OSS after WWII...

[MacCaulay]

...I just got done reading Spyworld (a book about the CSE), and am about to start reading The Company, and I kind of got thinking: what would've happened had the OSS been kept on into the Cold War?

Myself, I suppose it could go either one of two ways with the OSS becoming the operational arm of American intelligence, where the CIA would evolve into a role that we now seem to give to the NSA (though the CIA does have control over such things as wire-tapping, etc.).

Thoughts?

[Dan Reilly The Great]

Originally Posted by MacCaulay

...I just got done reading Spyworld (a book about the CSE), and am about to start reading The Company, and I kind of got thinking: what would've happened had the OSS been kept on into the Cold War?

Myself, I suppose it could go either one of two ways with the OSS becoming the operational arm of American intelligence, where the CIA would evolve into a role that we now seem to give to the NSA (though the CIA does have control over such things as wire-tapping, etc.).

Thoughts?

Wasn't the OSS originally part of the US army? If so I think that would have a major effect on how the US conducts the inner workings of its intelligence gathering apparatus(i.e. who gets promoted, who gets sent to what offices, etc,.) Also it would be less heavily populated with ivy league blue-bloods.

[freodhoric]

Originally Posted by Dan Reilly The Great

Wasn't the OSS originally part of the US army?

AFAICT, no. According to the CIA website, it was originally a civilian agency, but came under control of the Joint Chiefs not quite a year later. If you'll excuse, according to Wikipedia, one Army battalion and one regiment were attached to the OSS.

[cclittle]

Given OSS experience with the second World War they would have a milatary focus. They could tell you about the Souviet Armed forces. Whos influential in the goverenment? A bunch of party hacks. We arn't interested in them. Then there's terrorists. We'd know what kind of guns they carry and what kind of amo it uses. What do they belive? There was some religious talk.

[The Vulture]

Can we expect it to remain under the operational jurisdiction of the Joint Chiefs?

A thought, if it remains in its wartime state, it might not become the old boys' club the CIA did later on and instead actually work on merit-based assignments. Maybe.