The Lansdale Memo Re: Hemingway Plot isn't a plot at all.

BK NOTES: Now we know why Corn and Russo and the Nation didn't bother to share the original Lansdale memo they obtained from Larry Haapanen, who also shared it with me. The Hemingway part of the three page memo is only contained in the last paragraph, and it says nothing like what the Old Man and the CIA says, or even implies - that the Kennedys plotted to kill Castro at the Hemingway House north of Havana, that was being made into a museum. Mary Hemingway told Ed Morrow about her visit to Cuba, that was personally approved by JFK. She mentioned Castro stopped by while she was there, and appeared to be drinking heavily and depressed about the way things were going. Morrow apparently told the CIA and RFK and it was RFK who brought up the subject. 

"The Attorney General then mentioned Mary Hemingway, commenting on reports that Castro was drinking heavily in disgruntlement over the way things were going, and the opportunities offered by the “shrine” to Hemingway."

Lansdale wrote: "I commented that this was a conversation Ed Morrow had with Mary Hemingway, that we had similar reports from other sources, and that this was worth assessing firmly and pursing vigorously. If there are grounds for action, CIA had some invaluable assets which might well be committed for such an effort."

"McCone asked if his operational people were aware of this: I told him that we had discussed tis, that they agreed the subject was worth vigorous development, and that we were in agreement that the matter was so delicate and sensitive that it shouldn’t be surfaced to the Special Group until we were ready to go, and then not in detail."

BK: I'll tell you what McCone's operational people were planning - as detailed in what we know of the Pathfinder Plan - and that's a real plan, not a plot, but a plan to shoot Castro with a high powered rifle as he drove by in an open jeep to either his boat at the Bay of Pigs or the DuPont estate, where he often enjoyed the luxuries. The NPIC people, who revealed the Pathfinder Plan, also gave the operational people aerial U2 photos of the area, ground photos, and blueprints of the DuPont estate and surrounding buildings. That plan, as they reported, "was disapproved by higher authority," higher authority being JFK and RFK. 

There is no mention of any assassination attempt on Castro at the Hemingway house, and the only plot is in the heads of Corn and Russo, and not JFK and RFK. It is the Kennedy baiters and haters who keep promoting these ideas, and if this is the most significant record of the Kennedy's intentions to kill Castro, they never had any such intention. 

The Lansdale Memo Re: The Hemingway Plot

TOP SECRET – Crossed Out

Logo Secretary of Defense

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

Washington D.C.

16 March 1962

SENSITIVE – Crossed Out

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
By: Brig. Gen. Lansdale

Subject: Meeting with President ,  16 March 1962

Present: The President, General Taylor, the Attorney General, McGeorge Bundy, Mr. Gilpatrick, General Lemnitzer, Mr. McCone, Alexis Johnson, myself. At the White House 1600 hours, 16 March, 1962. ]

Prior to the President’s arrival, the group met in the Oval room. General Taylor handed out his “Guidelines for Operation Mongoose,” dated 14 March. I asked McCone about having Helms and Harvey, who were waiting outside, join us. McCone asked if I had any differences of opinion with them. I said that we were in agreement on operational procedures, as far as the guidelines would permit operations. McCone then said Helms and Harvey should stay outside (which he told the President later, also).

McCone then asked me if I were in agreement with the concept contained in the “Guidelines.” I commented that they didn’t fit the conditions inside Cuba that were becoming more apparent to the operational people, including CIA operativesfor whom I had respect; the chance of fracturing the regime and creating a valid revolution is becoming more feasable. I felt that we needed much more freedom to work on the revolutionary possiblities than is possible under the guidelines.

The President then came in.

General Taylor gave a brief report on devlopments since 30 Novem ber, said the Special Group felt that hard intelligence was needed before going ahead, and handed the President a copy of the revised Guidelines.

(The President glanced at this and momentarily and set it down on the table: Taylor had briefed him on the Guidelines the evening before.) The President then turned to me and asked me what was being done.

I gave him a quick summary of the intelligence-collection plan through July, telling him that this was the Special Group’s plan, and describing the work so far of CIA and Defense. I told him that we finaly were starting to get a really good team together for the operation, after much effort to get the U.S. pointed in the right direction. I noted that agents were to be trained or experienced in guerrilla warfare, that we needed U.S. military participation for support, including air-resupply and maritime actions.

He asked for details. Both General Lemnitzer and I told him about “sheep-dipping” U.S. military personnel, “sanitizing” equipment, and use of U.S. bases. I pointed out that PT boat silhouettes rquired a Navy base as a cover, even if we called it “R & E,” that air re-supply would be done at night from about 800-feet which entailed some risk which the Air Force was now assessing. He asked about maritime runs of the PT-boats; I explained our problems of “mother” ships, the LSD’s and 200-300 man crews, which we are trying to lick.

I remarked that the thesis of creating a revolution inside Cuba looked just as valid as ever, and that CIA professionals were now agreeing more and more that both resistance and the possibility of fracturing the regime pointed to some real opportunities. I noted that we were checking out a number of leads, including relatives of Fidel Castro, to assess the practical opportunities for splitting away some of the regime. If we could get some of the top Cuban leaders, and some units of the Cuban security forces to take to the hills, we would have conditions which would need quick exploitation – and we would have to be ready for this. I noted that we would have to supply arms and equipment; it is possible that this could be done without U.S. military intervention, but we must be ready to intervene with U.S. forces, if necessary.

The President asked if U.S. military intervention was an issue which the Special Group was posing to him now. Taylor and the Special Group promptly said, “no.”

General Lemnitzer commented that the military had contingency plans for U.S. intervention. Also, it had plans for creating plausible pretexts to use force, with the pretexts either attacks on U.S. aircraft or a Cuban action in Latin America for which we would retaliate.

The President said bluntly that we were not discussing the use of U.S. military force, that General Lemnitzer might find the U.S. so engaged in Berlin or elsewhere that he couldn’t use the contemplated 4 divisions in Cuba. So, we cannot say that we are able not to make a decision on the use of U.S. military force.

The President then commented that he hoped something could be done about the press. That the newspapers would start conjecturing on operations just as they did in April 1961. I said that such conjecture was going on all the time, that any solid-looking reports might well be a real blessing, because as talk increases that the U.S. has the intentions, somehow, to help the people of Cuba regain their freedom, that the people inside would get some hope. This spiritual factor, of having hope of something better than what they are now saddled with, is vitally important at this time.

The President was then asked about immigration. Wouldn’t it be better to shut our doors to the people trying to get out, so they would be forced to stay and take action against the regime?

I pointed out that we were still giving them only two choices: either to escape to the U.S. and freedom, or to stay as slaves. Once we are committed to helping them stage a revolt, provide arms, and are willing to go all the way in being sure that they win, ten we might consider closing out doors – because we then will be helping them gain teir freedom at home.   Now with 2,000 people fleeing every week, we would be foolish to remove this symbol of our sympathy and cut off the source of intelligence information and recruits. We must give the Cubans the chance and the help to free themselves.

The Attorney General then mentioned Mary Hemingway, sommenting on reports that Castro was drinking heavily in disgruntlement over the way things were going, and the opportunities offered by the “shrine” to Hemingway.

I commented that this was a conversation Ed Morrow had with Mary Hemingway, that we had similar reports from other sources, and that this was worth assessing firmly and pursing vigorouslly. If there are grounds for action, CIA had some invaluable assets which might well be committed for such an effort.

