"He realized that his life would be circumscribed by increasing cycles of depression. Wisner's suicide was "entirely rational, if you can say such a thing," said his niece Jean Lindsey. [13] The OPC initially received services from the CIA but was accountable to the State Department. The CIA sent Wisner to the Sheppard-Pratt Institute, a psychiatric hospital near Baltimore. 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. Frank Wisner died rather suddenly at age 29 years while still living in Tama County, Iowa. [20], In 1961, Wisner was ordered to organize CIA activities in British Guiana. Powered and implemented byFactSet Digital Solutions. He later claimed that Wisner had become obsessed with the Soviet Union: "He was already mobilizing for the cold war. In 1951 Allen W. Dulles persuaded Cord Meyer to join the CIA. (Mockingbird wasnt the OPCs only psychological operation, and Wisners office had a great sense of humor. This was followed by a week of bombing ports, ammunition dumps, military barracks and the international airport. Such vague accusations as that "more than ten people have died mysteriously" can always be explained in some natural way e.g. 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. Also involved was Richard Bissell, head of the Directorate for Plans, an organization instructed to conduct covert anti-Communist operations around the world. A month earlier word had spread through the agency that the New York Times was embarking on a first-ever investigation of the CIA. On 18th June, 1954, aircraft dropped leaflets over Guatemala demanding that Arbenz resign immediately or else the county would be bombed. Later, several of the people involved in Operation Success, including Richard Bissell and Tracy Barnes, regretted the outcome of the Guatemala Coup. Hulda Wisner (Hermann) 74, of Lodi, died Thursday morning in a local hospital after a short illness. Wisner added that he felt personally betrayed by this behaviour. In March 1953, 209,842 acres of United Fruit Company's uncultivated land was taken by the government which offered compensation of $525,000. During his absence Wisner's job was covered by his chief of operations, Richard Helms. 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 he became an informal adviser to the royal family. Frank Wisner took over direct command of the everyday operations of the Indonesian project. Wisner, one of the early members of the Central Intelligence Agency, helped build, and was the . 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. . Hoover, claimed that Caradja was a Soviet agent. Legal Statement. A door opened near me. However, in 1947, he was recruited by Dean Acheson, to work under Charles Saltzman, at the State Department's Office of Occupied Territories. I saw Frank three days before he died and he seemed in good spirits. It was later discovered that one commander accepted $60,000 to surrender his troops. 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). This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. 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. CIA's Voice of Liberation also put out similar radio broadcasts. "The cable was from Des FitzGerald. He pointed out that they had spent a great deal of money on Radio Free Europe "to get these people to revolt". Wisner moved to Washington where he associated with a group of journalists, politicians and government officials that became known as the Georgetown Set. When the project collapsed, however, the Belarusians quickly settled in and obtained US citizenship and intelligence agencies protected them from exposure for decades. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. Over the next few weeks thousands were arrested on suspicion of communist activity. It said that Frank had died and gave no reason, but I knew." Another project started by Wisner was called Operation Bloodstone. [18], J. Edgar Hoover and U.S. 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 was assigned as a vice consul at the American Consulate General in Tangier, Morocco. Market data provided by Factset. In fact, according to several of his friends, on social occasions he became very aggressive when discussing politics. 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 was educated at Woodberry Forest School in Orange and the University of Virginia. As a result Philby was forced to leave the United States. . He worked in the Navy's censor's office before managing to get a transfer to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Perhaps he had made up his mind to kill himself. After leaving the OSS Wisner joined the Wall Street law firm, Carter Ledyard. But Frank was a little excessive, even for me.". In 1954 Wisner arranged for the funding the Hollywood production of Animal Farm, the animated allegory based on the book written by George Orwell. 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. Wisner committed suicide. Later, several of the people involved in Operation Success, including Richard Bissell and Tracy Barnes, regretted the outcome of the Guatemala Coup. However, he began to get suspicious in 1951 and he asked William Harvey and James Jesus Angleton to investigate Philby. 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? Four months later he agreed to retire from the CIA. Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. I myself was no great admirer of the Soviet Union, and I certainly had no expectation of harmonious relations after the war. 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. The UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was so upset by the actions of the USA that he considered resigning from his post. He became Assistant Director of the Office of Policy Coordination. 