Records of the Office of Strategic Services 1940-1946
(Record Group 226)
(For earlier releases, see the Report to the IWG on Previously Classified OSS Records.)
Contents of RG 226:
- Terms, Names, Organizational Abbreviations, and Code Words in OSS Records
- Sources & Methods Files ("Previously Withdrawn Material")
- Central Intelligence Agency Selected Documents, 1941-1947
Entry 212
Boxes 1-6 Location 250/64/33/5
| Box # | Subjects of Documents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Memo relating X-2 Experience with Burma Anti-Fascist League, April 1945,
ca., 4pp. Special note on Bhamo AFL [Anti-Fascist League], April 1945 ca., 1p. Report on the "increasingly strange role of a French intellectual who belongs officially to the Right—M. Leo Crozet," April 25, 1946, 2pp. Reports and newspaper article translations about Swedish treason trials of John Alexander Loennegren and Robert Paulson, July 11, 1944-June 27, 1945, 150pp. Report on eight "Suspect Icelanders," August 8, 1944, 3pp. Report on activities of Ricardo Siepmann, owner of the Control Company, T-2219, of Hamburg, October 24, 1944, 3pp. Report explains how Siepmann would ostensibly sell commodities to (for example) Romania, but then divert and resell the commodities in Switzerland. The proceeds were then deposited in Switzerland, where they were "at the disposal of the German Government" and "utilized for special purposes." Report also mentions that Dr. Fritz Krueger, who engaged in activities similar to Siepmann's, had a "Slovakian Jewish businessman" as part of his escort while in Switzerland. The report states that the Jewish businessman's relatives "were released from the Jewish mass murders on grounds of the active assistance which he had rendered." Report on the knowledge and activities of German citizen turned Allied agent, Jacob Volckerts, September 8, 1944, 9 pp. He stated that the Prussian Minister of State in Berlin wanted to sell a large quantity of jewels "which had belonged to murdered Jews." The jewels, stored in Die Bank-Kommanditgesellschaft Sponholz & Co., were to be sold to private individuals in Sweden and Switzerland. Volckerts also stated that he was sent to Sweden to find out what research the Swedes were conducting into "the breaking up of atoms," and to find out about a conference that an American, one Mr. Griffith, held "with the banker Wallenberg." Report on the Italian military intelligence service (SIM) Cryptographic Department personnel and the breaking of American and English ciphers, March 26, 1944, 2pp. Report on Russian activities in Finland, April 2, 1946, ca., 4pp. Report on important people in the pulp and paper, and allied timber industries, in Sweden and Finland, May 30, 1944, 8pp. Memo on the use of U.S. magazines by enemy intelligence agencies, June 1943, ca., 2pp. The memo states that Life, Time, Newsweek, and the American Magazine were the magazines "most in demand by Jorge Lang, Chief of German I.S." in Bilbao, Spain. The memo cites a July 14, 1942, article in Time from which the Germans deduced that their depth charges could sink lower before exploding than U.S. depth charges. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
| 2 | Requests for biographical information, vetting requests, and applications
of prospective employees, September 13, 1944-June 1, 1945, ca., 125pp. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
| 3 | Reports from Source Wasp on contacts with the NKVD office in Kreis, Teltow,
Germany; German atomic research during WWII; and other matters; January
31-April 16, 1946, 19pp. Reports on the activities of the SIM in Lisbon, Portugal, July 7, 1944-March 1, 1945, ca. 75pp. Reports from SI sources around Milan, Italy, December 23, 1943-July 5, 1946, 75pp. Monthly Progress Report of X-2 OSS India Burma Theater of Operations (IBT), October 4, 1945, 16pp. Monthly Progress Report of X-2 OSS Det 404 IBT, June 20 1945, 6pp. X-2 Rangoon, Burma Branch Report on the Indian Independence Movement, June 4, 1945, 9pp. The report recounts the interrogation M.S. Doshi, "one of the more fanatical members of the Indian Independence League in Burma." Report of "Recent Activities of the AFPFL (Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, Burma) and Their Difficulties