William Donovan

Major General William Joseph Donovan, KBE, United States Army (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered today as wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Picture of William J. Donovan from http://www. ... Picture of William J. Donovan from http://www. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime (but not direct) precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. ...

Early Life

Born in Buffalo, New York, "Wild Bill" Donovan was a college football star at Columbia University, graduating in 1905. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. On the football field, he got the nickname that he would earn over and over again in a long and eventful life: "Wild Bill" Donovan. Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City and a member of the Ivy League. ... Phi Kappa Psi (ΦΚΨ, Phi Psi) is a U.S. national college fraternity. ...

Donovan was a member of the New York City "Establishment," a powerful Wall Street lawyer and a Columbia Law School classmate (1908) (but credited to 1907) of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, although they were not close at the time. Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ... Columbia Law School, located in New York City, is one of the professional schools of Columbia University and one of the leading law schools in the United States. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ...

In 1912, Donovan formed and led a troop of cavalry of the New York State Militia, that in 1916 served on the U.S.-Mexico border in the Pancho Villa campaign. Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the Biblical hill Calvary. ... Seal of the National Guard Bureau Seal of the Army National Guard Seal of the Air National Guard // Background The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ... The international border between Mexico and the United States runs a total of 3,141 km (1,951 miles) from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east. ... General Pancho Villa // Overview José Doroteo Arango Arámbula (June 5, 1878 (date disputed) – July 20, 1923) — better known by his nom de guerre Francisco Villa or, in its diminutive form, Pancho Villa — was one of the foremost leaders and best known generals of the Mexican Revolution, between 1911 and...

World War I

During World War I, Donovan organized and led a regiment of the United States Army, the 165th Regiment of the 42nd Division, on the battlefield in France. As a lieutenant colonel, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest American valor award, for leading a successful assault, despite serious wounds. By the end of the war he was a full colonel and his other awards included the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award, and three Purple Hearts. Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Romania, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 8 million Full list Military dead: 3 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 6 million Full... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 42nd Infantry Division. ... Three different versions of the Medal of Honor are awarded: one each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army which is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ... The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in, or with, the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ...

After the war, he was the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, famous for his energetic enforcement of Prohibition, and he ran unsuccessfully for public office. President Calvin Coolidge named him to the Justice Department's Antitrust Division. United States Attorneys represent the U.S. federal government in United States district court. ... Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol. ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. ... Antitrust or competition laws are laws which seek to promote economic and business competition by prohibiting anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. ...

World War II

After the start of World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt began to put the United States on a war footing. After Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox recommended Donovan, Roosevelt gave him a number of increasingly important assignments, trusting him absolutely until Roosevelt's death in 1945, even though they were political opponents — Roosevelt was a Democrat and Donovan a lifelong Republican. Combatants Allies: • Poland, • UK & Commonwealth, • France/Free France, • Soviet Union, • USA, • China, ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Italy, • Japan, ...and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total: 50 million Full list Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total: 12 million Full list World War II... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Flag of the United States Secretary of the Navy. ... Frank Knox William Franklin Frank Knox (January 1, 1874–April 28, 1944) was the Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

In 1940 and 1941 he served as an emissary and information gatherer for Knox and President Roosevelt, traveling to Britain and parts of Europe that were not under Nazi control. Emissary was the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ...

OSS

In June 1941, Donovan received what would be his most important assignment: Roosevelt named him Coordinator of Information (COI). This made him the first overall chief of the United States Intelligence community, which at the time was fragmented into Army, Navy, FBI, State Department, and other interests. The FBI retained its independence, and control of intelligence in South America, at the insistence of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. Look up June in Wiktionary, the free dictionary June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... The Intelligence Community of the United States is an organization of several executive branch agencies within the federal government that are responsible for foreign and domestic intelligence, military planning, and espionage. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Hoover in 1961 John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the founder of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in its present form and its director from May 10, 1924 until his death in 1972. ...