McCone asked if his operational people were aware of this: I told him that we had discussed tis, that they agreed the subject was worth vigorous development, and that we were in agreement that the matter was so delicate and sensitive that it shouldn’t be surfaced to the Special Group until we were ready to go, and then not in detail.

END OF MEMO 

The Lansdale Memo Re: The Hemingway Plot

 

The Lansdale Memo Re: The Hemingway Plot

TOP SECRET – Crossed Out

Logo Secretary of Defense

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

Washington D.C.

16 March 1962

SENSITIVE – Crossed Out

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
By: Brig. Gen. Lansdale

Subject: Meeting with President ,  16 March 1962

Present: The President, General Taylor, the Attorney General, McGeorge Bundy, Mr. Gilpatrick, General Lemnitzer, Mr. McCone, Alexis Johnson, myself. At the White House 1600 hours, 16 March, 1962. ]

Prior to the President’s arrival, the group met in the Oval room. General Taylor handed out his “Guidelines for Operation Mongoose,” dated 14 March. I asked McCone about having Helms and Harvey, who were waiting outside, join us. McCone asked if I had any differences of opinion with them. I said that we were in agreement on operational procedures, as far as the guidelines would permit operations. McCone then said Helms and Harvey should stay outside (which he told the President later, also).

McCone then asked me if I were in agreement with the concept contained in the “Guidelines.” I commented that they didn’t fit the conditions inside Cuba that were becoming more apparent to the operational people, including CIA operativesfor whom I had respect; the chance of fracturing the regime and creating a valid revolution is becoming more feasable. I felt that we needed much more freedom to work on the revolutionary possiblities than is possible under the guidelines.

The President then came in.

General Taylor gave a brief report on devlopments since 30 Novem ber, said the Special Group felt that hard intelligence was needed before going ahead, and handed the President a copy of the revised Guidelines.

(The President glanced at this and momentarily and set it down on the table: Taylor had briefed him on the Guidelines the evening before.) The President then turned to me and asked me what was being done.

I gave him a quick summary of the intelligence-collection plan through July, telling him that this was the Special Group’s plan, and describing the work so far of CIA and Defense. I told him that we finaly were starting to get a really good team together for the operation, after much effort to get the U.S. pointed in the right direction. I noted that agents were to be trained or experienced in guerrilla warfare, that we needed U.S. military participation for support, including air-resupply and maritime actions.

He asked for details. Both General Lemnitzer and I told him about “sheep-dipping” U.S. military personnel, “sanitizing” equipment, and use of U.S. bases. I pointed out that PT boat silhouettes rquired a Navy base as a cover, even if we called it “R & E,” that air re-supply would be done at night from about 800-feet which entailed some risk which the Air Force was now assessing. He asked about maritime runs of the PT-boats; I explained our problems of “mother” ships, the LSD’s and 200-300 man crews, which we are trying to lick.

I remarked that the thesis of creating a revolution inside Cuba looked just as valid as ever, and that CIA professionals were now agreeing more and more that both resistance and the possibility of fracturing the regime pointed to some real opportunities. I noted that we were checking out a number of leads, including relatives of Fidel Castro, to assess the practical opportunities for splitting away some of the regime. If we could get some of the top Cuban leaders, and some units of the Cuban security forces to take to the hills, we would have conditions which would need quick exploitation – and we would have to be ready for this. I noted that we would have to supply arms and equipment; it is possible that this could be done without U.S. military intervention, but we must be ready to intervene with U.S. forces, if necessary.

The President asked if U.S. military intervention was an issue which the Special Group was posing to him now. Taylor and the Special Group promptly said, “no.”

General Lemnitzer commented that the military had contingency plans for U.S. intervention. Also, it had plans for creating plausible pretexts to use force, with the pretexts either attacks on U.S. aircraft or a Cuban action in Latin America for which we would retaliate.

The President said bluntly that we were not discussing the use of U.S. military force, that General Lemnitzer might find the U.S. so engaged in Berlin or elsewhere that he couldn’t use the contemplated 4 divisions in Cuba. So, we cannot say that we are able not to make a decision on the use of U.S. military force.

The President then commented that he hoped something could be done about the press. That the newspapers would start conjecturing on operations just as they did in April 1961. I said that such conjecture was going on all the time, that any solid-looking reports might well be a real blessing, because as talk increases that the U.S. has the intentions, somehow, to help the people of Cuba regain their freedom, that the people inside would get some hope. This spiritual factor, of having hope of something better than what they are now saddled with, is vitally important at this time.

The President was then asked about immigration. Wouldn’t it be better to shut our doors to the people trying to get out, so they would be forced to stay and take action against the regime?

I pointed out that we were still giving them only two choices: either to escape to the U.S. and freedom, or to stay as slaves. Once we are committed to helping them stage a revolt, provide arms, and are willing to go all the way in being sure that they win, ten we might consider closing out doors – because we then will be helping them gain teir freedom at home.   Now with 2,000 people fleeing every week, we would be foolish to remove this symbol of our sympathy and cut off the source of intelligence information and recruits. We must give the Cubans the chance and the help to free themselves.

The Attorney General then mentioned Mary Hemingway, sommenting on reports that Castro was drinking heavily in disgruntlement over the way things were going, and the opportunities offered by the “shrine” to Hemingway.

I commented that this was a conversation Ed Morrow had with Mary Hemingway, that we had similar reports from other sources, and that this was worth assessing firmly and pursing vigorouslly. If there are grounds for action, CIA had some invaluable assets which might well be committed for such an effort.

McCone asked if his operational people were aware of this: I told him that we had discussed tis, that they agreed the subject was worth vigorous development, and that we were in agreement that the matter was so delicate and sensitive that it shouldn’t be surfaced to the Special Group until we were ready to go, and then not in detail.

END OF MEMO 

Lansdale Memo 16 March 1962 Re: The Hemingway Plot

MANY THANKS TO LARRY HAAPANEN FOR PROVIDING THIS DOCUMENT 

Jonathan Marshall's Dark Quadrant

 Dark Quadrant – New Book by Jonathan Marshall

An announcement from Jonathan Marshall, whom I have moved from the bcc list to the cc list for this thread.

     There are blurbs from Tony Summers, Gus Russo and others on the publisher’s page.

     Much of the text is visible and searchable on Amazon.

[Paul Hoch - Co-author with Jonathan on a 1978 article on the HSCA.]

Members of this group will likely be interested in the imminent publication of Jonathan Marshall’s timely new book, Dark Quadrant: Organized Crime, Big Business, and the Corruption of American Democracy, from Truman to Trump  (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). Though the book does not focus on the JFK assassination, it has revealing new information on many figures of interest to researchers, including LBJ, Carlos Marcello, the Murchisons, Irving Davidson, and John Rosselli, to name a few.

Synopsis

   Taking a highly original look at an old subject, political corruption, this book challenges the myth of a past golden age of American democracy. Drawing on a mass of new material from law enforcement files and a host of other original sources, it tells a shocking story, largely neglected by traditional historians, of how well-protected criminals and their business allies systematically organized the corruption of American national politics after World War II.

