . 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. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Castillo's new government was immediately recognised by President Dwight Eisenhower. CIA, "Letter of . I suspect that had we known more (it would have just made us more appreciative.) 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. Frank Wisner was brilliant, tortured, and a founder of American intelligence. Funded with money from the CIA and MI6, the pro-monarchy forces quickly gained the upper hand. Other journalists willing to promote the views of the CIA included 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). The results were horrifying2500 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 were forced to flee their country, and tens of thousands were arrested and imprisoned. However, Barnes convinced him that it was vital important that the Soviets did not establish a "beachhead in Central America". Wisner began his intelligence career in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. On June 18, 1948, the United States National Security Council approved NSC 10/2 which created the Office of Special Projects. 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. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. ", In December, 1956, Wisner had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed as suffering from manic depression. Thus by overthrowing him, America was in effect making a new decision in the cold war. . Faked photographs were distributed that claimed to show the mutilated bodies of opponents of Arbenz. 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.". Aid Groups Warn of "Secondary Disaster" as Death Toll from Turkey . Another historical falsehood is that becoming a leader at CIA hinges on membership in Skull and Bones, the secret society at Yale. 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 all, some 1,700 American POWs were transported. Wisner focused his efforts on psychological warfare, most notably through Operation Mockingbird, wherein the OPC sought to influence foreign mediaand who better to plant propaganda than the press itself? 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. Five thousand refugees volunteered to be part of a post-nuclear guerrilla force, which was just what it sounds likeFallout: New Stalingrad. No senior gure of the time at CIA ever had anything to do with that organization. Manage Settings He lived in Romania with a beautiful Russian spy. The questions from the unknown man next to me were very insistent, furtive. All the top officials of the agency, from director on down, were in attendance. Frances Stonor Saunders, the author of Who Paid the Piper: The CIA and the Cultural Cold War? Who made that decision?". 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's FBI file tells scurrilous tales of his wild life during and after World War II. According to Deborah Davis in Katharine the Great, "By the early 1950s, Wisner 'owned' respected members of the New York Times, Newsweek, CBS and other communications vehicles." He eventually had a breakdown, was hospitalized, and received an aggressive course of electroshock therapy. Wisner recruited Philip Graham (Washington Post) to run the project within the industry. One of the most important journalists under the control of Operation Mockingbird was Joseph Alsop, whose articles appeared in over 300 different newspapers. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. The real Angleton, the real Frank Wisner, the real Bill Harvey are stories in their own right. After leaving the OSS Wisner joined the Wall Street law firm, Carter Ledyard. The Director turned to me "They tell me you know how to write. 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. 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. The CIA began providing financial and logistic support for Colonel Carlos Castillo. As Thomas Polgar later pointed out: "Sure, we never said rise up and revolt, but there was a lot of propaganda that led the Hungarians to believe that we would help. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Wisner expected the United States would help the Hungarians. degree. It did not take him long to discover that some of them had been active in left-wing politics in the 1930s. Brad finished and the lights went up. He worked in the Navy's censor's office until he managed to transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1943. Iranians took to the streets against Mohammed Mossadegh. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. As Thomas Polgar later pointed out: "Sure, we never said rise up and revolt, but there was a lot of propaganda that led the Hungarians to believe that we would help. The CIA was also busy bribing Arbenz's military commanders. He committed suicide in 1965. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. In June 2013, Wisner joined the advisory board of Ergo, a global intelligence and advisory firm. 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. post-template-default single single-post postid-2835 single-format-standard. [18], J. Edgar Hoover and U.S. CIA's Voice of Liberation also put out similar radio broadcasts. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". Name: Frank Wisner He is the son of Frank Wisner, Sr., a man very well known at the CIA, who was the operational chief to conduct at least three coups d'tat--Arbenz in Guatemala, Mossadeq . Wisner reportedly suffered a mental breakdown after the Soviet Union quashed the Hungarian revolution in 1956, and in 1965 he committed suicide. When this failed he put pressure on Security Council members to vote against the resolution. About Frank G. Wisner. [3] He is the son of CIA official Frank Wisner (19091965). Death Frank Wisner reportedly committed suicide with one of his son's shotguns on October 29, 1965. ", General Ridgeway answered. The FBI hated them because they didnt want competition. This machinery was in the CIA but the agency shared control of it with the State Department and the Pentagon. He worked in the Navy's censor's office before managing to get a transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. Wisner found one of his boys' shotguns and killed himself on October 29, 1965. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. By this time Operation Mockingbird had a major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies. During the war William Donovan as head of the OSS, had built up a team of 16,000 agents working behind enemy lines. 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.". He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. Wisner's other great success was the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz. He suffered a breakdown in 1958, and retired from the Agency in 1962. He had upset the US government by nationalizing Iran's oil industry. "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. [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. During this period Wisner worked closely with Kim Philby, the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) liaison in Washington. 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. [8] Twelve B-17 Flying Fortress planes flew out the prisoners in hourly shifts. If it gets near the coast of Guatemala we'll sink the son-of-a-bitch. ' 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Their articles appeared in over 300 different newspapers. 