However,
the rhetoric from the birther and red menace idiots is growing. I fear we are going to have another
witch hunt on communists, socialists, and anarchists like happened after the
last world war.
Even
the heros of the current war are not immune from attack.
Several
of my Lincoln comrades joined the OSS [Office of Strategic Services - we are
monitoring Milton Wolff, Irving Goff, Vincent Lossowski, Milton Felson, Michael
Jiminez – A.S.] in 1942. After
training they were given the rank of technical sergeants while their fellow
graduates became commissioned officers. Ignoring this snub, they followed the U.S. landings in North Africa that liberated thousands
of Spanish Republican Refugees and International Bridagers who had fled to
French north Africa at the beginning of the war. The Lincoln OSS organized these political prisoners to fight
against the fascists with the expectation that the Allies would ultimately help
them remove Franco from power in Spain.
The Lincoln OSS trained their Spanish and International Brigade comrades to infiltrate and operate behind German lines in North Africa and France. [Colonel William J. ] Donovan the head of OSS was very impressed with their work and when informed of the slights given in rank he remedied the situation. In 1943, the Lincoln OSS moved to Naples [with the exception of Felsen who was wounded and captured by the Germans –A.S.]. In Italy the Italian Communist Party had a vast underground network. One comrade [Goff –A.S.], because of his activities in Spain, formed an alliance and quickly expanded the Allies contacts and agents behind German lines. I'm told he said, “We had guerrillas operating on every highway, every railroad, every German convoy. We had the identifications, the material in every car on every highway reported through the network of radios.”
The Lincoln OSS trained their Spanish and International Brigade comrades to infiltrate and operate behind German lines in North Africa and France. [Colonel William J. ] Donovan the head of OSS was very impressed with their work and when informed of the slights given in rank he remedied the situation. In 1943, the Lincoln OSS moved to Naples [with the exception of Felsen who was wounded and captured by the Germans –A.S.]. In Italy the Italian Communist Party had a vast underground network. One comrade [Goff –A.S.], because of his activities in Spain, formed an alliance and quickly expanded the Allies contacts and agents behind German lines. I'm told he said, “We had guerrillas operating on every highway, every railroad, every German convoy. We had the identifications, the material in every car on every highway reported through the network of radios.”
In
March 1945 a Congressional subcommittee investigated the promotion of fourteen
“Communist officers.” Major
General Clayton Bissell, head of army intelligence, defended the officers as
did Donovan, “These men I’ve been in the slit trenches with, I’ve been in the
muck with, and I’d measure them up with any men.” Under continued pressure from the red baiters in
Congress, the Lincoln OSS were evacuated immediately following the capitulation
of German forces in Italy [May 1945 –A.S.], their promotions were denied, and
all the Lincolns were discharged from the service. Donovan feared the Congress, who controlled the purse strings,
would retaliate against him if he did not.
My comrades were not just heros in the OSS. Other
Lincoln’s joined the regular army and were exemplary solders [e.g. Bob Thompson who is under surveillance. –A.S.]. They too met similar fates as the Lincolns in the OSS.
Since
my comrades cannot even retain their positions in the OSS and military how can
we hope to convince Americans to help free Spain from Franco. Although he opposes Franco, H.A. is not interested in taking any action against him. The VALB
[Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade –A.S. ] has been organizing around
this issue, but the growing anti-communist fear and red baiting ensures that their efforts will
not be successful.
© 2012 Ron Millar
© 2012 Ron Millar