  The book begins by tracing the extraordinary scandals in the administration of President Truman, whose political career was launched by the murderous Pendergast political machine in Missouri. It quotes secretly recorded boasts by a leader of the Chicago mob about how Truman’s attorney general helped arrange the early parole of several notorious gangsters who extorted millions of dollars from the film industry. It goes on to expose the role of organized crime in the rise of McCarthyism during the Cold War, the near-derailment of Vice President Johnson’s political career owing to two mob-related national political scandals, and how Richard Nixon’s career-long association with underworld figures culminated in the Watergate scandal. It closes with a discussion of Donald Trump’s unique history of relations with leaders of both the traditional American Mafia and newer transnational gangs like the Russian Mafia—and how the latter led to his historic impeachment by the House of Representatives.

  “A unique blend of magma-deep research, dramatic revelations, and judicious conclusions. Marshall tells some frequently gob-smacking tales while steadily keeping his eye on the larger historical context. Readers will come away with an enlarged sense of the meaning and methods of corruption—and with a fresh perspective on what makes modern America tick.”
— David M. Kennedy, emeritus historian, Stanford University, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945

Excerpt:

    The [Senate Rules] committee was unaware of what the FBI knew about [Bobby] Baker’s New Orleans associates. In February 1963, under intense pressure from the Attorney General, Hoover directed his field office there to aggressively develop new informants and initiate electronic surveillance of suspected underworld members. Had Hoover been authorized to share information, the Rules Committee would have learned that Louisiana mob boss Carlos Marcello was reputedly a hidden partner in Popich’s Vieux Carré restaurant on Bourbon St. in New Orleans. (Testifying before Congress in executive session years later, Marcello confirmed that he and Popich had been close friends since childhood, and did business together.) It would have learned that Popich was involved with a 1961 shipment of 2,000 machine guns and a number of M-1 rifles to a “big wheel” allied with a group of disaffected Honduran military officers. It would have learned that Popich received at least two calls in 1964 from Charles “the Blade” Tourine, a senior Lansky associate and former Havana casino operator living in Miami Beach.

   The FBI may not have known at the time an even more explosive bit of information about Nick Popich: he owned land near Lake Pontchartrain on which militant anti-Castro exiles were training in 1963 to undertake illegal raids into Cuba. Their activities violated the Neutrality Act and the Kennedy administration’s firm policy of preventing such raids from U.S. soil in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Without naming Baker’s New Orleans contact, the guerrilla training camp became the subject of testimony before the Warren Commission in 1964, while the Rules Committee was still investigating Baker. The Commission learned that President Kennedy’s presumed assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had attempted to infiltrate the camp in the summer of 1963 while living in New Orleans. The camp disbanded that August only after the FBI raided a nearby arms cache maintained by anti-Castro activists, seizing more than a ton of dynamite, 20 bomb casings, fuses, and fixings for napalm. The militants acquired these explosives for a planned bombing raid against oil refineries near Havana. Their stockpile was allegedly financed by dispossessed Havana casino owner and his partner, who was described years later in Senate testimony as “a dealer in counterfeit money . . . [who] has been involved in dealing with stolen securities and other securities closely associated with . . . gamblers in Miami.” Authors Warren Hinckle and William Turner observed, “the Lake Pontchartrain raid was evidence that circles existed within circles. The most violent and rabidly rightist of exile elements, feeling that JFK had betrayed them, were turning to the mob and the radical paramilitary right wing for help in a war that was to turn against the government itself.” To say the least, members of the Rules Committee apprised of such facts would have been duty bound to dig further into the background of Baker’s associates.

Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr.

 Admiral George Whelan Anderson, Jr.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/gwanders.htm

The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) in charge of the US blockade of Cuba during Soviet missile crisis in 1962, died March  20, 1992, Arleigh Burke Pavilion nursing home in McLean, Virginia. He was 85 years old and lived in Washington, DC. He died of congestive heart failure, his family said. 

Many military experts had expected that he would become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). But a series of major policy disputes with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara sidetracked his 36-year Navy career, and he was abruptly replaced as operations chief in 1963. Shortly after that, President John F. Kennedy, pleased with the Navy's handling of the blockade, appointed him as US Ambassador to Portugal. During 3 years there, encouraged plans for peaceful transition of the Portuguese colonies in Africa to national independence. 

After leaving his post in Portugal, he returned to Government service from 1973 to 1977 as member and later chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. 

In the Cuban crisis, the US forced the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles from the island. Kennedy was quoted as telling him, "Well, Admiral it looks as though this is up to the Navy," to which he replied, "Mr President, the Navy will not let you down." Time magazine featured him on its cover, calling him "an aggressive blue-water sailor of unfaltering competence and uncommon flare." But he bridled at the extent of McNamara's insistence on civilian involvement in running the operation, regarding it as usurpation of traditional military authority. Historians say that the 2 men even debated specific ship deployments in an argument that erupted in the Situation Room of Pentagon. 

They also differed on other issues. McNamara proposed using TFX fighter plane for both the Navy and Air Force but the Admiral rejected it as unsuitable - and Congress agreed with him. McNamara then thwarted the Navy's long-held plans to make all its aircraft carriers nuclear powered. And he ruffled feelings when reporters obtained and publicized his private letter criticizing adequacy of a military raise. 

Born in Brooklyn, he entered the United States Naval Academy in 1927 and trained as a pilot after graduation in 1930. He flew as a test pilot and served on cruisers and carriers. 

In World War II, he helped the Navy's huge expansion of its air arm and participated in strikes in Pacific as a navigator on the second carrier Yorktown. After the war he commanded the antisubmarine carrier, Mondoro. Then he was picked to assist President Dwight D. Eisenhower at North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The General had asked the Navy to "send me the smartest naval aviator you've got." 

Among his posts, he was commander of the carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt and special assistant to the Chairman of the JCS. He also commanded Task Force 77 between Taiwan and mainland China and became Chief of Staff to the Pacific commander, commander Carrier Div 6 in the Mediterranean during the Lebanon landing and later commanded the Sixth Fleet. 

After leaving the Navy, was chairman of Lamar Corporation, an outdoor advertising co, and served on the boards of Value Line, National Airlines and Crown Seal and Cork. Was also president of the Metropolitan Club in Washington, DC. 

His first wife, former Muriel Buttling, died in 1947. Two sons who became Navy pilots are also deceased. George W. Anderson 3rd, died of cancer (and is buried in the admiral's plot in Arlington) and Thomas Patrick Anderson, who flew more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam, died in plane crash in the Mediterranean. Surviving are second wife of 44 years, the former Mary Lee Sample; a daughter, a stepdaughter, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. 

Buried, 23 March 1992 in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

---

George Whelan Anderson, Jr. (1906 - 1992) was an Admiral in the United States Navy. He served as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) between 1961 and 1963, and was in charge of the U.S. blockade of Cuba during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, George Whelan Anderson, Jr. entered the United States Naval Academy in 1927 and graduated with the class of 1930. After graduation he became a Naval Aviator and served on cruisers and aircraft carriers.

In World War II he served as the navigator on the fourth USS Yorktown (CV-10). After the war he served as the Commanding Officer of the escort carrier USS Mindoro (CVE-120) and of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). He also served tours as an assistant to General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief Pacific.

As a flag officer he commanded Task Force 77 between Taiwan and mainland China, Carrier Div 6 in the Mediterranean during the Lebanon landing and the United States Sixth Fleet.

