The Central Intelligence Agency decided that Arbenz had to be removed from power. 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. 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. A month earlier word had spread through the agency that the New York Times was embarking on a first-ever investigation of the CIA. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. No senior gure of the time at CIA ever had anything to do with that organization. In March 1945, Wisner was transferred to Wiesbaden, Germany. "Tomorrow morning, gentlemen," Dulles said, "we will go to the White House to brief the President. Admiral. However, he got bored and enlisted in the United States Navy six months before Pearl Harbor. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) After leaving the OSS Wisner joined the Wall Street law firm, Carter Ledyard. He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. Nixon asked a number of questions, concise and to the point, and demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the Guatemalan political situation. Wisner expected the United States would help the Hungarians. "Thanks Allen, and thanks to all of you. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. I myself was no great admirer of the Soviet Union, and I certainly had no expectation of harmonious relations after the war. Britain and France were both initially in favour but eventually buckled under United States pressure and agreed to abstain. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. Franklived in month1918, at address, Illinois. When Lansdale was manipulating electoral politics in the Philippines in 1953, Wisner asked Joe Alsop to write some columns warning the Filipinos not to steal the election from Magsaysay. Wisner was a genteel lawyer from Mississippi who grew bored with office life and joined the Navy. He announced a change in policy and gave orders for the Soviet Union's political prisoners to be released. 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? The program successfully inserted countless pro-American news stories into coverage while suppressing reporting that might be embarrassing to the country. The man moved away. Eisenhower's first question was to Hector (Rip Robertson): "How many men did Castillo Armas lose?" Feb 21, 11:00 am. Graham himself recruited others who had worked for military intelligence during the war. 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". Legal Statement. Funded with money from the CIA and MI6, the pro-monarchy forces quickly gained the upper hand. Samuel Zemurray, United Fruit Company's largest shareholder, with the help of Tommy Corcoran, organized an anti-Arbenz campaign in the American media. Any reaction? Frank Gardner Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. If it gets near the coast of Guatemala we'll sink the son-of-a-bitch. ' Wisner found one of his boys' shotguns and killed himself on October 29, 1965. They were defiant and proud, but besieged. "[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. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKwisner.htm, Your email address will not be published. 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". He later claimed that Wisner had become obsessed with the Soviet Union: "He was already mobilizing for the cold war. "Thanks Allen, and thanks to all of you. He worked in the Navy's censor's office until he managed to transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1943. Most men brought their wives to these gatherings. 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. What right do we have to help someone topple his government and throw him out of office?" Wisner arrived in England in September, 1959. A close friend, Avis Bohlen said he "was so depressed about how the world was going he felt we were losing the Cold War.". Secretary of State John Foster Dulles added that the Guatemala people were living under a "communist type of terrorism". 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.). 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). 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. They were defiant and proud, but besieged. According to Deborah Davis, Meyer became Mockingbird's "principal operative". The agents whom he and Burke infiltrated into Romania, Poland, the Baltic states and East Germany all disappeared; most were probably killed. Instead, President Obama turned to Frank Wisner, Jr., who has had a 36-year career in the State Department. What was not said, but what was already clear after the events in East Germany the previous year, was that the exercise of American power, even clandestinely through the CIA, would not be undertaken where Soviet power was already established. [6][7], Wisner arrived just as Romania joined the Allies and declared war on the Axis. Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. Afterward, he obviously wasnt equipped to go back to the Directorate of Plans, so he was made the station chief in London. Faked photographs were distributed that claimed to show the mutilated bodies of opponents of Arbenz. degree. Who made that decision?". Hector (Rip Robertson) said only one, a courier . When this failed he put pressure on Security Council members to vote against the resolution. Frank Wisner, Jr. WASHINGTON Once a month or so, a coterie of aging diplomats convenes at the elegant Metropolitan Club of New York. "He realized that his life would be circumscribed by increasing cycles of depression. On August 2, 1936, she married Arthur S. Wisner in Sparks, Nev. Mrs. Wisner had been active in the Emanuel. