The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was organized and directed by William J. Donovan, who was known for his heroism in World War I as commander of the 69th Infantry Regiment.[1]
History
Origin
Donovan had long tried to convince President Franklin Roosevelt that America needed a coordinated espionage system in the event of war. On the night of December 7, 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor earlier that day, Roosevelt named Donovan Coordinator of Information and ordered him to organize and head just a system. The result was the Office of Strategic Services, which Donovan directed under the code name of Number 109. He recruited the most talented men and women in science, diplomacy, economics, and other fields he could find.[1]
The director of the secret missions conducted by the OSS was the man known only as Control. The OSS had a Research and Development unit staffed by scientists who devised ingenious weaponry, and it was headed by a man code-named Sorcerer.
Dissolution
By the war's end the OSS employed 30,000 people. Despite Donovan's protests, President Harry Truman disbanded the OSS after the war ended, but it has since been succeeded by the modern day Central Intelligence Agency.[1] Several former OSS agents including Control later joined Argent, the domestic branch of Task Force X.
See Also
- 64 Appearances of Office of Strategic Services
- 2 Images that include Office of Strategic Services
- Organization Gallery: Office of Strategic Services