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The Decision

Branden Whitehurst

University of Charleston, WV

ORGL 435 – Assessing Culture

Professor Laura McIntyre

Dec 7, 2021
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Abstract

Throughout my time in Organizational leadership, I have learned many tools. This

capstone project culminates each class I have completed by assessing a decision made by a

significant figure in history. I have chosen FDR's decision to stand up the Office of Strategic

Services (OSS) during World War II. This decision ultimately led to victories in multiple wars

and the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Context

It is essential to understand the context of the political climate in 1942. I am always

hesitant to assess decisions made by others because there are subtle nuances regarding context

that aren't easy to replicate. Especially with regards to the highest office in our country, the

President. It is beyond comprehension for someone to know the extent of what a President is

going through and the information they are inundated with. "FDR was elected in 1932 to fight

the Depression; he was largely re-elected in 1940 because Americans believed he could guide the

nation through a period of treacherous international relations. FDR correctly understood that

Japan and Germany threatened the United States, which endangered the cherished freedoms

Americans enjoyed at home. With the onset of war in 1939, FDR ably guided America's efforts

to aid its allies without formally entering hostilities. When Japan and Germany forced his hand in

December 1941, Roosevelt rallied Americans in support of a massive war effort, both at home

and abroad." ("Franklin D. Roosevelt: Impact and legacy," 2018). These conflicts absorbed many

of our military assets. As a president, he handled disputes on multiple fronts more than most

presidents.

Background of FDR

Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President in November 1932. Throughout his

presidency, he made many sweeping changes. These included: The New Deal, the removal of the

U.S. from the gold standard, and the creation of the Offices of Strategic Services (OSS). "While

vacationing at Campobello Island, New Brunswick in the summer of 1921, Roosevelt contracted

poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis)." ("FDR biography," n.d.). Despite his paralysis, FDR decided

to fight and continue his political career. As a leader, he made choices that kept the United States

in a neutral position in the war in Europe. However, "Roosevelt exercised his powers as
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Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, a role he actively carried out. He worked with and

through his military advisers, overriding them when necessary, and took an active role in

choosing the principal field commanders and in making decisions regarding wartime strategy."

(FDR biography," n.d.).

FDR was able to pivot his position from neutral to active without much loss of

efficacy. This is an essential talent in leadership. You cannot fall in love with your plan because

situations are fluid. As a leader, you must constantly onboard information, filter, and act

accordingly based on the most current information. FDR was elected to lead the nation through

the Great Depression and subsequently re-elected because he handled the situation and the hope

to lead the country through tumultuous tensions across the globe. FDR is the only President to

serve four terms.

FDR was a strong leader because of his curiosity, communication skills, self-confidence,

and tenacity to overcome adversity. FDR is often criticized for his increase in spending

throughout his time frame. FDR could isolate a problem, decide, and transition to another

problem. This strength allowed him to solve issues from Europe to East Asia. The most critical

factor in decision-making is the information used to formulate the decision. FDR identified the

shortfall present in the information community and created a solution that allowed him the most

accurate to base his decisions off.

Creation of OSS

In 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) approved the decision to stand up Office of

Strategic Services (OSS). "The outbreak of World War II and the shockingly quick conquest of

most of Western Europe by the German Army had revealed the paucity and fragmentary nature
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of U.S. intelligence operations." (Wild bill, 2017). The situation highlighted the need for a

central agency that could help disrupt the advance of the Germans. With our resources tied up on

multiple fronts, we needed a covert way to impact the war. The U.S. needs a maximum return on

a minimum investment. The decision was the creation of the OSS, which trained men to become

force multipliers. They could infiltrate behind enemy lines and provide intelligence on the

German military movements. OSS operatives could also place themselves to train and equip the

resistance fighters in places like East Asia.

This decision would help pave the way for U.S. victories throughout history. The OSS

would eventually become what we know as the CIA. This decision had a direct impact and

ultimate success on the war in Europe and East Asia. It continues to drive our information and

intelligence operations. I hope to gain perspective on the information that led to Franklin's

decision and learn how those decisions impacted our numerous conflicts. I aim to provide the

context of the situation from 1939 until 1945 where it ceased operations and became the CIA.

The OSS had global impacts, including Europe, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Central and

South America. I plan to highlight the successes of this organization due to the decision of FDR.

During the eastern European conflict, it became apparent that the United States

intelligence communities were disjointed. "Before World War II, intelligence activities in the

United States were mostly carried out by the Department of State, the Office of Naval

Intelligence (ONI), and the War Department's Military Intelligence Division (MID)" ("OSS

records," 2021). These departments were compartmentalized and were in constant competition

instead of tied together in a joint effort. FDR sent a representative over to Britain to observe

Winston Churchill's template for information operations. FDR was also looking for solutions to

aid our allies without waging full-scale war. "He said, "lend-lease" military assistance could in
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effect transform many of these local resistance movements into surrogate "expeditionary forces"

that could block the growing enemy threat to America." ("Wild Bill" Donovan and the origins of

the OSS (U.S. National Park Service)," 2017). The final straw that led to the creation of the OSS

was the attack on Pearl Harbor. "After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt acted

swiftly to improve U.S. intelligence capabilities even further. In June 1942, he issued an

executive order establishing the OSS, which replaced the COI and was charged with collecting

and analyzing strategic intelligence and running special operations outside the other branches of

the U.S. military, under the control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." (Pruitt, 2016).

This creation of the OSS became the building block for counter-insurgency

operations (COIN) and Unconventional Warfare (U.W.) throughout Europe and World War

Two. A significant operation that led to the surrender of the Germans was Operation Greenup.