With the National Revolutionary Party," August 10, 1945, 4pp. Memo regarding relations between X-2 and British Special Counter Intelligence (SCI) in Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies, September 27, 1945, 2pp. Report regarding unrest in India over continued British rule, Dec. 10, 1945, ca. 23pp. The report is handwritten. It covers a variety of topics, including a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Delhi Muslim League, reactions to a proposed meeting between Mahatma Ghandi and the Governor of Bengal, reactions to a trial of Indian National Army members, and the activities of the Communist Party of India. X-2 Intelligence Checklist from IBT HQ to commanding officers of Strategic Services Units regarding what information to ask sources about, December 31, 1945, 4pp. "Owing to the fact that all our trained X-2 investigators have left the Theater," the checklist begins, " much valuable information . . .is passed over in your every day contacts." Report of events in India regarding dissent within the Sindh Provincial League, and support among Muslims for a boycott of Jewish goods called for by Arab countries to protest Jewish immigration into Palestine, February 18, 1946, ca. 5pp. Report regarding unrest in India and Pakistan over continued British rule by Source Taj, February 4, 1946, 8pp. The report includes a reference to a "mystery woman of Java" nicknamed Sourabaya Sue, who, speaking in a "terrific American accent" roamed behind Indonesian lines "exhorting them to fight the British to the last man." Report regarding unrest in India from Source Taj, February 18, 1946, 1p. The report cites a secret message from the Viceroy of India saying that rioters in Calcutta killed 74 of the 1200 spies in the city. Report regarding Generalissimo Chian Kai-shek's request to Dr. Frank W. Price to recruit Americans to serve in the Chinese War Area Service Corps, the organization which operated the hostels and mess halls provided to members of the U.S. armed services, March 30, 1944, ca. 1p. Report on officials connected with Belgian counter espionage activities, May 31, 1945, 3pp. Report on the internal organization of Belgian counter espionage services, May 31, 1945, 3pp. Reports, in French, from a source of the 25th SCI Detachment, Brussels, Belgium, January 3-February 3, 1946, 40pp. Memo outlining Priority I and Priority II intelligence targets for the BrUSsels, Belgium SSU office, August 16, 1946, 2pp. The memo points out that these priorities may "differ substantially" from those of the U.S. diplomatic mission and military authorities. Monthly Progress Report of the U.S. Forces Austria, SSU War Department Mission to Austria, February 28, 1946, 4pp. Monthly Report from the X-2 attache in Brussels, Belgium February 2, 1946, 3pp. Report on competition between U.S. and French intelligence agencies at the Franco-American interrogation and detention center in Paris, July 19, 1946, 3pp. Monthly Activities Report of the Brussels, Belgium station, July 1, 1946, 3pp. Fortnightly Report from X-2 Barcelona, Spain, May 27, 1944, 7pp. Among the topics covered are unfair treatment of the OSS by "all the hierarchy of Spanish officialdom, law enforcement agencies, etc."; examples of the "duplicity of certain elements" within the French Red Cross; the activities of Gerardo Junk, who was "instrumental in handling all transactions necessary for the transfer of the funds and properties of high Nazi officials and industrialists to South America, primarily the Argentine": and the rumor that German General Erwin Rommel recently ate lunch at a local restaurant with the Mayor. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