As Chief of Naval Operations in charge of the U.S. blockade of Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, Admiral Anderson distinguished himself in the Navy's conduct of those operations; Time magazine featured him on the cover and called him "an aggressive blue-water sailor of unfaltering competence and uncommon flair." However, his contentious relationship with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara cut short his term as CNO and ended a service career that many had believed would lead to his appointment as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Pleased with his role in the Cuban missile crisis, President John F. Kennedy appointed Admiral Anderson Ambassador to Portugal, where he served for three years and encouraged plans for the peaceful transition of Portugal's African colonies to independence. He later returned to Government service from 1973 to 1977 as member and later chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.

After his retirement from the Navy, he was chairman of Lamar Corporation, an outdoor advertising company, and was a director on the boards of Value Line, National Airlines and Crown Seal and Cork.

His first wife, Muriel Buttling, died in 1947. His two sons, George W. Anderson III and Thomas Patrick Anderson (who flew more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam) are also deceased.

Admiral Anderson died March 20, 1992 of congestive heart failure at the age of 85. He was survived by his second wife of 44 years, the former Mary Lee Sample; a daughter, a stepdaughter, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He was buried on March 23, 1992 in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

---

Fashionable Hostess Mary L.L. Anderson
By Patricia Sullivan
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Saturday, November 4, 2006

Mary Lee Lamar Anderson, a gracious Navy wife and hostess who startled official Washington in 1962 when she had the red-brick Admiral's House at the Naval Observatory painted a bright light gray, died of pneumonia October 30, 2006, at her Watergate apartment six days short of her 100th birthday.

Mrs. Anderson and her husband, Admiral George W. Anderson, Chief of Naval Operations, lived from 1961 to 1963 in the hilltop home overlooking Massachusetts Avenue, which was built in 1893 for the superintendent of the Naval Observatory. The chief of naval operations requisitioned it for his home in 1923, and since 1974, it has been the official residence of the Vice President.

"The house used to look absolutely haunted when we'd drive up late at night," she told a Washington Post reporter in 1962. "So when I heard that they were going to clean the dirty red brick, I asked if they could paint it instead. . . . All I had in mind was freshening it up. But look at it. It has a different shape. Instead of going up, it now spreads."

The house, previously described as "staid" and "Victorian" with its large, dark windows and brooding turret, perked up with its light color, white trim and greenish-black blinds.

Inside, dark woodwork became off-white, and Mrs. Anderson rescued pale blue satin damask draperies from the attic and hung them downstairs alongside family heirlooms and paintings lent from the U.S. Navy Museum. She moved garden parties onto the sweeping veranda and introduced hot pink refreshment tents, replacing somber green canvas.

Her fashion sense was praised by a Post women's page writer in 1961: "She often goes out and trudges for hours to find something just right for her. Always chic, she dresses in high fashion, but not too high . . . not off one shoulder, for instance." She also sewed and was a talented flower arranger.

A Southern belle who married two Navy officers who became admirals, Mrs. Anderson traveled around the world. She was born Mary Lee Lamar in Pensacola, Florida, graduated from the former Gunston Hall finishing school in Northern Virginia and then married aviator William Dodge Sample. During World War II, while he was overseas, she lived in San Francisco. Sample, who became the youngest Rear Admiral in the Pacific theater, died in a plane crash in Japan in 1945.

She married Anderson, then a Captain, in 1948. Mrs. Anderson followed her husband to the Mediterranean and through Asia. They lived in the south of France while her husband commanded the Sixth Fleet before moving to Washington in 1961.

After two years at the Admiral's House, the Admiral was appointed ambassador to Portugal. The U.S. government owned a palatial residence in Lisbon for its ambassador, and Mrs. Anderson's decorating skills were once again put to use. They returned to the United States in 1966, settling first in McLean and later at the Watergate.

Mrs. Anderson was an avid golfer and was a member of Christ Church in Georgetown. She was also a member of the Colonial Dames of America, the Chevy Chase Club and the Sulgrave Club. She volunteered with the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, the Naval Officers' Wives Club, the International Neighbors Club and the Red Cross.

Her second husband died in 1992. Two stepsons also died: George Anderson III, in 1986, and Thomas Patrick Anderson, a veteran of 200 Navy combat missions in Vietnam, in a plane crash in 1978 in the Mediterranean.

Survivors include a daughter from her first marriage, Carolyn Sample Abshire of Alexandria; a stepdaughter, Nan Anderson Coughlin of Washington; 12 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

 ANDERSON, MARY LEE ANDERSON

MARY LEE LAMAR ANDERSON. Wife of the late Admiral George W. Anderson, USA (Ret.), died peacefully on Monday, October 30, 2006; beloved mother of Carolyn S. Abshire and son-in-law, David M. Abshire and Nan Coughlin. She also leaves 12 grandchildren, The Rev. Lupton Abshire, Anna Bowman, Mary Lee Jensvold, Phyllis d'Hoop, Caroline Hall, Mary A. Miller, Dan, Laura and Brenda Coughlin, Tom and David Anderson, Muriel Martens and 20 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, November 4 at 11 a.m. at Christ Church, Georgetown, 31st and O Sts., NW. Interment Arlington National Cemetery

---

ANDERSON, GEORGE WHELAN JR
United States Navy
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/15/1906
DATE OF DEATH: 03/20/1992
BURIED AT: SECTION 1  SITE 866
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

ANDERSON, MURIEL BUTTLING W/O ANDERSON, GEORGE WHELAN JR
DATE OF BIRTH: 11/09/1911
DATE OF DEATH: 10/20/1947
BURIED AT: SECTION 1  SITE 866
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

ANDERSON, THOMAS P
United States Navy
DATE OF BIRTH: 04/03/1942
DATE OF DEATH: 06/24/1978
BURIED AT: SECTION 1  SITE 864-1
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

ANDERSON, GEORGE W III
United States Navy
DATE OF BIRTH: 04/21/1935
DATE OF DEATH: 01/11/1986
BURIED AT: SECTION 1 SITE 866
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

Oral History | Anderson, George W. Jr., Adm., USN (Ret.) | U.S. Naval Institute

Gen. David M. Shoup USMC

  

Gen. David M. Shoup USMC

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/shoup.htm

General David Monroe Shoup served as the twenty-second Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1960 until his retirement from active service, December 31, 1963.

As a colonel in World War II, General Shoup earned the Nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor, while commanding the Second Marines, 2d Marine Division, at Betio, a bitterly contested island of Tarawa Atoll. The British Distinguished Service Order was also awarded him for this action. The following citation accompanied his award of the Medal of Honor:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops in action against enemy Japanese forces on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, from November 20 to 22, 1943.

"Although severely shocked by an exploding shell soon after landing at the pier, and suffering from a serious painful leg wound which had become infected, Colonel Shoup fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific relentless artillery, and rallying his hesitant troops by his own inspiring heroism, gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforced our hard-pressed thinly-held lines. Upon arrival at the shore, he assumed command of all landed troops and, working without rest under constant withering enemy fire during the next two days conducted smashing attacks against unbelievably strong and fanatically defended Japanese positions despite innumerable obstacles and heavy casualties.

"By his brilliant leadership, daring tactics, and selfless devotion to duty, Colonel Shoup was largely responsible for the final, decisive defeat of the enemy and his indomitable fighting spirit reflects great credit upon the United States Naval Service."

General Shoup was the 25th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II. It was presented to him on January 22, 1945 by the late James V. Forrestal, then Secretary of the Navy.

