Editing Walter Bedell Smith (section)

==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.