THE OSS IN EAST ASIAThe talents of the OSS were certainly not restricted to a single continent.Although there were few OSS units that operated in Asia from 1942 to 1945, they were nevertheless important for carrying out operations in Burma, China, and Thailand. The most famous OSS unit in Asia, Detachment 101, based in Burma, worked in small groups to keep a low profile, but cultivated the confidence of the native population around it to gather information essential to its mission. The CIA’s Official Exhibition Catalogue for the OSS described how “with never more than 120 Americans on the ground, the unit recruited and trained thousands of indigenous fighters to operate behind the Japanese lines in Burma, where they gathered tactical intelligence, rescued downed fliers, and attacked the enemy when and where he was vulnerable.”[10] Meanwhile, in Thailand, despite the nation being allied with the Japanese, OSS officers supported a resistance movement in the country that they believed would chase away the Japanese. They promised arms and training to their contacts in the Free Thai resistance, and were essential “when the Japanese surrendered… in saving the lives of thousands of Allied prisoners of war by parachuting into their camps, keeping them safe from rogue Japanese, and arranging for medical care and evacuation.”[11]
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Letter from George Marshall to William Donovan on July 8, 1944, complimenting the actions of Detachment 101 and stating that he believes the activities of the OSS will be of considerable help in ending World War II (Source: CIA) |