Secret Intelligence Branch
Encyclopedia
The Secret Intelligence Branch of the United States' Office of Strategic Services
was a wartime foreign intelligence service responsible for the collection of human intelligence
from a network of field stations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The branch was established in 1942. Its first head was David K. E. Bruce
. He was succeeded in 1943 by the business executive and international relations expert, Whitney Shepardson
.
With the post-war abolition of the OSS, in October 1945, the Secret Intelligence branch became part of the Strategic Services Unit
of the Department of War
. The unit was ultimately incorporated into the Central Intelligence Agency
, created in 1947.
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
was a wartime foreign intelligence service responsible for the collection of human intelligence
HUMINT
HUMINT, a syllabic abbreviation of the words HUMan INTelligence, refers to intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and MASINT...
from a network of field stations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The branch was established in 1942. Its first head was David K. E. Bruce
David K. E. Bruce
David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce was an American diplomat, and the only American to serve as Ambassador to France, the Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
. He was succeeded in 1943 by the business executive and international relations expert, Whitney Shepardson
Whitney Shepardson
Whitney Hart Shepardson was an American businessman and foreign policy expert. He headed the Secret Intelligence Branch of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.....
.
With the post-war abolition of the OSS, in October 1945, the Secret Intelligence branch became part of the Strategic Services Unit
Strategic Services Unit
The Strategic Services Unit was an intelligence agency of the United States government which existed in the immediate post-World War II period. It was created from the Secret Intelligence and Counter-Espionage branches of the wartime Office of Strategic Services.Assistant Secretary of War John J...
of the Department of War
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
. The unit was ultimately incorporated into the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, created in 1947.