The general was born December 30, 1904, at Battle Ground, Indiana. A 1926 graduate of DePauw University, Greecastle, Indiana, he was a member of he Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University. He served for a month as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry Reserve before he was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant on July 20, 1926.

Ordered to Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Lieutenant Shoup's instruction was interrupted twice by temporary duty elsewhere in the United States, and by expeditionary duty with the Sixth Marines in Tientsin, China. After serving in China during most of 1927, he completed Basic School in 1928. He then served at Quantico, Virginia; Pensacola, Florida; and San Diego, California.

From June 1929 to September 1931, Lieutenant Shoup was assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the USS MARYLAND. By coincidence, the USS MARYLAND was the flagship for the assault on Tarawa 12 years later --providing emergency Naval gunfire support with her 16-inch guns early on D-Day. On his return from sea duty, he served as a company officer at the Marine Corps Base (later Marine Corps Recruit Depot), San Diego, until May 1932 when he was ordered to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1932.

Lieutenant Shoup later served on temporary duty with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Idaho and New Jersey form June 1933 to May 1934. Following duty in Seattle, Washington, he was again ordered to China in November 1934, serving briefly with the Fourth Marines in Shanghai, and, subsequently, at the American Legation in Peiping. He returned to the United States, via Japan, early in June 1936 and was again stationed at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. He was promoted to captain in October 1936.

Captain Shoup entered the Junior Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, in July 1937. On completing the course in May 1938, he served as an instructor for two years. In June 1940, he joined the Sixth Marines in San Diego. He was promoted to major in April 1941.

One month later, Major Shoup was ordered to Iceland with the Sixth Marines and, after serving as Regimental Operations Officer, became Operations Officer of the 1st Marine Brigade in Iceland in October 1941. For his service in Iceland during the first three months after the United States entered World War II, he was awarded the Letter of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon. He assumed command of the 2d Battalion, Sixth Marines, in February 1942. On returning to the States in March, the 1st Marine Brigade was disbanded and he returned with this battalion to San Diego.

In July 1942, he became Assistant Operations and Training Officer of the 2d Marine Division. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1942.

Sailing from San Diego aboard the USS MATSONIA in September 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Shoup arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, later that month. From then until November 1943, he served as G-3, Operations and Training Officer of the 2d Marine Division during its training period in New Zealand. His service in this capacity during the planning of the assault on Tarawa earned him his first Legion of Merit with Combat "V". During this period he also served briefly as an observer with the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal in October 1942 and with the 43d Army Division on Rendova, New Georgia, in the summer of 1943, earning a Purple Heart in the latter operation.

Promoted to colonel November 9, 1943, Colonel Shoup was placed in command of the Second Marines (Reinforced), the spearhead of the assault on Tarawa. During this action he earned the Medal of Honor as well as a second Purple Heart. In December 1943, he became Chief of Staff of the 2d Marine Division. For outstanding service in this capacity from June to August 1944, during the battles for Saipan and Tinian, he was again awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat "V". He returned to the United States in October 1944.

On his return to the States Colonel Shoup served as Logistics Officer, Division of Plans and Policies, Headquarters Marine Corps. He was again ordered overseas in June 1947. Two months later he became Commanding Officer, Service Command, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. In June 1949, he joined the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton as Division Chief of Staff. A year later he was transferred to Quantico where he served as Commanding Officer of the Basic School from July 1950 until April 1952. He was then assigned to the Office of the Fiscal Director, Headquarters Marine Corps, serving as Assistant Fiscal Director. He was promoted brigadier general in April 1953.

In July 1953, General Shoup was named Fiscal Director of the Marine Corps. While serving in this capacity, he was promoted to major general in September 1955. Subsequently, in May 1956, he began a brief assignment as Inspector General for Recruit Training. Following this, he served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps from September 1956 until May 1957. He returned to Camp Pendleton in June 1957 to become Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division.

General Shoup joined the 3d Marine Division on Okinawa in March 1958 as Commanding General. Following his return to the States, he served as Commanding General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, from May to October 1959. On November 2, 1959, he was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned duties as Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps.

General Shoup was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 12, 1959 to be the 22d Commandant of the Marine Corps, and his nomination for a four-year term was confirmed by the Senate. Upon assuming his post as Commandant of the Marine Corps on January 1, 1960, he was promoted to four-star rank.

On January 21, 1964, shortly after his retirement, General Shoup was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by President Lyndon B. Johnson for exceptionally meritorious service as Commandant of the Marine Corps.

A complete list of the general's medals and decorations includes: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Letter of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon, the Purple Heart with Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Yangtze Service Medal, the Expeditionary Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the British Distinguished Service Order.

General Shoup died 13 January 1983, and was buried in Section 7-A of Arlington National Cemetery.

Biography courtesy of the United States Marine Corps

---

SHOUP, DAVID MONROE

Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, and Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 22 November 1943. Entered service at: Indiana. Born: 30 December 1904, Tippecanoe, Indiana. 

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops in action against enemy Japanese forces on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 22 November 1943. Although severely shocked by an exploding enemy shell soon after landing at the pier and suffering from a serious, painful leg wound which had become infected, Col. Shoup fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific and relentless artillery, machinegun, and rifle fire from hostile shore emplacements. Rallying his hesitant troops by his own inspiring heroism, he gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforce our hard-pressed, thinly held lines.

Upon arrival on shore, he assumed command of all landed troops and, working without rest under constant, withering enemy fire during the next 2 days, conducted smashing attacks against unbelievably strong and fanatically defended Japanese positions despite innumerable obstacles and heavy casualties. By his brilliant leadership daring tactics, and selfless devotion to duty, Col. Shoup was largely responsible for the final decisive defeat of the enemy, and his indomitable fighting spirit reflects great credit upon the U.S. Naval Service.

---

DAVID M. SHOUP DEAD AT 78
EX-COMMANDANT OF MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, January 16, 1983 – General David M. Shoup, a retired Commandant of the Marine Corps, a World War II hero and early, outspoken critic of United States involvement in the Vietnam War, died Thursday of a heart ailment at the Circle Terrace Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.  He was 78 years old and lived in Alexandria.

General Shoup, who won the Medal of Honor for gallantry at Tarawa in the Pacific, said he believed the extensive buildup of American forces in Vietnam was unjustified.  He called President Johnson’s contention that the Vietnam War was vital to United States interest “pure, unadulterated poppycock.”

In 1966, three years after his retirement from the Marine Corps, General Shoup told students of Pierce College in Los Angeles that he did not think “as related to the present and future safety of this country” that “the whole of Southeast Asia was worth a single American life.”

“People keep honking about four Presidents having made commitments,” he said in an interview in 1968.  “We never made commitments, legal or otherwise, to furnish combat-type forces to anyone.”

General Shoup, a short, chunky man who had a quiet, matter-of-fact way of speaking, was named Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1959 after 33 years in the service.

General Shoup’s appointment by President Eisenhower caused bitterness among ranking Corps officers.  He was advanced over nine other officers, including three lieutenant generals, all of whom immediately applied for retirement.

In 1962, testifying before a special preparedness subcommittee of the Senate formed to investigate anti-Communist indoctrination in the armed forces, General Shoup criticized the panel for sending investigators to question enlisted Marines.  The Marine Corps should not be teaching hate, he said; it should be teaching men how to defend themselves and their country.

