Office of Strategic Services 1942–45

The World War II Origins of the CIA

Office of Strategic Services 1942–45 cover

Description

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.

Product details

Published Feb 20 2013
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 64
ISBN 9781849080989
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 39 b/w; 9 col
Series Elite
Short code ELI 173
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Illustrator

Richard Hook

Richard Hook was born in 1938 and trained at Reiga…

Resources

Discover More

Visit our exclusive member's website to see artwork, maps, and more from this book.

Resources

Book Vote

Tell us what titles you would like to see published by Osprey, then vote for your favourites in our monthly book vote!

Related Titles

Sign up for Osprey membership for access to thousands of plane profiles, maps, battle scenes and more. Plus up to 30% off website purchases