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. The lighted shaft of the Washington Monument could be seen through the trees. The nature of Arbenz's government, however, meant that Operation Success launched both the CIA and the United States on a new path. Wisner came directly from central casting as the shady OSS spy from World War II. The OPC had a staff of 10, so this wasnt likely to happen. According to Deborah Davis, Meyer became Mockingbird's "principal operative". 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. The CIA began providing financial and logistic support for Colonel Carlos Castillo. Husband of Mary (Polly) Knowles a dedicated arts philanthropist and legendary Washington hostess. Bissell replaced Wisner as Deputy Director of Plans. Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, was put in charge of what became known as Operation Ajax. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Frank Wisner was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1910. DR: In a sense, The Good Shepherd This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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.". degree. The only thing theyre proving is the law of gravity, said one CIA officer. [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. 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. ANCExplorer Frank Wisner grave.jpg. Some of this money was used to bribe journalists and publishers. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Guillermo Toriello, asked the United Nations for help against the covert activities of the United States. Carlos Castillo and his collection of soldiers now crossed the Honduran-Guatemalan border. According to Phillips he initially questioned the right of the CIA to interfere in Guatemala: In his autobiography Phillips claims he said to Barnes: "But Arbenz became President in a free election. He persuaded President Harry S. Truman that the OSS in peacetime would be an "American Gestapo". When this failed he put pressure on Security Council members to vote against the resolution. 1930s. The New York Times reported that he was a personal friend of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. The man moved away. At Arlington Cemetery, Frank Wisner was buried as a naval commander, his wartime rank. William (Rip) Robertson was also involved in the campaign against Arbenz. While the Guatemalan government valued $2.99 per acre, the American government valued it at $75 per acre. Guillermo Toriello appealed to the United Nations to help protect Guatemalan government. 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. "Instead of a dirge, it was exuberant, powerful, exultant," recalled Tom Braden. Wisner grew very fond of Philby and was unaware that he was a Soviet spy betraying all his operations to his masters in Moscow. In 1948 Frank Wisner was appointed director of the Office of Special Projects. 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). 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. Wisner was appointed director of the organization. (A separate Office of Special Operations conducted secret actions aimed solely at gathering intelligence.) While in Germany he served under Allen W. Dulles. Theres a general rule in secret operations: If it has a bland name, its important. Phillips, along with E. Howard Hunt, was responsible for running the CIA's Voice of Liberation radio station. The results were horrifying2500 Hungarians were killed, 200,000 were forced to flee their country, and tens of thousands were arrested and imprisoned. "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. Eisenhower's first question was to Hector (Rip Robertson): "How many men did Castillo Armas lose?" During his tenure in Lusaka, he played the role of point man for the Constructive Engagement policy of assistant secretary of state for African affairs Chester Crocker. Harvey reported back in June 1951 that he was convinced that Philby was a KGB spy. Faked photographs were distributed that claimed to show the mutilated bodies of opponents of Arbenz. 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. Wisner arrived in England in September, 1959. Wisner was too ill to return to his post as head of the DDP. This information was passed to Joseph McCarthy who started making attacks on members of the OPC. 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. Wisner leaked details of the speech to the New York Times who published it on 2nd June, 1956. Thomas Braden later recalled: "Wisner brought in a whole load of fascists after the war, some really nasty people. First headed by Allen Dulles, Wisner succeeded Dulles in 1951 when Dulles was named Director of Central Intelligence. Wisner was also able to restrict newspapers from reporting about certain events. As a result the resolution was defeated by 5 votes to 4. Later he became an informal adviser to the royal family. During the Hungarian Uprising an estimated 20,000 people were killed. Wisner reportedly suffered a mental breakdown after the Soviet Union quashed the Hungarian revolution in 1956, and in 1965 he committed suicide. 1944, Wisner was sent to Turkey. The DPP now accounted for three quarters of the CIA budget and 60% of its personnel. [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. 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 . However, in 1947, he was recruited by Dean Acheson, to work under Charles Saltzman, at the State Department's Office of Occupied Territories. . Frank George Wisner II (born July 2, 1938) is an American businessman and former diplomat. "Incredible". Frank Wisner married Antonie Chalupsky, daughter of Frantisek Chalupsky and Katerine Chudly about 1881 and they . The CIA propaganda campaign included the distribution of 100,000 copies of a pamphlet entitled Chronology of Communism in Guatemala. 