Among his first actions as head of the Marine Corps was to end the use of swagger sticks “except for those who need them.”  They promptly disappeared.  He also ended the traditional practice of escorting Marines convicted by a court-martial off the post with drummers playing the death march.

In command of the Marines in the attack on Japanese-held Beito Island of Tarawa, November 20-22, 1943, then-Colonel Shoup earned the highest military honor for valor.

On the first night of the assault, Colonel Shoup was wounded in the leg by shrapnel, but, according to the citation be received, he “fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific and relentless artillery, machine gun and rifle fire.”

Stranded a half mile down the beach from their landing point, Colonel Shoup rallied his troops and, the citation read, “gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforce our hard-pressed, thinly held lines.”

After Tarawa he served through the battles of Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands.

David Monroe Shoup was born in Battle Ground, Indiana, on December 30, 1904.  He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, in 1926.

After graduation, he spent a month as a Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry Reserve and was then transferred to the Marine Corps on June 26, 1926.  He studied at the Basic School for Marine Officers at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and served several years on the battleship USS Maryland off China.

Later he served as an instructor at the Marine Corps Training and Instructional Center at Quantico, Virginia.

Colonel Shoup was commanding a Marine Detachment in Iceland at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

---

SHOUP, ZOLA DeHAVEN

On January 28, 2003. Preceded in death by her husband, General David Monroe Shoup, United States Marine Corps (Retired); Survived by daughter, Carolyn Lamar of North Carolina; brother, Floyd DeHaven of Indiana; granddaughters, Catherine Chase of New York, Vicky Watkins of North Carolina, Martha Shoup of Colorado; grandson, Kenneth Shoup of Virginia; and great-granddaughter, Becky Watkins of North Carolina.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, February 13, 9 a.m. in Fort Myer Chapel. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Cuban Missile Crisis: JFK being mocked by top generals caught on tape

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other, which occurred in October 1962, during the Cold War.

https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-cuban-missile-crisis-jfk-being-mocked-by-top-generals-caught-on-tape-1745221

"I agree with that answer, general, I just agree with you, I just agree with you a hundred percent. Somebody's got to keep him from doing the goddamn thing piecemeal. That's our problem. Go in there and frig around with the missiles. You're screwed. You go in there and frig around with anything else, you're screwed," Shoup had added.

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other, which occurred in October 1962, during the Cold War.

General Earle G. "Bus" Wheeler USA

 Earle Gilmore "Bus" Wheeler, (January 13, 1908 - December 18, 1975) was a U.S. Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ewheeler.htm

Born in Washington D.C., Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1932 and was commissioned into the infantry. After 4 years at Fort Benning, he went to China with the 15th Infantry Regiment, then accompanied that regiment to Fort Lewis in 1938-1940.

He served in a variety of training assignments from 1941-1944, then went to Europe in November 1944 with the 63rd Infantry Division. In late 1945 he returned to the U.S. as an instructor at Fort Sill, then returned to Germany from 1947-1949 as a member of the U.S. Constabulary.

He attended and graduated from the National War College in 1950, then returned to Europe in various NATO staff positions until 1955, when he transferred to the General Staff at the Pentagon. He took command of the 2nd Armored Division in 1958 and III Corps in 1959, then became Director of the Joint Staff in 1960. In 1962 he was briefly Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe before being named Chief of Staff of the United States Army later that year.

In 1964 he succeeded Maxwell D. Taylor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and held that post until 1970. Wheeler died in Frederick, Maryland after a heart attack, while being transported by ambulance from his West Virginia home to Washington D.C.

Considering the large number of general officers available in 1964 with distinguished combat records in World War II and Korea, the staff officer Wheeler was a surprising choice for the top Pentagon post. His relative lack of combat experience, however, might actually have been seen as a plus in the eyes of the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson. The latter was not known for his tolerance of independent thinking, and Wheeler's dutiful acquiesence in Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam War is a failure for which Wheeler has been harshly criticized by some historians.

---

Earle Gilmore Wheeler was born on January 13, 1908 at Washington, D.C., he graduated from West Point in 1932 and was commissioned in the Infantry.

After four years at Fort Benning, Georgia, during which he was advanced to First Lieutenant in August 1935, he graduated from the Infantry School in 1937, served at Tientsin, China, with the 15th U.S. Infantry. In 1938-40 he was at Fort Lewis, Washington, with the same regiment, and in 1940-41 was an instructor at West Point, receiving promotion to temporary Captain in 1941 and then graduating from the Command and General Staff School. He was advanced to temporary Major in February and Colonel in November. After various training assignments, mainly in the South, he was sent to Europe in November 1944 as Chief of Staff of the 63rd Infantry Division, which landed at Marseilles, France, and joined Alexander M. Patch's 7th Army. Late in 1945 he returned to the U.S. and for a year was an instructor at the Artillery School, Fort Still, Oklahoma. In 1946, he returned to Europe, and from 1947 to 1949 was on the staff of the U.S. Constabulary (formerly VI Crops) in occupied Germany.

He graduated from the National War College in 1950 and was promoted to Brigadier General in November 1952, serving in staff posts with NATO forces in Southern Europe until 1955, when he was attached to the General Staff in Washington, receiving promotion to Major General in November of that year. In October 1958, he took command of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, moving up to command also of III Corps in March 1959. In April 1960, he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant General and named Director of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In March 1962, he was promoted to temporary General and made Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe under Lauris Norstad, and in October of that year he became Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

In July 1964, he succeeded General Maxwell D. Taylor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He held that post, through a period of rapid modernization of the Armed Forces during a trying era of war in Vietnam, until he retired in July 1970. In 1973 he revealed that he had, on the personal orders of President Richard M. Nixon, directed secret and, when made public, highly controversial, bombing missions over Cambodia in 1969-70.

He died at Frederick, Maryland, December 18, 1975, after a heart attack and while being transported by ambulance from his West Virginia home to Washington, D.C. He had held the Chairmanship oft he Joint Chiefs longer than anyone else. His nickname was "Bus."

He is buried in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery.

---

Frances Howell "Betty" Wheeler, 90, who was a prominent hostess as the wife of two four-star Army generals, died July 1, 2004, of cancer at a hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She lived on a farm near Martinsburg.

Mrs. Wheeler was well known in military and diplomatic circles for many years, particularly from 1964 to 1970, when her husband, General Earle G. Wheeler, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Wheeler previously was Army Chief of Staff.

Mrs. Wheeler, who lived in various military quarters near Washington for many years, christened the nuclear submarine USS Billfish in 1970.

She had been married to General Wheeler for 43 years when he died in 1975.

In 1980, she married another four-star general, Frank S. Besson Jr., who, like General Wheeler, was a member of the Class of 1932 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Gen. Besson was the founder and first commander of the Army Materiel Command and an authority on military transportation and logistics.

They lived in Alexandria until his death in 1985. After General Besson's death, she resumed using the name of her first husband.

In 1988, Mrs. Wheeler christened the Army logistical support vessel General Frank S. Besson Jr.

Survivors include a son from her first marriage, Dr. Gilmore "Bim" Wheeler; seven stepchildren from her second marriage; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

---

WHEELER, FRANCES H. "Betty" (Age 90)

On July 1, 2004. Beloved widow of General Earle G. Wheeler, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She is survived by her son, Dr. Gilmore "Bim" Wheeler and his wife, Judy; three grandsons, William G. and John R. Wheeler and Jonathan Aronoff; daughters-in-law, Laura and Jennifer Wheeler; two great-grandchildren, Chelsey and William Wheeler, as well as seven step-children by her second husband, General Frank S. Besson, Jr.

