Office of Strategic Services

E2897

The Office of Strategic Services was the United States’ World War II-era intelligence and covert operations agency that laid the groundwork for the modern American intelligence community.

All labels observed (7)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (67)

Predicate Object
instanceOf government agency
intelligence agency
archivesAt National Archives and Records Administration
surface form: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
commemoratedBy OSS Society
conflict World War II
country United States of America
surface form: United States
dissolved 1945-10-01
employed Allen Dulles
Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
David Bruce
E. Howard Hunt
Frank Wisner
James Jesus Angleton
John Ford
Julia Child
Moe Berg
Paul Mellon
Ralph Bunche
Sterling Hayden
William Colby
hasAbbreviation OSS
headOfGovernmentBody William J. Donovan
headquartersLocation Washington, D.C.
inception 1942-06-13
influenced Central Intelligence Agency
U.S. Special Operations Command
surface form: United States Special Operations Command

modern United States intelligence community
jurisdiction United States government
surface form: federal government of the United States
keyPerson William J. Donovan
legalBasis presidential military order of 1942
mainFunction covert operations
propaganda and psychological warfare
special operations
strategic intelligence collection
support to resistance movements
motto “Semper Occultus” (attributed, unofficial)
nickname Wild Bill Donovan’s organization
notableOperation Operation Jedburgh
intelligence operations in Switzerland
operations with Chinese Nationalist forces
support to French Resistance
operatedIn Asia
Myanmar
surface form: Burma

China
Europe
France
Germany
Italy
North Africa
parentOrganization Joint Chiefs of Staff
United States Armed Forces
partOf United States war effort in World War II
predecessor Coordinator of Information
shortName OSS
significantEvent established by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
subOrganization Morale Operations Branch
Operational Groups
Research and Analysis Branch
Secret Intelligence Branch
Special Operations Branch
successor Central Intelligence Agency
Office of Policy Coordination
Office of Special Operations
Strategic Services Unit
trainingFacility Area B-5 (Catoctin Mountain Park)
Camp David
Camp X

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (82)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Maquis receivedSupportFrom Office of Strategic Services
Franz Neumann employer Office of Strategic Services
Ruth Sherman Tolman employer Office of Strategic Services
Morris employer Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Morris Berg
Moe employer Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Moe Berg
Morris Berg employer Office of Strategic Services
Morris Berg militaryBranch Office of Strategic Services
Wisner employer Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Frank Wisner
Coordinator of Information followedBy Office of Strategic Services
William Howard Taft III employer Office of Strategic Services
Weihsien Internment Camp liberatedBy Office of Strategic Services
OSS Deer Team partOf Office of Strategic Services
OSS Deer Team operatedBy Office of Strategic Services
Paul Child militaryService Office of Strategic Services
Walter Langer employer Office of Strategic Services
Walter Langer commissionedBy Office of Strategic Services
Illinois Department of Natural Resources hasPart Office of Strategic Services
William L. Langer memberOf Office of Strategic Services
Operation Halyard (rescue of Allied airmen) organisedBy Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Operation Halyard
Italian Resistance supportedBy Office of Strategic Services
Kachin guerrillas ally Office of Strategic Services
Kachin guerrillas trainingBy Office of Strategic Services
Counterintelligence Corps collaboratedWith Office of Strategic Services
James B. Donovan employer Office of Strategic Services
Operation Paperclip implementedBy Office of Strategic Services
John Weitz militaryBranch Office of Strategic Services
Edward Wilson affiliation Office of Strategic Services
CIA officer Jacob Esterline employer Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Jacob Esterline
CIA officer Richard M. Bissell Jr. employer Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: Richard M. Bissell Jr.
Operations in French Indochina participant Office of Strategic Services
this entity surface form: United States Office of Strategic Services
William Casey workedFor Office of Strategic Services
subject surface form: William J. Casey