Editing Walter Bedell Smith

Early Life and Education

Walter Bedell Smith, known as "Beetle" to his peers, was born on October 5, 1895, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to William Long Smith, a silk merchant, and Ida Frances Bedell. Raised in a middle-class family, Smith grew up in Indianapolis, attending Shortridge High School, where he excelled academically and showed an early aptitude for leadership. Financial constraints limited his higher education; instead of pursuing college, he enrolled at Butler University in 1910 for a brief period but left to work as a clerk and mechanic, supporting his family. In 1911, at age 16, he joined the Indiana National Guard, beginning a military career that would define his life. His lack of formal education was offset by self-study and practical experience, shaping his pragmatic, no-nonsense approach.

Military Career and World War II

Smith’s military ascent was marked by determination and strategic acumen. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1916, he served on the Mexican border during the Pancho Villa Expedition. In 1917, he transferred to the regular Army, earning a commission as a first lieutenant. During World War I, he joined the 4th Infantry Division and saw combat in France in 1918, where he was wounded by shrapnel at St. Mihiel, earning a Purple Heart. The injury ended his frontline service, but he remained in the Army, attending the Infantry School at Fort Benning and the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth in the 1920s.

Between the wars, Smith held various assignments, including as an instructor at the Infantry School (1929–1933) and a staff officer in the Philippines (1933–1935). In 1939, he was appointed assistant to the secretary of the General Staff in Washington, D.C., working under George C. Marshall, who became a mentor. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1940, Smith’s organizational skills caught the attention of Dwight D. Eisenhower, then a rising officer.

During World War II, Smith’s career soared. In 1941, he joined Marshall’s staff as secretary of the War Department General Staff, earning a promotion to colonel. In 1942, Eisenhower, now commanding U.S. forces in Europe, selected Smith as his chief of staff for the European Theater of Operations. Promoted to brigadier general, Smith coordinated logistics, strategy, and diplomacy for major campaigns, including the invasions of North Africa (1942), Sicily (1943), and Normandy (1944). 

His meticulous planning and ability to manage Allied coalitions—often mediating between American, British, and French commanders—earned him the nickname “Eisenhower’s hatchet man.” He was promoted to major general in 1943 and lieutenant general in 1945. Smith signed the German Instrument of Surrender on May 7, 1945, in Reims, France, on behalf of Eisenhower, a defining moment of his career. His wartime decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and honors from Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Smith was in Europe during the initial planning of Operation Gladio and the setting up of its stay behind network.

Post-War Military and Diplomatic Roles

After World War II, Smith transitioned to intelligence and diplomacy, leveraging his organizational prowess and Cold War mindset.

Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1946–1949): In March 1946, President Harry S. Truman appointed Smith as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, a critical post amid escalating tensions with Stalin. Stationed in Moscow, he navigated the early Cold War, reporting on Soviet policies and the Berlin Blockade (1948–1949). His blunt assessments, detailed in his memoir My Three Years in Moscow (1950), warned of Soviet expansionism, though his lack of diplomatic finesse strained relations. He developed a cordial relationship with Vyacheslav Molotov, but his tenure was marked by limited breakthroughs due to Soviet intransigence.

Director of Central Intelligence (1950–1953): In October 1950, Truman named Smith the fourth Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), leading the CIA during its formative years. Tasked with professionalizing the agency, he restructured its operations, merging the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) and Office of Special Operations into the Directorate of Plans (later Operations), centralizing covert actions. Smith oversaw early Cold War operations, including anti-communist efforts in Eastern Europe and Asia, and expanded the CIA’s analytical capabilities. This included the setting up of Operation Gladio with NATO, the use of Otto Skorzeny as a trainer for the Gladio forces and the CIA's involvement in the China Lobby as well as setting up Chiang Kai Shek in Formosa (Taiwan). His tenure saw the launch of Operation PBFortune (1952), a precursor to Operation PBSuccess, targeting Guatemala’s Jacobo Árbenz, though it was aborted. Smith’s gruff style clashed with operatives like Frank Wisner, but his reforms strengthened the CIA’s institutional framework. He resigned in February 1953, citing health issues (ulcers), but remained influential.

Under Secretary of State (1953–1954): Under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Smith served as Under Secretary of State, second-in-command to John Foster Dulles. Appointed in February 1953, he played a key role in Operation PBSuccess, the CIA-led coup against Árbenz in 1954. Smith’s advocacy for intervention, influenced by his anti-communist stance and ties to the United Fruit Company (UFCO), was pivotal. He sought a UFCO executive role post-government, per Bitter Fruit by Stephen Schlesinger and Stephen Kinzer, highlighting his corporate connections. Smith also negotiated at the Geneva Conference (1954) on Korea and Indochina, advocating a hardline stance against North Korea. He resigned in October 1954, citing exhaustion.

Operation Condor: Smith’s CIA tenure laid groundwork for later covert operations, but he retired before Operation Condor (1975–1983). His anti-communist policies influenced the School of the Americas (SOA) and Brazilian Advanced War College (ESG), which trained Condor operatives.

CIA and NSA: As DCI, Smith had direct access to Crypto AG’s Operation Rubicon, which had been running since post WW2. His reforms enabled later CIA covert actions monitored via Crypto AG, per the 2020 Washington Post report.

School of the Americas (SOA): Smith’s CIA and State Department roles supported anti-communist training at the SOA, with graduates like Guatemala’s Julio Roberto Alpírez active in post-PBSuccess repression.

Later Life and Business Career

After resigning from government, Smith entered the private sector, joining UFCO’s board in 1955, a move criticized for its conflict of interest given his PBSuccess role. He also served as vice chairman of American Machine and Foundry (AMF) and held directorships at Martin Marietta and other firms, amassing wealth. In 1957, he was appointed to the President’s Citizen Advisors on the Mutual Security Program, advising on foreign aid, and in 1960, he served on the President’s Committee to Study the U.S. Military Assistance Program. Health issues, including chronic ulcers and heart problems, limited his later activities.

Smith married Mary Eleanor Cline in 1917, a childhood friend from Indianapolis, and they had one daughter, Eleanor Bedell Smith. Known for his blunt, often abrasive style—Eisenhower called him a “human bulldozer”—Smith was fiercely loyal but lacked the polish of peers like Dulles. He enjoyed fishing, golf, and reading military history, maintaining a low profile in retirement. Smith died of a heart attack on August 9, 1961, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., at age 65. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.