The COI became the OSS and Donovan was returned to active duty in his WWI rank of Colonel (by war's end he would be Major General). The OSS was responsible for espionage and sabotage in Europe and in parts in Asia. The OSS was kept out of South America by Hoover's hostility to Donovan, and out of the Philippines by Douglas MacArthur's. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime (but not direct) precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. ... Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 — April 5, 1964) was a senior American military leader in the Pacific Theater who served in World War II. MacArthur helped rebuild Japan after the war, and played a key role in limiting the Communist takeover of Korea with his daring Inchon landing. ...

For many years the exploits of the OSS remained under wraps, but in the 1970s and 1980s significant parts of the OSS history were declassified, making Donovan a household name to a new generation.

After Roosevelt's death, Donovan's political position, which depended on his personal connection to the President, was substantially weakened. He argued forcefully for the retention of the OSS in the years after the war, but President Harry S. Truman was not interested. After the war, he reverted to his lifelong role as a lawyer to perform one last duty: he served as special assistant to chief prosecutor Telford Taylor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal. The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Telford Taylor Telford Taylor (February 24, 1908 - May 22, 1998) was a U.S. lawyer best known for his role in the Counsel for the Prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, his opposition against Senator McCarthy in the 1950s, and his outspoken criticism of the U.S... The Nuremberg Trials is the general name for two sets of trials of Nazis involved in World War II and the Holocaust. ...

There he got the personal satisfaction of seeing Nazi leaders who were responsible for torturing and murdering OSS agents brought to justice. For his WWII service, Donovan received the Distinguished Service Medal, the highest award the United States military gives for service (rather than valor). He also received an honorary British knighthood. The term National Socialism has been used in self-description by a number of different political groups and ideologies, some of which have no connection with the Nazis; see National socialism (disambiguation). ... This article concerns Distinguished Service Medals which are issued by the United States of America. ...

At the conclusion of the trial, he returned to Wall Street where his firm, Donovan, Leisure, Newton and Irvine, was a powerhouse. He remained always available to the postwar Presidents who needed his counsel — or his intelligence management experience. In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ...

In 1949, he became chairman of the newly-founded American Committee on United Europe, which worked to counter the new Communist threat to Europe by promoting European political unity. The American Committee on United Europe (ACUE), founded in 1949, was an American organisation which sought to counter the perceived Communist threat in Europe by promoting European political integration. ...

Donovan's son, David Rumsey Donovan, was a naval officer who served with distinction in WWII. His grandson William James Donovan served as an enlisted soldier in Vietnam.

Donovan died on February 8, 1959, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C. at the age of 76, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Walter Reed Army Medical Center is the U.S. Armys premier medical center on the east coast of the United States. ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... Arlington Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Robert E. Lees home. ...

President Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to him as "the Last Hero," which later became the title of a biography of him. After his death, Donovan was awarded the Freedom Award of the International Rescue Committee (not, as some biographies state, the "Medal of Freedom," a different award). Dwight David Eisenhower (October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969, popularly known as Ike) was an American soldier and politician. ... The International Rescue Committee bestows its Freedom Award for extraordinary contributions to the cause of refugees and human freedom. ... The International Rescue Committee was founded at the request of Albert Einstein to assist opponents of Adolf Hitler. ...

The law firm he founded, Donovan & Leisure was dissolved in 1998.

General Donovan is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence. ...

List of Honors and Decorations

American Awards

• Medal of Honor
• Distinguished Service Cross
• Distinguished Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
• Purple Heart with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
• National Security Medal
• Mexican Service Medal
• Mexican Border Service Medal
• World War I Victory Medal with 5 Battle Clasps
• Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
• American Defense Service Medal
• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with Arrowhead and 2 Bronze Service Stars
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowheads, 2 Silver Service Stars, and 2 Bronze Service Stars
• World War II Victory Medal
• Armed Forces Reserve Medal with one ten-year hourglass device