| 4 | Memo regarding suspect people in Spain, July 20, 1944, 15pp. Report of information supplied by Source Budget, a Spanish radio operator for the Germans turned Allied agent, August 12, 1944, 9pp. Report regarding a clandestine German radio transmitter in Barcelona, Spain, March 6, 1944, 10pp. Report on the personnel and internal organization of the Servicio de Informacion y Policia Militar Espanol (SIPM) in Barcelona, Spain, October 12, 1944, 4pp. The report states that the head of one of the SIPM branches, as part of his information gathering methods, has on staff "an exceptional group of women of great beauty" and "a certain number of pederasts who are assigned almost exclusively to Germans and Jews." Report on the establishment of a Russian espionage system in Spain, Dec. 18, 1945, 9pp. Report regarding instructions received at weekly meetings of "certain German elements" in Zaragoza, Spain, March 28, 1946, 8pp. The instructions came via a short-wave radio setup operating between Munich, Germany and Zaragoza. The Germans were instructed to "establish close relations with the Catholic religion;" to do everything possible "to incite the Spanish people against France;" and to obey all orders received from "the millionaire Freude," the man "who financed entirely the Nazi movement." The report also states that the Germans were told that Martin Bormann was in Argentina. Report regarding people suspected of collaborating with a Russian espionage system in Spain, May 5, 1946, 5pp. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
| 5 | Report on relations between the Vatican and the Soviet Union, August 28,
1946, 2pp. Report about labor unrest and the cost of living in Malaya, August 23, 1946, 2pp. Report on Pan Malayan Indian Congress activity, August 23, 1946, 2pp. Statement of Richard Kraus, Reports Officer for KO Bulgaria, KdM Budapest and I/S03, KdM, Vienna, September 11, 1945, 33pp. The statement provides details of Kraus's life; a list of German agents in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Greece; and the radio-call names of some German units. Report from SCI Unit Z in Genova, Italy on "Mission Rossignol," November 23, 1945, 13pp. The report is about the activities of one Commander Cheyron, and personnel under his command, who operated in Northern Italy between July and September 1945. After describing the Mission's activities, the report complains that despite repeated verbal and written requests to HQ for information, the Mission's true purpose was still unknown. It could have been the search for French war criminals, the "search for and collection of loot and currency transported out of France by political refugees," or "exploitation and racketeering." Apparently Mission Rossignol engaged in all three. Reports sent to SCI Unit Z from a source warning of Communist infiltration of Italy, May 5-31, 1946, 15pp. Source warns that a large part of this Communist infiltration "is carried out by attractive looking ladies; the British show more attention and resistance in this than the Americans." Report on Italian elections, June 4, 1946, 4pp. Report from SCI Unit Z about a "Suspect International Emigration Organization Society" that planned to send people to South America, June 5, 1946, 4pp. While the Mission's "alleged scope is to provide an outlet from Europe of excess or destitute population," the Mission's true purpose "is to provide a cover for ecclestic [sic] and anti-Communist agents who intend to combat the activities of the Communists in South America." Report on the interrogation of Bruno Peratti, October 1, 1944, 47pp. Peratti gave "considerable information" on German sabotage methods. Report by the Allied Control Commission, Security Branch, on the prosecution of one Giorgio Antonucci, who worked for German Intelligence, September 21, 1944, 8pp. Report (translation of an article) on how one Lt. Francesco, a.k.a. Pietro, Koch led a team which captured a "clandestine radio in contact with General Clark's American 5th Army" during the German occupation of Italy, February 26, 1945, 7pp. Roster of Agent Personnel, Company D, 2677th Regt. OSS (Prov), APO 512, U.S. Army, Italian S.I., May 23, 1945, 2pp. List of "persons who are known to have been agents of the OSS Special Detachment, G-2, 5th Army during the period 1943-44," February 1, 1945, 4pp. List of names of informers, with subject areas of expertise, reporting to the Lugano, Switzerland OSS base, February 24, 1945, 4pp. Reports on Communist underground activities in the Shanghai, China area, March 18, 1946, 10pp. X-2 report about Japanese espionage activities in Sian, China, February 2, 1945, 2pp. Report from the China Theater, X-2 Branch regarding Communist activities among the foreign population of Shanghai, China, March 28, 1946, 9pp. Report gives information about Communist