LIEUTENANT GENERAL VERNON A. WALTERS

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP99-00418R000100380001-0
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
8
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
May 29, 2012
Sequence Number: 
1
Case Number: 
Content Type: 
BIO
File: 
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PDF icon CIA-RDP99-00418R000100380001-0.pdf713.81 KB
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--- 1 - -- ... _.L_ Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ~ I BIOGRAPHY LIEUI~NANT GENERAL VERNON A. jVALTERS Vernon A. ti~ialters was born in New York City on 3 January 1917. He lived abroad with his parents and attended St. Louis Gonzaga School in Paris, France, and Stonyhurst College in England. His military career, most of which was spent in Intelligence, began on 2 May 1941 when he entered the Army as an enlisted man_ His ~ first assignment was with the 187th Field Artillery at Fort Ethan Allen.,... Vermont. In early 1942 he attended the Officers Candidate School at ~ Fort Benning, Georgia, and graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry on 29 May 1942. He was assigned to the 85th Division as Platoon Leader of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of Headquarters ? Company, 338th Infantry. Subsequently, he was given additional duty of Regimental S-2. Late in 1942, he was assigned to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, and went overseas with the 9th. Infantry Division, taking part in the assault larnling at Safi -in D4orocco on 8 November 1942. For his part in this action, he was awarded the ' Legion of Merit and promoted to 1st Lieutenant. After serving in~Algeria: and Tunisia, he returned to the United States as Chief of Section at the Intelligence School at Camp Ritchie. titihile serving there, he. attended. the Special Course for Brazilian Officers at the Command and General. Staff School at Fort Leavenworth in 1943. Subsequently, he returned. to , Italy, serving as Aide to General Mark jY. Clark, Commanding General of the Fifth Army. Upon the arrival of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in Italy, Captain tiValters was assigned as Combat Liaison Officer with the 1st Brazilian Infantry Division, remaining with them until the end of the i war. He was then assigned as Assistant Army Attache in Brazil.. Re- served there from 1945 to 1948. _ During the visits of President Trwnan, General b4arshall and General.. Eisenhower, he served as Aide to interpret for them. In June 1948 he was assigned to Ambassador Averell Harriman as Assistant Military Attache-at-Large with duty station in Paris, and in 1949 he was appointed ;" Army Attache-at-Large. Returning to the United States with Ambassador. Harriman in June 195Q, he became military Assistant to the Special Assistant to the President. In January 1951 he accompanied General Eisenhower on his visit to twelve NATO countries, and in February 1951 he was assigned to SHAPE Headquarters in Paris. Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ___ . Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29: CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 He served there as Assistant Executive for National Military Representatives and, subsequently, as Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and Acfi-inistration. He also served as Assistant to the President at the Geneva Conference in 1953. Returning to the United States in January 1955, he was assigned to the U.S. Element of the NATO Standing Group as Public Information Officer and Special Projects Officer. During this period, he had additional duties as Staff Assistant to the President of the United States, accompanying President Eisenhower on all of his foreign trips and Vice President Nixon on his trip to South America in 1958. In early 1960 he attended a Guided Missile Course at Fort Bliss, Texas, and a Nuclear Course at Sandia, New Mexico. In May 1960 he was ordered to Rome as Army Attache, serving there until October 1962 when he was transferred to Rio de Janeiro as Army Attache. In 1967 he served. briefly in Vietnam where he was awarded the Air Aledal. Subsequently, he served as Defense Attache to France until early 1972. He accompanied President Nixon on his trip to France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain. in 1969, and also accompanied Mrs. Nixon during her visit to the earthquake-striken areas of Peru in June 1970. In late 1971 he accom- panied President Nixon to the Azores. D4ajor General tiValters was nominated by the President to b e Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and to the grade of Lieutenant General on 2 March 1972 and confirmed by the Senate on 10 April 1972. He was sworn in to office on 2 Aiay 1972. He left. the Agency and retired from the United States Army in 3uly 1976. -2- Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29: CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 i _ Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 PERSONAL DATA Born: 3 January 1917, New York City Father: Frederick J. Walters (deceased) Mother: Laura P. Walters {deceased) Brothers: Frederick J. Walters -Atlanta Vincent C. Walters -New York Sister: Mrs. Laureen Jones -Baltimore Marital Status: Single CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0~ / ~~ Official Address: c/o The Adjutant General, Department of the Army, Washington, D. C. 20025 CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF PROMOTIONS 2d Lt 29 May 1942 1st Lt 30 Dec 1942 Capt ~ 20 Apr 1943 Major 30 Sep 1944 Lt Col 3.Nov 1950 Col 25 Apr 1960 Brig Gen 1 Feb 1965 Ma j Gen 1 Feb 196 8 Lt Gen 10 Apr 1972 CITATIONS AND DECORATIONS National Security Medal Distinguished Service Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters) Legion of Merit (1 Oak Leaf Cluster) Bronze Star Air Medal Army Commendation Distinguished Intelli ence Medal Career Intelligence ~edal SERVICE MEDALS American Defense Service Medal American Campaign Medal i Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ;__ ? i 1 - - - -- ----- Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ? ~ o ~ SERVICE MEDALS (Cont'd) European Theatre Medal World War II Victory Medal Army Occupation Medal (Germany) National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service . Medal FOREIGN DECORATIONS France: Commander of the Legion of Honor Croix de Guerre with Palms Brazil: Combat Cross ? Order of Military Merit War Medal Campaign Cross. Southern Cross Italy: Bronze Medal of Valor . Commander of the Crown of Italy ' Commander of Order of Merit of Italian Republic Peru: Grand Cross of Order of Merit Portugal: Military Merit Spain; Military Merit Vietnam: National Order (Grand Officer) BADGES - , i DOD i . White House RELIGION Roman Catholic i .r Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ~ _ __ ~ Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ~ ~ iP V 0 PERSONAL BACKGROUND MATERLAL General Walters is interested in languages, history, and subways. He speaks French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Russian. He enjoys swimming, skiing and chess. Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 _ I Declassified in Part -Sanitized C ~ ~, ~ ~~ ~` ~ ~ ~~ ~~~ ~'. ~' ~'~ ~ y3 a proved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ~~ ~~'~~/ P~~ i Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/29 :CIA-RDP99-004188000100380001-0 ~~"-~8j017 I_fP Ve~~~~sr~ ~ ts~ ~e~s, Yi~A STAT (b)(6) 1~3 ^a~y 112 U. ~. Ar~nv A~~dfia-gA~i~u