LETTER TO WILLIAM H. WEBSTER FROM CHARLES S. WHITEHOUSE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92G00017R000400050001-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 4, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 19, 1989
• Content Type: LETTER

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Remarks To # 14: Please have response
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ER 89-2482
E xecutive Secretary
21 Jun '89
Date
3637 (10-81)
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ER 89-2482
SPECIAL OPERATIONS/
LOW-INTENSITY CONFLICT
THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301:1-0.0.
19 June 1989
The Honorable William H. Webster
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D. C. 20505
Dear Judge Webster,
I thought you would be interested to know that U.S. Special Operations
Command at MacDill AFB dedicated its auditorium in memory of Major General
William J. Donovan on June 16th. General Donovan's grandson and I unveiled a
painting of the general as well as a cabinet with his uniform, medals and other
memorabilia. I enclose a copy of the remarks I made at the ceremony and a copy of
the program.
As you know the Special Forces community considers OSS to be its precursor
organization and the patch worn by Special Forces officers is that worn by OSS
officers in World War II.
I am sure you will agree that this was a thoughtful gesture on the part of
General James Lindsay, the Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
All the best,
Very sincerely,
Charles S. Whitehouse
Enclosures
a/s
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PROPOSED REMARKS-FOR
AMBASSADOR WHITEHOUSE
MG DONOVAN ROOM DEDICATION
MACDILL AFB, TAMPA, FL
16 JUNE 1989
It is most appropriate that the United States Special
Operations Command, pay tribute to Major General
William J. Donovan, and that this room be named in his
honor.
General Donovan was a lawyer, a courageous
soldier and a legendary figure even in his lifetime, but
the accomplishment for which we hail him here today
was his success in creating the Office of Strategic
Services (OSS) in World War II and giving our country
its first national capability in foreign intelligence and
special operations.
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General Donovan was, indeed,- a larger-than-life
figure one that Hollywood often aspires to replicate
but rarely portrays with the right mixture of qualities.
Donovan's life reads like a Horatio Alger novel--he was
a hero of World War1 and World War!! as well as a self-
made man and successful lawyer. Born in Buffalo of
poor Irish immigrant parents, he made his way up the
corporate ladder, culminating with a flourishing law
practice on Wall Street. Out of a sense of duty and
patriotism, Donovan joined Troop I, 1st Cavalry
Regiment, New York National Guard, in 1912. Four
years later, Donovan found himself in Mexico in pursuit
of Pancho Villa, good preparation for the life he
subsequently lead. In March 1917, Troop I was again
mustered into Service, and Donovan was given
command of the 1st Battalion of the 69th "Fighting
Irish" Infantry Regiment. On 28 February 1918,
Donovan and his battalion entered the fighting for the
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first time. He subsequently led his-tFoops in some of
the fiercest trench fighting of the war, a searing
experience that would lead him later to seek other
unconventional means to fight more craftily and more
imaginatively.
General Donovan's dauntless courage and
leadership made him a superb commander. His
gallantry under fire won him the Congressional Medal
of Honor, the Croix De Guerre, and the Distinguished
Service Cross. He came out of the war as one of
America's most decorated officers, and earned him the
sobriquet "Wild Bill" Donovan.
General Donovan then returned to the world of
business and the practice of law, but in the summer of
1940, following the collapse of France and the Dunkirk
Evacuation, when Britain "stood alone", Donovan
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visited Britain as President Roosevelt's personal
representative. Upon his return to the United States he
helped negotiate the historic "destroyers for bases"
deal of September 1940 that linked the defense of
Britain with that of the United States and marked a
major step toward the Anglo-American wartime
alliance. Later in the same year Donovan returned to
London, and in early 1941 spent several weeks visiting
British forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean as
well as examining the political and military situation in
Yugoslavia and Greece.
During these missions Donovan gave high priority
to the intelligence and counter-intelligence issues
facing Britain and the United States.
When Donovan returned from his second mission in
the early spring of 1941, he lobbied hard in
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Washington for the creation of a t-e-ritralized
intelligence agency. Donovan's successful missions to
England helped to convince President Roosevelt to
accept the essence of his plan, and on July 11, 1941, the
President appointed Donovan, Coordinator of
Information.
