Timeline
Timeline of the Office of Strategic Services (Record Group 226)
Date Ranges:
A review of organizational development within the Office of Stategic Services provides context for appreciating the origin, arrangement, and condition of the records.
1940-1941
July - August, 1940 | First William Donovan mission to Europe |
December - March, 1940 | Second William Donovan mission to Europe |
Spring - Fall, 1941 | Establishment of Following: Foreign Information Service, Research and Analysis Branch, Visual Presentation Branch, Oral Intelligence Service, Undercover Collection, liason with British, special activities K and L funds |
June 10, 1941 |
William Donovan's memo to the President proposing the creation of the Service of Strategic Information |
June 25, 1941 | Presidential order appointing William Donovan Coordinator of Strategic Information |
July 11, 1941 | Presidential order creating the Office of Coordinator f Information (COI) |
Fall, 1941 | Creation of the Army-Navy Joint Intelligence Committee |
December 22, 1941 | William Donovan paper on the British Commando System |
1942-1943
March, 1942 | Joint Psychological Warfare Committee created by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) |
June 13, 1942 | Presidential order creates the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), places it under the JCS |
June 21, 1942 | JCS reorganizes the Joint Psychological Warfare Committee, with William donovan as chairman |
August 25, 1942 | Brigadier General John Magruder submits a "Proposed Plan for Joint Intelligence Bureau" |
December 22, 1942 | JCS abolishes the Joint Psychological Warfare Committee and gives its functions to the OSS |
Winter, 1943 | JCS creates the Joint Intelligence Collection Agency |
January 19, 1943 | The JCS supports Army and Navy position regarding the release of information to the OSS |
July, 1943 | General Magruder states his ideas on a permanent U.S. intelligence system to the Executive Secretary of the JCS |
September 17, 1943 | William Donovan gives details of his plan to General Walter Smith |
October 27, 1943 | JCS makes final revision of intelligence functions of OSS |
1944-1945
Fall, 1944 | Joint Intelligence Staff (JIS) produces a service plan and a civilian plan for permanent National intelligence service |
November 18, 1944 | William Donovan submits to the President a final draft of his plan for "permanent worldwide intelligence service" |
December 22, 1944 | Joint Intelligence Committee begins work of perfecting services and civilian plans |
December 26, 1944 | William Donovan leaves for Europe, having rejected the services plan but accepting most of the civilian plan |
January 9, 1945 |
At a White House conference, President Truman decides in favor of the JCS plan.Indicates Signey Souers to become first Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) |
January 18, 1945 | Joint Strategic Survey Committee's report accepts the JIC plan as superior to William Donovan's plan |
Feburary 9, 1945 | Leak to the press of William Donovan's plan and JIC plan |
April 5 - May 16, 1945 | William Donovan's exchanges of letters with departmental secretaries concering proposed new intelligence agency |
May 25 -27, 1945 | Wartime commanders reply to inquiry of the House Appropriations Committee concerning the use of the OSS in the Pacific Theater |
August 25, 1945 | Budget Bureau advises William Donovan that continuation of the OSS is unlikely |
September 19, 1945 | JCS revives their plan and sends it to the Secretaries of War and Navy |
September 20, 1945 | The OSS ends by Presidential order. The Research and Analysis and Presentation Branches are sent to the State Department. All other activities are sent to the War Department where the Strategic Services Unit (SSU) is established |
1946-1947
January 22, 1946 | President's directive establishes the central Intelligence Group (CIG) |
Feburary - March, 1946 |
Interdepartmental committee studies the problema nd recommends that the SSU should be liquidated, and partly taken over by the CIG |
Summer - October, 1946 | Liquidation of the SSU except for those personnel and foreign stations taken over by the CIG |
July 26, 1947 |
National Security Act becomes law |
September 18, 1947 | The National Security Act establishes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to replace the CIG |
What are people asking on History Hub about World War II records?
- RE: SHAEF G-3 file and Flensburg documents
- RE: WWII Registration Cards:
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- RE: A WWII Navy decoration ribbon I cannot identify. The holder was entirely in the Pacific theater. I have a good jpeg file of it, which I attach below. Thanks for your time - Jim McIntosh
- RE: Lack of DFC backup for WWII