meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The WW2 Podcast

06 - The OSS - America's WW2 Intelligence Service

The WW2 Podcast

Angus Wallace

Society & Culture, History

4.61.6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2015

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode I talk to Douglas Waller about the Office of Strategic Services, the OSS.

The US entered the Second World War with no foreign intelligence service. Roosevelt selected William Donovan, WW1 Medal of Honor recipient, to create an agency based on the British MI6 and SOE.

A task he did with gusto.

Douglas is a veteran journalist and has work for Time Magazine and Newsweek. For twenty years as a Washington correspondent he has covered the Pentagon, Congress, the State Department, the White House and the CIA.

He has written two books looking at the American Office of Strategic Services, the OSS, which was America's Intelligence service during WWII. His first book on the subject "Wild" Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage is a biography of William Donovan who ran the organisation up until it was disbanded in 1945.

His new book Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan takes a closer look at the activities of the OSS, through the careers of four future CIA directors who were active during the war.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Effie are a perfect partner for your smartphone.

0:06.0

Stay immersed thanks to active noise cancellation with AI technology that filters out

0:11.1

unwanted background noise.

0:12.8

Listen to your audio in comfort hour after hour with the new wingtip design

0:17.6

and easy touch controls that make changing settings a breeze.

0:21.5

That's a lot to love for just 99 pounds RRP, the new Galaxy Bud Zefi, by now at Samsung.com.

0:30.1

Hello and welcome to another World War II podcast I'm Angus Wallace in this episode I'm talking to Douglas Waller

0:37.6

Douglas is a veteran journalist and has worked for Time magazine and Newsweek and for 20 years as a Washington correspondent has covered the

0:44.4

Pentagon Congress the State Department the White House and the CIA. He's written two

0:49.6

books looking at the American Office of Strategic Services, the

0:53.0

OSS, which was America's Intelligence Service during the

0:56.2

Second World War. His first book on the subject,

0:58.9

Wild Bill Donovan, the Spymaster who created the OSS and Modern American Espionage

1:04.4

is a biography of William Donovan who ran the organization up until it was disbanded in

1:08.9

1945. His new book, Disciples, The World War II missions of the CIA directors who fought for

1:16.4

while Bill Donovan, takes a close look at the activities of the OSS through the careers of

1:21.3

four future CIA directors who are active during the war.

1:25.0

But before we get started, if you're interested in World War II, why not follow the

1:30.3

podcast on Facebook? I regularly post second world war related stories

1:34.5

facts and news that I come across. I promise not to tell you to your news feed I

1:38.6

try to curate only what I think is worthwhile. You can find me at Facebook.com

1:44.4

forward slash W.W.2 podcast. If you have any insights, news or views

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Angus Wallace, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Angus Wallace and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.