Services will be held on Friday, July 9, 2004 at 2:45 p.m. at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer with interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332.

---

WHEELER, FRANCES H
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/28/1913
DATE OF DEATH: 07/01/2004
DATE OF INTERMENT: 07/09/2004
BURIED AT: SECTION 30  SITE 434-1
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

WIFE OF WHEELER, EARLE GILMORE  - GEN   US ARMY

General Earle Gilmore Wheeler USA

 Earle Gilmore "Bus" Wheeler, (January 13, 1908 - December 18, 1975) was a U.S. Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/ewheeler.htm

Born in Washington D.C., Wheeler graduated from West Point in 1932 and was commissioned into the infantry. After 4 years at Fort Benning, he went to China with the 15th Infantry Regiment, then accompanied that regiment to Fort Lewis in 1938-1940.

He served in a variety of training assignments from 1941-1944, then went to Europe in November 1944 with the 63rd Infantry Division. In late 1945 he returned to the U.S. as an instructor at Fort Sill, then returned to Germany from 1947-1949 as a member of the U.S. Constabulary.

He attended and graduated from the National War College in 1950, then returned to Europe in various NATO staff positions until 1955, when he transferred to the General Staff at the Pentagon. He took command of the 2nd Armored Division in 1958 and III Corps in 1959, then became Director of the Joint Staff in 1960. In 1962 he was briefly Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe before being named Chief of Staff of the United States Army later that year.

In 1964 he succeeded Maxwell D. Taylor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and held that post until 1970. Wheeler died in Frederick, Maryland after a heart attack, while being transported by ambulance from his West Virginia home to Washington D.C.

Considering the large number of general officers available in 1964 with distinguished combat records in World War II and Korea, the staff officer Wheeler was a surprising choice for the top Pentagon post. His relative lack of combat experience, however, might actually have been seen as a plus in the eyes of the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson. The latter was not known for his tolerance of independent thinking, and Wheeler's dutiful acquiesence in Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam War is a failure for which Wheeler has been harshly criticized by some historians.

---

Earle Gilmore Wheeler was born on January 13, 1908 at Washington, D.C., he graduated from West Point in 1932 and was commissioned in the Infantry.

After four years at Fort Benning, Georgia, during which he was advanced to First Lieutenant in August 1935, he graduated from the Infantry School in 1937, served at Tientsin, China, with the 15th U.S. Infantry. In 1938-40 he was at Fort Lewis, Washington, with the same regiment, and in 1940-41 was an instructor at West Point, receiving promotion to temporary Captain in 1941 and then graduating from the Command and General Staff School. He was advanced to temporary Major in February and Colonel in November. After various training assignments, mainly in the South, he was sent to Europe in November 1944 as Chief of Staff of the 63rd Infantry Division, which landed at Marseilles, France, and joined Alexander M. Patch's 7th Army. Late in 1945 he returned to the U.S. and for a year was an instructor at the Artillery School, Fort Still, Oklahoma. In 1946, he returned to Europe, and from 1947 to 1949 was on the staff of the U.S. Constabulary (formerly VI Crops) in occupied Germany.

He graduated from the National War College in 1950 and was promoted to Brigadier General in November 1952, serving in staff posts with NATO forces in Southern Europe until 1955, when he was attached to the General Staff in Washington, receiving promotion to Major General in November of that year. In October 1958, he took command of the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas, moving up to command also of III Corps in March 1959. In April 1960, he was promoted to temporary Lieutenant General and named Director of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In March 1962, he was promoted to temporary General and made Deputy Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe under Lauris Norstad, and in October of that year he became Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.

In July 1964, he succeeded General Maxwell D. Taylor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He held that post, through a period of rapid modernization of the Armed Forces during a trying era of war in Vietnam, until he retired in July 1970. In 1973 he revealed that he had, on the personal orders of President Richard M. Nixon, directed secret and, when made public, highly controversial, bombing missions over Cambodia in 1969-70.

He died at Frederick, Maryland, December 18, 1975, after a heart attack and while being transported by ambulance from his West Virginia home to Washington, D.C. He had held the Chairmanship oft he Joint Chiefs longer than anyone else. His nickname was "Bus."

He is buried in Section 30 of Arlington National Cemetery.

---

Frances Howell "Betty" Wheeler, 90, who was a prominent hostess as the wife of two four-star Army generals, died July 1, 2004, of cancer at a hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She lived on a farm near Martinsburg.

Mrs. Wheeler was well known in military and diplomatic circles for many years, particularly from 1964 to 1970, when her husband, General Earle G. Wheeler, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Wheeler previously was Army Chief of Staff.

Mrs. Wheeler, who lived in various military quarters near Washington for many years, christened the nuclear submarine USS Billfish in 1970.

She had been married to General Wheeler for 43 years when he died in 1975.

In 1980, she married another four-star general, Frank S. Besson Jr., who, like General Wheeler, was a member of the Class of 1932 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Gen. Besson was the founder and first commander of the Army Materiel Command and an authority on military transportation and logistics.

They lived in Alexandria until his death in 1985. After General Besson's death, she resumed using the name of her first husband.

In 1988, Mrs. Wheeler christened the Army logistical support vessel General Frank S. Besson Jr.

Survivors include a son from her first marriage, Dr. Gilmore "Bim" Wheeler; seven stepchildren from her second marriage; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

---

WHEELER, FRANCES H. "Betty" (Age 90)

On July 1, 2004. Beloved widow of General Earle G. Wheeler, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She is survived by her son, Dr. Gilmore "Bim" Wheeler and his wife, Judy; three grandsons, William G. and John R. Wheeler and Jonathan Aronoff; daughters-in-law, Laura and Jennifer Wheeler; two great-grandchildren, Chelsey and William Wheeler, as well as seven step-children by her second husband, General Frank S. Besson, Jr.

Services will be held on Friday, July 9, 2004 at 2:45 p.m. at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer with interment to follow at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Army Emergency Relief, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22332.

---

WHEELER, FRANCES H
DATE OF BIRTH: 10/28/1913
DATE OF DEATH: 07/01/2004
DATE OF INTERMENT: 07/09/2004
BURIED AT: SECTION 30  SITE 434-1
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
  WIFE OF WHEELER, EARLE GILMORE  - GEN   US ARMY

General David M. Shoup USMC

  Gen. David M. Shoup USMC

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/shoup.htm

General David Monroe Shoup served as the twenty-second Commandant of the Marine Corps from January 1, 1960 until his retirement from active service, December 31, 1963.

As a colonel in World War II, General Shoup earned the Nation's highest award, the Medal of Honor, while commanding the Second Marines, 2d Marine Division, at Betio, a bitterly contested island of Tarawa Atoll. The British Distinguished Service Order was also awarded him for this action. The following citation accompanied his award of the Medal of Honor:

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops in action against enemy Japanese forces on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, from November 20 to 22, 1943.

"Although severely shocked by an exploding shell soon after landing at the pier, and suffering from a serious painful leg wound which had become infected, Colonel Shoup fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific relentless artillery, and rallying his hesitant troops by his own inspiring heroism, gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforced our hard-pressed thinly-held lines. Upon arrival at the shore, he assumed command of all landed troops and, working without rest under constant withering enemy fire during the next two days conducted smashing attacks against unbelievably strong and fanatically defended Japanese positions despite innumerable obstacles and heavy casualties.