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. 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.". "The cable was from Des FitzGerald. Frankpassed away in July 1963, at age 83. Accepting that further resistance would only bring more deaths he announced his resignation over the radio. The CIA was feeling particularly embattled that October. He served as third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers, Algeria. Four months later he agreed to retire from the CIA. This secret operation involved recruiting former German officers and diplomats who could be used in the covert war against the Soviet Union. The Central Intelligence Agency decided that Arbenz had to be removed from power. He condemned the Great Purge and accused Stalin of abusing his power. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. With the help of resident Anastasio Somoza, Castillo had formed a rebel army in Nicaragua. Required fields are marked *. If it gets near the coast of Guatemala we'll sink the son-of-a-bitch. ' At Arlington Cemetery, Frank Wisner was buried as a naval commander, his wartime rank. Senator McCarthy succeeded in forcing CIA director Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter to dismiss long-time staffer Carmel Offie in 1950, over Wisner's objections.[19]. Eisenhower shook hands all around. When he finished Alien Dulles said, "Brad, I've never heard such crap." 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. Wisner's friends believed the illness was triggered by the failure of the Hungarian Uprising. The UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold was so upset by the actions of the USA that he considered resigning from his post. I suspect that had we known more (it would have just made us more appreciative.) 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. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Wisner's suicide was "entirely rational, if you can say such a thing," said his niece Jean Lindsey. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided byRefinitiv Lipper. Wisner was obviously too sick to go to Spain. Arbenz began to tackle Guatemala's unequal land distribution. Wisner found one of his boys' shotguns and killed himself on October 29, 1965. The lights were turned off while Brad used slides during his report. Frank Wisners new agency was called the Office of Policy Coordination, which should tell you an awful lot about its business. Henry Cabot Lodge tried to block the Security Council from discussing a resolution to send an investigation team to Guatemala. The President's final handshake was with Alien Dulles. 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. After graduating Wisner worked as a Wall Street lawyer. His lineage is impeccable, since his father, Frank Wisner Sr., was a senior CIA official (from 1947 until his suicide in 1965) who was involved in the overthrow of Arbenz of Guatemala (1954) and Mossadeq of Iran (1953). According to Deborah Davis, Meyer became Mockingbird's "principal operative". The Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) was funded by siphoning of funds intended for the Marshall Plan. After 1953 the network was overseen by Allen W. Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. I saw Frank three days before he died and he seemed in good spirits. The military now joined the opposition and Mossadegh was arrested on August 19, 1953. 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. Khrushchev became increasingly concerned about these developments and on 4th November 1956 he sent the Red Army into Hungary. 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.". [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. 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 . I was vaguely uncomfortable. Wisner's other great success was the overthrow of Jacobo Arbenz. Admiral. Frank Wisner was constantly looked for ways to help convince the public of the dangers of communism. 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. Wisner began his intelligence career in the Office of Strategic Services in World War II. With the help of George Kennan, the Office of Special Projects was created in 1948. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Edit your search or learn more. Death 29 Oct 1965 (aged 56) Kent . Thomas points out that he "considered his friends Joe and Stewart Alsop to be reliable purveyors of the company line in their columns". Now internal subversion communism from within - was an additional cause for direct action. This report examines the information and intelligence resources available to and relied upon by policymakers during the Rwanda crisis. Worse yet, the few offices still around with any sort of proficiency in covert action were just too accountable. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thats why when you read about something called the Mission Support Activity, your eyes glaze over before you realize that youre reading about the Joint Special Operations Commands special mission unit for intelligence commandos. "He just has many, many friends in. 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.). Hoover also passed to McCarthy details of an affair that Wisner had with Princess Caradja in Romania during the war. 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.) This was followed by a week of bombing ports, ammunition dumps, military barracks and the international airport.