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. 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. It was a warm summer night. 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. The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. Wisner and 21 OSS agents landed in Romania,[5] where he became head of OSS Bucharest. Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. 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.". 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.". Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. February 1, 2011. I was vaguely uncomfortable. The President strode from the room. [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. Dulles decided that Richard Bissell rather than Richard Helms should become the new head of the DPP. 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). 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 Wisner, Jr. was a big catch for Enron Corporation. Wisner became head of this new organization and Richard Helms became his chief of operations. 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. 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. During his absence Wisner's job was covered by his chief of operations, Richard Helms. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. This included James Truitt, Russell Wiggins, Phil Geyelin, John Hayes and Alan Barth. . Members are only revealed after their death - a wreath of black magnolias shaped like '7' is laid at the gravesite. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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.) Early life [ edit] The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Media in category "Frank Wisner" The following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKwisner.htm, Your email address will not be published. Another project started by Wisner was called Operation Bloodstone. The removal of Jacobo Arbenz resulted in several decades of repression. The OPC had a staff of 10, so this wasnt likely to happen. The plot against Arbenz therefore became part of Executive Action (a plan to remove unfriendly foreign leaders from power). To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Wisners office would be attached to the CIA only on paper, and strictly for funding and quarters. 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 . Any reaction? (Mockingbird wasnt the OPCs only psychological operation, and Wisners office had a great sense of humor. Allen W. Dulles therefore sent him to London to be CIA chief of station in England. Frank Wisner, Jr., had a more steady career in the State Department, was the ambassador in Egypt between 1986 and 1991. . 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.". Later, several of the people involved in Operation Success, including Richard Bissell and Tracy Barnes, regretted the outcome of the Guatemala Coup. In March 1945, Wisner was transferred to Wiesbaden, Germany. His first task was to oversee the return of some 1,350 American airmen who had been shot down in missions against Romanian oilfields. This resulted in the religious community turning against Mossadegh. Later he became an informal adviser to the royal family. The removal of Jacobo Arbenz resulted in several decades of repression. 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". Wisner added that he felt personally betrayed by this behaviour. 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. Legal Statement. He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. Mockingbird: The Subversion Of The Free Press By The CIA, DHS Now Spies on Journalists, Keeps Records of Online Activity, Guatemala: The Coup that Radicalised Che Guevara, Smoking Out Fox News Correspondent Mort Kondrackes DIA/PSYOP Roots, Joe Conason on Elizabeth Dilling Glenn Beck's Favorite Nazi, BuzzFeed: Secret CIA Files Say Staffers Committed Sex Crimes Involving Children, Israels Propaganda War Blame the Grand Mufti, Crimes against Humanity in Guatemala: How the CIA and the Pentagon Supported the Military Dictatorship, Islamic Army in Iraq Denies Media Reports that the US Killed 18 Al Qaeda Combatants, Accused Liberian War Criminal Charles Taylor 'Worked with the CIA' (Al Jazeera), The Role of the CIA: Behind the Dalai Lamas Holy Cloak. By this time Operation Mockingbird had a major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It said that Frank had died and gave no reason, but I knew." The program lasted through 1971. Wisner began his intelligence career in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. He became Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Coordination. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. 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. Wisner's friends believed the illness was triggered by the failure of the Hungarian Uprising. 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. Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. However, Barnes convinced him that it was vital important that the Soviets did not establish a "beachhead in Central America". [4], In 1941, six months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Navy. Market data provided by Factset. 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.". "Great," he said to Brad, "that was a good briefing." No longer would the Monroe Doctrine, which was directed against foreign imperial ambitions in the Americas from across the Atlantic or the Pacific, suffice. The only thing theyre proving is the law of gravity, said one CIA officer. He was impressive - not at all the disturbing man he was in the shadows. The Scroll and Key tomb is admired for its Moorish Revival style Scroll and Key, Yale, New Haven, Connecticut In Hungary the prime minister Imre Nagy removed state control of the mass media and encouraged public discussion on political and economic reform. 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. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. After Pearl Harbor, he found himself in the Office of Strategic Services, where he spied behind enemy lines, eventually becoming head of OSS operations in southeastern Europe. 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." Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. (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's suicide was "entirely rational, if you can say such a thing," said his niece Jean Lindsey. During the war William Donovan as head of the OSS, had built up a team of 16,000 agents working behind enemy lines. Harvey reported back in June 1951 that he was convinced that Philby was a KGB spy. Frank Wisner killed himself with one of his son's shotguns on 29th October, 1965. Death 29 Oct 1965 (aged 56) Kent . 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. In 1954 Wisner arranged for the funding the Hollywood production of Animal Farm, the animated allegory based on the book written by George Orwell. 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.". Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. On August 2, 1936, she married Arthur S. Wisner in Sparks, Nev. Mrs. Wisner had been active in the Emanuel. The Two Frank Wisners. "All these people are getting killed, Wisner later said, and we weren't doing anything, we were ignoring it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. . Wisner was a genteel lawyer from Mississippi who grew bored with office life and joined the Navy.
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