In this capacity and, more importantly, as Director
of the Office of Strategic Services later in the war,
Donovan was the impetus behind the creation of a
modern, unified special operations capability. Within
the OSS, he proposed including intelligence and
counter-intelligence, psychological operations and
what he called unorthodox warfare (or what we know
as unconventional warfare). In conjunction with
conventional forces, these special operations
capabilities--what he called a "new instrument of
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war"--could be employed to previnrthe carnage of
World War I trench warfare. Not unlike our own
experiences four decades later trying to establish this
command, Donovan had no easy time establishing the
OSS because the military Services evinced little interest
in this "new and difficult to understand" capability.
Many military professionals regarded special
operations as unorthodox, untried activities; so the
military response to Donovan and the 055 was at times
hesitant, skeptical, indifferent, and even antagonistic.
Under the auspices of the OSS, Donovan was able
to implement his concept of special operations. In the
words of Donovan, this "new instrument "wore down
the enemy psychologically, diverted his resources, kept
him off balance, and sapped his energy." By war's end,
the OSS had evolved into the first truly Unified Special
Operations Command. And, thus, Donovan can
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legitimately be considered the spiritual father of a
"special warfare" capability for the Department of
Defense.
The OSS sent its members to conduct operations
around the globe. Agents and Guerrilla leaders were
infiltrated into Europe and the Balkans.
In the China-Burma-india Theater, Detachment 101
went into combat in late 1942, engaging in classic
unconventional warfare in Burma. By February 1945,
101ers commanded over 10,000 Guerrillas who forced
the Japanese out of the jungle into open areas where
they were vulnerable to allied attacks.
During World War lithe armed services provided
forces for special operations just as they do today. The
bulk ofthe OSS personnel were volunteers from Army
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ranks. The Army Air Force supporfe-d the OSS and SOE
in the European Theater of operations by creating
special units to conduct resupply, infiltration, and
PSYOP missions. In the China-Burma-India Theater the
1st Air Commando Group, the predecessor of today's
1st Special Operations Wing, provided fighter, bomber,
evacuation, and resupply support for Wingate's
Raiders and DET 101 of the OSS. The Navy created the
Scouts and Raiders to perform pre-landing
reconnaissance, to clear the way of obstacles, and to
lead the invasion forces ashore. These forerunners of
today's SEALs participated in the landings in North
Africa, Italy, and France. Beginning with the 1944
invasion of Saipan, Underwater Demolition Teams
(UDTs) performed similar operations during the Pacific
Beach Assaults.
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World War II witnessed the creation of modern
special operations and, in some regards, its halcyon
period as well. By war's end, special operations units
had adequate resources and were closely associated
with the conventional forces, and had made significant
contributions to the allied cause.
In May 1945 General Dwight D. Eisenhower praised
the contribution made by Special Operations Forces in
Europe by proclaiming that [Quote] "in no previous
war ...have resistance forces been so closely harnessed
to the main military effort...1 consider that the
disruption of enemy rail communications, the
harassing of German road moves and the continual and
increasing strain placed on the German war economy
and internal security services...played a very
considerable part in our complete and final victory
..Finally; I must express my great admiration for the
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brave and often spectacular exp16-ifS of the agents and
special groups under control of special forces
headquarters." [Unquote]
OSS was disbanded after World War II and I will not
try to trace the many, varied organizational
experiments which our country has made since that
time to provide for special operations which can be as
fully integrated into our national security structure as
OSS was. I think we have now partially succeeded.
So what we commemorate today is the vision of
"Wild Bill" Donovan who envisaged and created a
unified special operations capability that is the direct
precursor of U.S. Special Operations Command.
I trust that the room we are dedicating will long be
a reminder of the imagination and courage of General
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Donovan and of the men and women of our country
who have given their lives while carrying out special
operations all over the world. U.S. Special Operations
Command has a proud heritage. I know that whenever
the occasion arises this Command will be true to that
heritage.
Thank You.
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