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. It compelled a higher degree of intellectual curiosity, accomplishment, and operational savior faire than did espionage ("espionage" referring specifically to the recruitment of foreign intelligence agents). 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. "Tomorrow morning, gentlemen," Dulles said, "we will go to the White House to brief the President. The CIA propaganda campaign included the distribution of 100,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled Chronology of Communism in Guatemala. He had upset the US government by nationalizing Iran's oil industry. Wisner's friends believed the illness was triggered by the failure of the Hungarian Uprising. Thomas points out that he "considered his friends Joe and Stewart Alsop to be reliable purveyors of the company line in their columns". [1] He was also tapped for the Seven Society. Funded with money from the CIA and MI6, the pro-monarchy forces quickly gained the upper hand. The only thing theyre proving is the law of gravity, said one CIA officer. [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. 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. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. I suspect that had we known more (it would have just made us more appreciative.) . He worked in the Navy's censor's office before managing to get a transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Soon afterwards it was renamed the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC). (The CIA posted guards to keep the KGB from seeing who was there.). He is the son of CIA official Frank Wisner (1909-1965). He was a good sprinter and hurdler and in 1936 was asked to compete in the Olympic trials. A door opened near me. He whispered a number of questions: "Who is that? [11] On September 1, 1948, the office was formally established, although it was renamed to the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) for obfuscation purposes. Brad finished and the lights went up. 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". It was the nearest thing to an expletive I ever heard Dulles use. . Required fields are marked *. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. Wisner found one of his boys' shotguns and killed himself on October 29, 1965. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. All results for Frank Wisner. In fact, according to several of his friends, on social occasions he became very aggressive when discussing politics. Senator McCarthy succeeded in forcing CIA director Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter to dismiss long-time staffer Carmel Offie in 1950, over Wisner's objections.[19]. Dulles decided that Richard Bissell rather than Richard Helms should become the new head of the DPP. Under this innocuous title, the United States was now fully in the business of covert political operations. Mussadegh in Iran was left-wing and had indulged in talks with Russian diplomats about possible alliances and treaties. Frank Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. It said that Frank had died and gave no reason, but I knew." The removal of Jacobo Arbenz resulted in several decades of repression. As a result the resolution was defeated by 5 votes to 4. Frank Justin Wisnerwas born on month day1879, at birth place. [18], J. Edgar Hoover and U.S. Frank Wisner, the father of American covert operations, was both. Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. Frank G. Wisner, an ex-OSS man, was brought in from the State Department to head it, with a cover title of his own invention. Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. Hector and I smiled at each other as Brad flushed with pleasure. As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. He was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. Wisner leaked details of the speech to the New York Times who published it on 2nd June, 1956. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. It was later discovered that one commander accepted $60,000 to surrender his troops. On 18th June, 1954, aircraft dropped leaflets over Guatemala demanding that Arbenz resign immediately or else the county would be bombed. When the war ended, the OSS was shut down and Wisner returned to the soul-draining doldrums of office life. Wisner, as head of the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), took overall responsibility for the operation. 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. In 1951 Allen W. Dulles persuaded Cord Meyer to join the CIA. As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. At this time Wisner began plotting the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran. Over the next few weeks riots took place in Poland and East Germany. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The company wanted $16 million for the land. At his funeral the Bethlehem Chapel in the National Cathedral was overflowing with old friends who sang "Fling Out the Banner" as Wisner's family marched down the aisle at the end of the service. It was a warm summer night. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. This included former members of the Nazi Party such as Gustav Hilger and Hans von Bittenfield. [citation needed], Wisner married Mary Ellis 'Polly' Knowles (19122002) and they had four children: Elizabeth Wisner, Graham Wisner, Ellis Wisner, and Frank G. Wisner who entered into diplomatic service. 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. In 19451946, he returned to law practice at Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. Wisner came directly from central casting as the shady OSS spy from World War II. