Strategic Services Unit
US Intelligence Agency in the 1940s
The Strategic Services Unit was an intelligence agency of the United States government that 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 (OSS).
Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy was instrumental in preserving and maintaining the two branches of the OSS with a view to forming a permanent peace-time intelligence agency. The unit was established on October 1, 1945, through Executive Order 9621, which simultaneously abolished the OSS. The SSU was headed by Brigadier General John L. Magruder.
In January 1946, a new National Intelligence Authority (NIA) was established along with a small Central Intelligence Group (CIG).
On April 2, 1946, the Strategic Services Unit was transferred to the new group as the Office of Special Operations (OSO) and a transfer of personnel began immediately.
On October 19, 1946 the Strategic Services Unit was Dissolved and all its personnel and functions were moved to the Office of Special Operations (OSO).
In 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency was established under the 1947 National Security Act, incorporating the Central Intelligence Group. In August 1952, the Office of Special Operations was combined with the Office of Policy Coordination to form the Directorate of Plans.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Strategic Services Unit”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- OSS Overview.ogv by Central Intelligence Agency, Public domain
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