Foreign Awards Three different versions of the Medal of Honor are awarded: one each for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. ... The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army which is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. ... This article concerns the United States Army Distinguished Service Medal. ... Bronze and Silver oak leaf clusters An Oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on military awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. ... The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in, or with, the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ... National Security Medal The National Security Medal is a decoration of the United States of America which was first created in 1947 by order of the United States National Security Council. ... Army & Navy Mexican Service Medals The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917. ... Mexican Border Service Medal The Mexican Border Service Medal was a decoration of the United States military which was established by an act of the United States Congress on July 9, 1918. ... The World War I Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1919. ... Campaign Clasp Examples A Campaign clasp is an attachment to a military award consisting of a metal bar which is pinned to the upper cloth portion of an award medal. ... The Army of Occupation of Germany Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of the United States Congress on November 21, 1941. ... The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created in 1941 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1942 by order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945. ... Arrowhead Device The Arrowhead device is a decoration of the United States Army which is issued as an attachment to certain service medals. ... Bronze and Silver Service Stars A Service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a miliary decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created in 1942 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt. ... WWII Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. ... Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces which has been in existence since 1953. ... The Hourglass Device is an military award of the United States armed forces which is presented as an attachment to the Armed Forces Reserve Medal. ...

• Légion d'Honneur (France) (WWI)
• Commandant de la Légion d'Honneur (France) (WWII)
• Croix de Guerre with Palm and Silver Star (France) (WWI)
• Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
• Lateran Medal (Vatican)
• Order of St. Sylvester (Vatican)
• Grand Officer of the Order of Léopold of Belgium with Palm
• Czechoslovakian War Cross (1939)
• Grand Officer of the Order of Orange Nassau (Netherlands)

Knights badge of the Legion of Honour The Légion dhonneur (Legion of Honor (AmE) or Legion of Honour (ComE)) is an Order of Chivalry first established by Napoléon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, on May 19, 1802. ... Knights badge of the Legion of Honour The Légion dhonneur (Legion of Honor (AmE) or Legion of Honour (ComE)) is an Order of Chivalry first established by Napoléon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, on May 19, 1802. ... The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of both Belgium and France which was first created in 1915. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand... Order of Léopold The Order of Léopold is the highest Order military order of Belgium and is named in honour of King Léopold I. The decoration was established in 1832. ... World War II Czech War Cross with World War I ribbon The Czechoslovakian War Cross is a military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued as a service medal of both World War I and World War II. There are two versions of the decoration, commonly referred... Order of Orange-Nassau Knights Medal The Order of Orange-Nassau is an order of the Netherlands which was first created in 1890 by the Queen Regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. ...

Quotes

"Espionage is not a nice thing, nor are the methods employed exemplary. Neither are demolition bombs nor poison gas... ...We face an enemy who believes one of his chief weapons is that none but he will employ terror. But we will turn terror against him..."

"The door for intelligence work opened for me when I undertook my first secret mission while on my honeymoon in Japan in 1919. The United States Government asked me to take a two-month trip to Siberia to report on the anti-Bolshevik movement in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Well, it wasn't your usual honeymoon, but Mrs. Donovan was very understanding. The mission was successful and opened doors to many more missions for the government. I was heading down the intelligence path and I was loving it."

References

Father Duffy’s Story, by Fr. Francis Patrick Duffy, George H. Doran Company, 1919. George H. Doran Company was an American book publishing company established in New York City in 1908 by George Henry Doran with James William Billy Corrigan as its General Manager. ...

A Doughboy with the Fighting 69th, by Albert M. and A. Churchill Ettinger, Simon & Schuster, 1992. Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ...

The Shamrock Battalion of the Rainbow: A Story of the Fighting Sixty-Ninth, by Martin J. Hogan, D. Appleton, 1919.

Into Siam, by Nicol and Blake Clark, Bobbs-Merrill, 1946.

No Banners, No Bands, by Robert Alcorn, D. McKay, 1965.

Donovan and the CIA: A History of the Establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency by Thomas F. Troy, CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1981.

Wild Bill Donovan: The Last Hero, by Anthony Cave Brown, N.Y. Times Books, 1982.

Americans All, the Rainbow at War: The Official History of the 42nd Rainbow Division in the World War, by Henry J. Reilly, F.J. Heer, 1936.

OSS: The Secret History of America’s First Central Intelligence Agency, by R. Harris Smith, University of California Press, 1972.

External links

• Donovan's Medal of Honor citation
• Donovan's grave
• An FBI security investigation of Donovan
• The Donovan War Crimes Trials Library at Cornell University
• CIA Kids - In the words of William Donovan
• Spartacus Educational