OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES 1942–45 by Eugene Liptak

The Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, was founded in 1942 by William ‘Wild Bill' Donovan under the direction of President Roosevelt. Agents were enlisted from both the armed services and civilians to produce operational groups specialising in different foreign areas including Italy, Norway, Yugoslavia and China. In 1944 the number of men and women working in the service totalled nearly 13,500.

This intriguing story of the origins and development of the American espionage forces covers all of the different departments involved, with a particular emphasis on the courageous teams operating in the field. The volume is illustrated with many photographs, including images from the film director John Ford who led the OSS Photographic Unit and parachuted into Burma in 1943.

CONTENTS

Establishment of the OSS, June 1942 - founding director William J.Donovan * Size and composition * OSS branches and operations: secret intelligence, special operations, operational groups, maritime units, morale opeations, counter-espionage (X-2), Detachment 101, research & analysis, research & development, field photographic * Weapons * Equipment - communications, documentation, parachute gear, underwater gear, sabotage devices, clothing, miscellaneous kit * Transportation - 'Carpetbagger' B-24 Libeators, RAF Special Duty squadrons, USN PT-boats * Summary and conclusions

Softcover

64 Pages

Publication Date: 10 Aug 2009