Being a “Solomon” in Washington: Evaluating and Processing OSS and SSU Intelligence from Austria, 1945–1946

Abstract

This article discusses the processing, reporting, evaluation, and dissemination of intelligence from Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Strategic Services Unit (SSU) missions in Austria both locally and in Washington, DC. We begin by briefly reviewing the organization of OSS Austria after which the question of who was evaluating intelligence from Austria locally and in Washington is addressed. Then, we compare the roles of the Secret Intelligence (SI) Reports (or Reporting) Board and, until October 1945, OSS Research and Analysis (R&A) both in Austria and Washington. This leads to our first major postulation, namely, that it was not R&A that evaluated field intelligence but, rather, the SI Reports Board. Coupled with their training, competence, and knowledge, when R&A was transferred to the State Department at the end of September 1945, it did not have a noticeable impact upon either Austrian-based reporting or its quality. Using both internal and external assessments, we instead suggest that the quality of intelligence from Austria improved after R&A and SSU parted in October 1945. Finally, we examine some of the external customer requests OSS/SSU Austria received, how these were acted upon, and what reaction(s) they generated.