activities among Jewish refugees, Poles, Czechs, Italians, Rumanians, French, Germans, Greeks, Norwegians, Finns, and Jugoslavs. "According to source, almost no Communist influence can be found among the American, British, Belgian, Dutch and Swiss Communities." X-2 report on the infiltration of Japanese agents from Boyang and Taiuyan, March 28, 1945, 2pp. Report from the China Theater, X-2 Branch report regarding the German intelligence network in Manchuria, China, March 5, 1946, 10pp. X-2 report giving the routes USed by Japanese agents passing from Shansi to Shensi, China, May 20, 1945, 2pp. Report from the China Theater, X-2 Branch regarding Japanese intelligence organizations in the Shangchiu, Kweiteh area, Honan, China, August 13, 1945, 3pp. China Theater, X-2 Branch report on cooperation between former Japanese intelligence agents and Soviet intelligence agents in North China, January 28, 1946, 2pp. China Theater, X-2 Branch report regarding German espionage agents and collaborators in Shanghai and Peking, China, 1941-1944, September 6, 1945, 9pp. The report states that the Germans in Peking were initially depressed after Japan surrendered, but that a "new Nazi Clan has already been organized." Memorandum For the File, "Chief collaborators in the Shanghai Drama Union Academy in close connection with the Puppet Government and Japanese Gendarmes. Organized by the Capitalists of various stages and cinemas, " October 1, 1945, ca., 7pp. Letter by Lily Abegg, a Swiss citizen, formerly of Kobe, Japan, defending Tokyo Rose, (Iva d'Aquino), April 27, 1946, 9pp. Among the extenuating circumstances listed by Abegg was the fact that d'Aquino "had been talked into speaking on the radio, not by Japanese, but by Allied officers who were prisoners of war." Reports regarding suspected members of "Tai Li's organization," the Bureau of Investigations and Statistics of the Military Affairs Council, China, January 18, 1945-May 10, 1946, ca., 50pp. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
| 6 | Report on Who's Who: Chinese Communist Personalities, April 22, 1946,
203pp. Memo regarding Soviet propaganda among Koreans in Shanghai "to start active demands for the independence of Korea from the American occupation troops," December 15, 1945, 6pp. Report of interrogations of Major General Hirose Onouchi and Colonel Eiichi Hirose, September 25, 1946, 5pp. Report entitled "Historical Note on the Sino-Japanese War: Plans Made in Early 1939 by High-ranking Japanese Army Officers for its Immediate Settlement through Negotiation with Chungking," September 25, 1946, 2pp. Report entitled "Soviet Penetration Methods in Manchuria (1939) and Finland (1944), September 27, 1946, 2pp. Report regarding interrogation of Momotaro Enomoto, October 7, 1946, 4pp. Report concerning Japanese specialists on Soviet intelligence, October 2, 1946, 8pp. Report about Japanese wartime collaboration with the Polish intelligence service, October 2, 1946, 12pp. This report includes references to the intelligence work of one Sugihara, the Japanese Consul in Koenigsberg. [This appears to be Chiune Sugihara, now famous for helping approximately 6000 Jews escape from Kaunas, Lithuania. The report does not give Sugihara's first name, nor does it mention him helping Jews earlier in the war. However, it does identify him as having been in Kaunas, Lithuania and having moved from Lithuania to East Prussia after the Soviet invasion, which are facts that match Chiune Sugihara's bio.] Report regarding interrogation of Major General Makoto, September 25, 1946, 10pp. Report about Japanese wartime intelligence activities in Northern Europe, September 30, 1946, 58pp. [This report also contains references to a Sugihara, Japanese Consul in Kaunas, Lithuania.] Report on Chinese Communist infiltration into the USMC [U.S. Marine Corps] installations in Tientsin, China, March 6, 1947, 7pp. Report regarding an "Orchid Team" mission to infiltrate into Austria with the help of Yugoslav partisans, February 1945, ca., 13pp. The actual mission took place between October 1944 and January 1945. The report includes impressions of the OSS agent about the actions, motivations, policies, ideas, etc., of the Yugoslav partisan group, Koroskega Odreda. Location: 250/64/33/5/1 |