Hollywood made a reenactment called "inglorious bastards." However, I recommend the true

documentary called "The real inglorious bastards," which you can view on Prime Video. This

explains the true story of the OSS's success during Operation Greenup. The premise of the

mission was to skydive into Innsbruck and observe supply routes that utilized the Brenner Pass.

Impersonating a convalescing Nazi, one of the operatives was eventually captured. The intel

provided during that time led to one of the most successful bombing runs that Germany could not

recover from. After capture, the operative negotiated the surrender, which he had no authority to

do. It worked in his favor, and Germany surrendered. "Mayer saved the lives of perhaps

thousands of troops on both sides by arranging the surrender of the German troops in Austria.

Former Director of CIA William Casey called Operation Greenup the most successful operation

of World War II." ( ("OSS operation Greenup, the most daring, successful mission of WWII,"

2020).
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The OSS had a presence in Germany, Central America, the Pacific, and the Far

East. The successes of the OSS were not always unilaterally. Many of their success enabled our

ally nations to succeed in their conflicts. This helped strengthen our international relationships

without publicly committing the full-scale armed forces. Surveillance and information were the

main avenues we supported our allies with. For example, we had operatives scout out a potential

beach landing, enabling the U.K. to land uncontested in northern Africa.

The more public successes are those operations in Europe; however, the OSS ran

very successful Counter Insurgency (COIN) and Foreign Internal Defense(FID) operations

against China. "The Special Operations Branch in China obtained, trained, armed, and led

hundreds of Nationalist Chinese guerrillas. Small teams of SO officers and enlisted men led

guerrillas deep behind enemy lines in attacks on Japanese garrisons and in sabotage operations

against bridges and other vital points in the major rail and road systems used to transport enemy

troops and supplies. During the final year of the war, OSS deployed 33 SO teams, a few of them

almost 500 miles behind Japanese lines in China." ("OSS in action the Pacific and the Far East

(U.S. National Park Service)," 2017). These operatives would train the foreign special forces and

guerrilla groups with the latest tactics to help tilt the scale of war in our favor. We would provide

information, technology, and training to ensure our partner force could cripple our enemy. All of

this while keeping the host nation face on these operations. We were the ultimate puppet masters.

We invested in men who were force multipliers which led to success.

FDR identified a shortfall and used the least amount of force necessary. The nation's

limited resources drove the decision. Conflicts were present across multiple countries, driving

FDR to solve the problem with the least amount of force necessary. This is hard to identify and

requires a delicate touch. The decisions to stand up the OSS could have led to catastrophic
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repercussions for our foreign policy and allied relations. The execution is almost as important as

the decision. The capability allowed us to contribute to our allies covertly. The OSS revamped

the intelligence process and allowed leaders to make more calculated decisions that ultimately

led to many successes around the globe. This helped create a worldwide network of information

sharing. The ability to support our allies helped strengthen our foreign relations, which helped

ensure we remained atop the global superpowers.

The OSS was dissolved in 1945 and superseded by the Central Intelligence Agency. The

CIA continues to affect operations around the globe to include the War on Terror. I have

personally met a few men who still serve under the CIA umbrella in paramilitary roles. They

continue to do fantastic work to ensure the U.S. remains a superpower.

Conclusion

Our assignment for our capstone project was to identify an impactful leader and a specific

decision they made that had a profound impact. At face value, this task seems manageable.

However, it becomes challenging as you develop your choices. I have learned that the decision is

the easiest part of the equation. The context, environment, political climate, political pressure all

play into the decision. I chose the OSS because I saw a documentary about them and realized

they contributed in many ways across the globe. FDR also was the only President to serve four

terms which intrigued me. FDR was responsible for so many policies, deals, and initiatives that I

realized how impactful he was as I began to research. He impacted economics, education,

politics, and our intelligence agencies. As a Democrat, he changed the course of our intelligence

agencies and the dissemination of information. The decision to stand up to the OSS is something

you do not expect from a democrat nowadays. We have gotten so polarized as a country that

there are stigmas for expectations of a democrat and republican. FDR transcended any stigmas
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and did what he thought was right for the progression of our country. He also took significant

risk approving an organization that knowingly infiltrated sovereign nations and operated behind

enemy lines. If not executed well, this could have been a political nightmare and ruined allied

relations. Despite aggression in the Pacific, Europe, and East Asia, FDR took significant risks

standing up the OSS. The calculated risk ultimately paid off for the U.S. and our Allies.
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References

FDR biography. (n.d.). FDR Presidential Library & Museum. https://www.fdrlibrary.org/fdr-

biography

Franklin D. Roosevelt: Impact and legacy. (2018, July 24). Miller

Center. https://millercenter.org/president/fdroosevelt/impact-and-legacy

OSS in action the Pacific and the Far East (U.S. National Park Service). (2017, August 8).

NPS.gov (U.S. National Park Service). https://www.nps.gov/articles/oss-in-action-the-

pacific-and-the-far-east.htm

OSS operation Greenup, the most daring, successful mission of WWII. (2020, February 12).

SOFREP. https://sofrep.com/specialoperations/oss-operation-greenup-the-most-daring-

successful-mission-of-wwii/

OSS records. (2021, February 3). National

Archives. https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/oss

Pruitt, S. (2016, October 28). OSS: The predecessor of the CIA.

HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/oss-the-predecessor-of-the-cia

Records of the office of strategic services 1940-1946 (RG 226). (2017, October 19). National

Archives. https://www.archives.gov/iwg/declassified-records/rg-226-oss

"Wild Bill" Donovan and the origins of the OSS (U.S. National Park Service). (2017, July 21).

NPS.gov (U.S. National Park Service). https://www.nps.gov/articles/wild-bill-donovan-

and-the-origins-of-the-oss.htm