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. However, in 1947, he was recruited by Dean Acheson, to work under Charles Saltzman, at the State Department's Office of Occupied Territories. Wisner left Bucharest in the last week of January 1945.[6]. Castillo now reversed the Arbenz reforms. It was later discovered that one commander accepted $60,000 to surrender his troops. He was Richard Nixon, the Vice President. When he finished Alien Dulles said, "Brad, I've never heard such crap." This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. Dulles decided that Richard Bissell rather than Richard Helms should become the new head of the DPP. "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. 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.". On his watch, the CIA overthrew the governments of Iran and Guatemalathe only two such successes in the Agencys history. This included James Truitt, Russell Wiggins, Phil Geyelin, John Hayes and Alan Barth. The UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was so upset by the actions of the USA that he considered resigning from his post. Such vague accusations as that "more than ten people have died mysteriously" can always be explained in some natural way e.g. Alsop dutifully printed the story, which may or may not have been true.". 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). According to Nina Burleigh (A Very Private Woman) these journalists sometimes wrote articles that were commissioned by Frank Wisner. Wisner was transferred to the OSS station in Wiesbaden. 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). Arbenz, on the other hand, had simply been trying to reform his country and had not sought foreign help in this. . To confront Soviet aggression, Wisner eventually organized a secret army in Europe. In 1950, the OPC was placed under the Central Intelligence Agency and renamed the Directorate of Plans. He was diagnosed as manic depressive and received electroshock therapy. 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: . and a LL.B. Wisner leaked details of the speech to the New York Times who published it on 2nd June, 1956. ", General Ridgeway answered. Wisner committed suicide. He persuaded President Harry S. Truman that the OSS in peacetime would be an "American Gestapo". (1999) has pointed out: "In long exchanges, heated by intellectual passion and alcohol, their vision of a new world order began to take shape. "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. The agency hired Bissell to reflect the new CIA. Their articles appeared in over 300 different newspapers. Later that year Wisner established Mockingbird, a program to influence the domestic American media. Death 29 Oct 1965 (aged 56) Kent . Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. 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 first task was to oversee the return of some 1,350 American airmen who had been shot down in missions against Romanian oilfields. Wisner worked well with Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and helped to rebuild bilateral relations between Zambia and the USA after a 1980 spy scandal at the U.S. embassy in Lusaka. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The CIA began providing financial and logistic support for Colonel Carlos Castillo. The man moved away. He talked about his children. About Frank G. Wisner. From 1974 to 1975, he was Director of the Office of Plans and Management in the Bureau of Public Affairs and in late 1975 became Deputy Director of the President's Indo-China Task Force in the Department.[8]. He described the OPC as "Wisner's gang of weirdos" and began carrying out investigations into their past. [12] Wisner was chosen to lead the OPC in the capacity of Assistant Director for Policy Coordination (ADPC). Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. The CIA was feeling particularly embattled that October. The DPP now accounted for three quarters of the CIA budget and 60% of its personnel. "Frank Wisner, Jr. was a big catch for Enron Corporation. Others like Stewart Alsop, Joseph Alsop and James Reston, were recruited from within the Georgetown Set. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. The President's final handshake was with Alien Dulles. Wisner worked closely with Kim Philby, the British agent who was also a Soviet spy. Frank Wisner was constantly looked for ways to help convince the public of the dangers of communism. 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. While in Bucharest he became friendly with King Michael of Romania. Hulda Wisner (Hermann) 74, of Lodi, died Thursday morning in a local hospital after a short illness. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. And yet, the junior Wisner cut a path for himself in the diplomatic corps that made him one of the country's most accomplished, and respected, envoys. "Incredible". 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. Two months later he moved on to Romania where his main task was to spy on the activities of the Soviet Union. They plan for apocalyptic scenarios and continuity of government. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. You've averted a Soviet beachhead in our hemisphere." Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. He was so depressed that his wife, Polly, worried that he would try to commit suicide. The Central Intelligence Agency decided that Arbenz had to be removed from power. 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 . William (Rip) Robertson was also involved in the campaign against Arbenz. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. No longer would the Monroe Doctrine, which was directed against foreign imperial ambitions in the Americas from across the Atlantic or the Pacific, suffice.
