A Commemorative WWII Series, Pt. 1
A Commemorative History Series, Part 1:
Helping to Secure the Peace: The FBI in WWII
05/27/05
The dates are forever etched in the annals of U.S. history:
...May 7, 1945, the unconditional surrender of the German High Command;
...May 8, 1945, V-E (Victory in Europe) Day;
...August 14 1945, the official surrender of Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese military;
...September 2, 1945, V-J (Victory in Japan) Day.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of these historic events for America and the Allies. This Memorial Day weekend, the men and women of the FBI are proud to join the nation in honoring the sweat, sacrifices, and courage of all who served in World War II and all who continue to protect and defend freedom around the globe.
We also thought you might be interested in helping us commemorate the FBI’s behind-the-scenes role in protecting the American homeland and supporting the Allied cause overseas during WWII.
In previous history stories, we’ve already...
- Talked about how President Roosevelt, the FBI, and the Army and Navy grew concerned about the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich and began to prepare for war in Rise of Fascism Leads to FBI Casework and Pearl Harbor Attacks Mobilizes FBI war plans;
- Briefly described how we sent hundreds of undercover agents to South and Central America to protect the country from Nazi intrigues...and took on secret assignments for the State and War Departments before and during the war;
- Touched on how our intelligence operations helped win the war; and
- Brought you a few wartime investigations like The Case of the Ragtime Bug, The Case of the Treasonous Dolls, and The Case of the Long Island Double Agent.
This summer, we’ll add to this collection, highlighting our war-time activities, challenges, and successes.
Among other things, we’ll talk about:
- How our size, resources, and responsibilities grew exponentially during the war;
- How we investigated tens of thousands of sabotage, espionage, and subversion cases on top of a full load of criminal cases; and
- How we first learned that Soviet spies working with the Communist Party of the U.S. were infiltrating the Manhattan Project, one of the war’s greatest secrets.
Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out our history of the FBI during the WWII years and all of our Byte Out Of History stories.
The Rest of the Series:
- Part 2: The FBI’s Special Intelligence Service, 1940-1946
- Part 3: The Case of the Betty Grable Extortion Letters
- Part 4: The Case of the Mysterious Russian Letter
- Part 5: Life During Wartime...From Nazi Spies to Bigamous Brides
- Part 6: Sacrifices Made, Victory Won
Above photo, circa 1945: U.S. Army Sec. Lt. Donald R. Burns, an FBI employee on military leave, is congratulated by Brig. Gen. Charles W. Lawrence after being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.