Wild Bill Donovan, the OSS, and the Early CIA | Patrick K. O’Donnell

“Wild Bill Donovan, the OSS, and the Early CIA”
Patrick K. O’Donnell
Author, _Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS_

This speech was given on October 1, 2023, during a Hillsdale College CCA seminar on “U.S. Intelligence: History and Controversies.”
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Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.” It pursues the stated object of the founders: “to furnish all persons who wish, irrespective of nation, color, or sex, a literary, scientific, [and] theological education” outstanding among American colleges “and to combine with this such moral and social instruction as will best develop the minds and improve the hearts of its pupils.” As a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains “by precept and example” the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.

The College also considers itself a trustee of our Western philosophical and theological inheritance tracing to Athens and Jerusalem, a heritage finding its clearest expression in the American experiment of self-government under law.

By training the young in the liberal arts, Hillsdale College prepares students to become leaders worthy of that legacy. By encouraging the scholarship of its faculty, it contributes to the preservation of that legacy for future generations. By publicly defending that legacy, it enlists the aid of other friends of free civilization and thus secures the conditions of its own survival and independence.

[irenemeno]

The stories this man is trusted with. What a delight to hear. I'm so thankful.

[annemarie]

I love your college, a beacon of hope and light in these horrrrible times

[jamesbyrd]

Interesting. W.E, B. Griffin used the early OSS history as a basis for multiple novels including an entire series about WWII. Great reads.

[franciscojavierrivera]

cool stoiries, I worked at a call center and talked to a lot of ww2 vets with similar stories

[DavidBenner-cyzl]

An honor. My mentors were OSS and Flying Tigers. They were in a new guerrilla warfare group formed in 1950 in the CIA. Dad was their first medical services officer. Typical, he would teach crew served weapons, explosives, mines and boobytraps. Dad used a 38 caliber pen pistol in the Middle East in 1964. Dad was quite popular with the men. I used to think he had the key to the liquor cabinet. Lol! By then he had proved himself and was one that received the highest award for valor for an incident in Laos 1960. Total trust or no trust. He had total trust.

[jodymccabe]

My great aunt - she's 104 now, was in Vienna and England with the OSS during WWII, and then with the CIA for a while after that - they recently honored her with items and a letter from the CIA for her past service. Really nice. My dad (passed in 2020) was also in an unusual intelligence group in WWII - they hunted the underground aircraft manufacturers hidden in the Salt Mines. He wasn't OSS - he was Army Air Corps and was an Aeronautical Engineer. Generally followed Patton's group, and also came into Buchenwald Concentration Camp after Patton liberated it. He never forgot the images in that camp and that's how we all knew the Holocaust was real. Anyway, both had interesting careers - most of the WWII heroes have passed now. There's still a group left in Ft Worth, TX in a group called Roll Call - the stories from that group have been awesome.

[MereMoral]

My mother was recruited for OSS in 1942.

[chavez]

Erik Prince mentioned reading one of William J Donovan’s books, but I haven’t been able find the existence of a single one. Does anyone know where I can get my hands on his writings?

[timothygazda]

My father-in-law was OSS in Patton's army! Never talked about it except his oldest son who won't talk!

[cloudedanyhow]

Hry guys, love the vids! Just wanted to let uou know CensorTube is playing games with your account, as if you haven't been aware. I've been unsubbed to this account four times this week alone: i keep checking since the new FCC rules dropped.

[CraigBaughan-mghf]

Comparing apples and oranges, the OSS and CIA. Office of Strategic Services was U.S. Army, including the 15th. Special Services, the most highly decorated division of the War, and two other Army divisions. Some OSS veterans went to work for the CIA after the War. OSS headquarters in Washington consisted of two wings, one European theater, one Pacific Theater, with teletypes in the middle. OSS HQ tracked enemy financial transactions.

[stevelux]

OSS also hired quite a few NAZI officers after WWII and saved many NAZIs by moving them to the United States and to South America.

[mark.J]

The serial numbers to weapons was used to great affect in Vietnam. The Soviets would issue bulk manufactured AK-47s in crates to the NVA who would then issue them in bulk to a given unit. We knew what the Soviets were sending, had the serial numbers, could use SoF to go snatch an AK47 to a regular NVA line unit and then be able to discern NVA strengths and OoB and by snatching AKs could tell what unit was where on the Battlefield, including size, Cdr etc... this occured in IDrang valley before the battle.

May still be classified, don't care.

[marshalllapenta]

Question?
Was that where the movie Inglorious Bastards came from?

[tashfiqmannan]

This man can conjure technology of the future yet can’t even breathe right. Oh how the priorities of this nation have changed.

[brianbranson]

bet they regret working with uncle Ho.

[BornEnlightenedNoSell]

Ce ciumeg te uiți și asculți la ce ai făcut cu atâtea felicitări, nu exista mai perfect de atât de unde știam ce face Sriu poliția etc am venit cu 🧠, de-aia mă plictisesc uneori că știam ce face înainte și după, acum știu toți până la mama natura să mă angajeze în agenția lor de informații, o donnell ai precizat tot ce am adus la conștiința de când am apărut de nicăieri ca o fantomă ! Vorbește din trecut timp și prezent 🎁 ce-l mai frumos cadou pe care m-i la făcut oss un rezumat la întoarcerea regelui 👑🦁 Matrix s-au a skull and bones Red dragon 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻știu că al 3-lea război mondial depinde de mine 🎉

[johnmastroligulano]

I challenge anyone to a duel of knowledge on the Crickets look up: the Hill in Hieroglyph & you will see the letter Q. OSS origin is why OScarS also why OSiriS not that they all have the same meaning they are all just functionally saying something which you need to know the meaning of Hieroglyph writing to comprehend what is really on display. The OG OSS guy Wild Bill is born when 1.1.1883 which is the dead mans hand aces eights also the letter R hence miRRor or the 18th Dynasty Tut but you know this right? Anyone else know why they use 201? Why don't you know?