"By his brilliant leadership, daring tactics, and selfless devotion to duty, Colonel Shoup was largely responsible for the final, decisive defeat of the enemy and his indomitable fighting spirit reflects great credit upon the United States Naval Service."

General Shoup was the 25th Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II. It was presented to him on January 22, 1945 by the late James V. Forrestal, then Secretary of the Navy.

The general was born December 30, 1904, at Battle Ground, Indiana. A 1926 graduate of DePauw University, Greecastle, Indiana, he was a member of he Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University. He served for a month as a second lieutenant in the Army Infantry Reserve before he was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant on July 20, 1926.

Ordered to Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Lieutenant Shoup's instruction was interrupted twice by temporary duty elsewhere in the United States, and by expeditionary duty with the Sixth Marines in Tientsin, China. After serving in China during most of 1927, he completed Basic School in 1928. He then served at Quantico, Virginia; Pensacola, Florida; and San Diego, California.

From June 1929 to September 1931, Lieutenant Shoup was assigned to the Marine detachment aboard the USS MARYLAND. By coincidence, the USS MARYLAND was the flagship for the assault on Tarawa 12 years later --providing emergency Naval gunfire support with her 16-inch guns early on D-Day. On his return from sea duty, he served as a company officer at the Marine Corps Base (later Marine Corps Recruit Depot), San Diego, until May 1932 when he was ordered to the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington. He was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1932.

Lieutenant Shoup later served on temporary duty with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Idaho and New Jersey form June 1933 to May 1934. Following duty in Seattle, Washington, he was again ordered to China in November 1934, serving briefly with the Fourth Marines in Shanghai, and, subsequently, at the American Legation in Peiping. He returned to the United States, via Japan, early in June 1936 and was again stationed at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. He was promoted to captain in October 1936.

Captain Shoup entered the Junior Course, Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, in July 1937. On completing the course in May 1938, he served as an instructor for two years. In June 1940, he joined the Sixth Marines in San Diego. He was promoted to major in April 1941.

One month later, Major Shoup was ordered to Iceland with the Sixth Marines and, after serving as Regimental Operations Officer, became Operations Officer of the 1st Marine Brigade in Iceland in October 1941. For his service in Iceland during the first three months after the United States entered World War II, he was awarded the Letter of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon. He assumed command of the 2d Battalion, Sixth Marines, in February 1942. On returning to the States in March, the 1st Marine Brigade was disbanded and he returned with this battalion to San Diego.

In July 1942, he became Assistant Operations and Training Officer of the 2d Marine Division. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1942.

Sailing from San Diego aboard the USS MATSONIA in September 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Shoup arrived at Wellington, New Zealand, later that month. From then until November 1943, he served as G-3, Operations and Training Officer of the 2d Marine Division during its training period in New Zealand. His service in this capacity during the planning of the assault on Tarawa earned him his first Legion of Merit with Combat "V". During this period he also served briefly as an observer with the 1st Marine Division on Guadalcanal in October 1942 and with the 43d Army Division on Rendova, New Georgia, in the summer of 1943, earning a Purple Heart in the latter operation.

Promoted to colonel November 9, 1943, Colonel Shoup was placed in command of the Second Marines (Reinforced), the spearhead of the assault on Tarawa. During this action he earned the Medal of Honor as well as a second Purple Heart. In December 1943, he became Chief of Staff of the 2d Marine Division. For outstanding service in this capacity from June to August 1944, during the battles for Saipan and Tinian, he was again awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat "V". He returned to the United States in October 1944.

On his return to the States Colonel Shoup served as Logistics Officer, Division of Plans and Policies, Headquarters Marine Corps. He was again ordered overseas in June 1947. Two months later he became Commanding Officer, Service Command, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific. In June 1949, he joined the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton as Division Chief of Staff. A year later he was transferred to Quantico where he served as Commanding Officer of the Basic School from July 1950 until April 1952. He was then assigned to the Office of the Fiscal Director, Headquarters Marine Corps, serving as Assistant Fiscal Director. He was promoted brigadier general in April 1953.

In July 1953, General Shoup was named Fiscal Director of the Marine Corps. While serving in this capacity, he was promoted to major general in September 1955. Subsequently, in May 1956, he began a brief assignment as Inspector General for Recruit Training. Following this, he served as Inspector General of the Marine Corps from September 1956 until May 1957. He returned to Camp Pendleton in June 1957 to become Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division.

General Shoup joined the 3d Marine Division on Okinawa in March 1958 as Commanding General. Following his return to the States, he served as Commanding General of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, from May to October 1959. On November 2, 1959, he was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned duties as Chief of Staff, Headquarters Marine Corps.

General Shoup was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 12, 1959 to be the 22d Commandant of the Marine Corps, and his nomination for a four-year term was confirmed by the Senate. Upon assuming his post as Commandant of the Marine Corps on January 1, 1960, he was promoted to four-star rank.

On January 21, 1964, shortly after his retirement, General Shoup was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by President Lyndon B. Johnson for exceptionally meritorious service as Commandant of the Marine Corps.

A complete list of the general's medals and decorations includes: the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" and Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Letter of Commendation with Commendation Ribbon, the Purple Heart with Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Yangtze Service Medal, the Expeditionary Medal, the American Defense Service Medal with Base clasp, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the British Distinguished Service Order.

General Shoup died 13 January 1983, and was buried in Section 7-A of Arlington National Cemetery.

Biography courtesy of the United States Marine Corps

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SHOUP, DAVID MONROE

Rank and organization: Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps, commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, and Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 22 November 1943. Entered service at: Indiana. Born: 30 December 1904, Tippecanoe, Indiana. 

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of all Marine Corps troops in action against enemy Japanese forces on Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, from 20 to 22 November 1943. Although severely shocked by an exploding enemy shell soon after landing at the pier and suffering from a serious, painful leg wound which had become infected, Col. Shoup fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific and relentless artillery, machinegun, and rifle fire from hostile shore emplacements. Rallying his hesitant troops by his own inspiring heroism, he gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforce our hard-pressed, thinly held lines.

Upon arrival on shore, he assumed command of all landed troops and, working without rest under constant, withering enemy fire during the next 2 days, conducted smashing attacks against unbelievably strong and fanatically defended Japanese positions despite innumerable obstacles and heavy casualties. By his brilliant leadership daring tactics, and selfless devotion to duty, Col. Shoup was largely responsible for the final decisive defeat of the enemy, and his indomitable fighting spirit reflects great credit upon the U.S. Naval Service.

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DAVID M. SHOUP DEAD AT 78
EX-COMMANDANT OF MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, January 16, 1983 – General David M. Shoup, a retired Commandant of the Marine Corps, a World War II hero and early, outspoken critic of United States involvement in the Vietnam War, died Thursday of a heart ailment at the Circle Terrace Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia.  He was 78 years old and lived in Alexandria.

General Shoup, who won the Medal of Honor for gallantry at Tarawa in the Pacific, said he believed the extensive buildup of American forces in Vietnam was unjustified.  He called President Johnson’s contention that the Vietnam War was vital to United States interest “pure, unadulterated poppycock.”

In 1966, three years after his retirement from the Marine Corps, General Shoup told students of Pierce College in Los Angeles that he did not think “as related to the present and future safety of this country” that “the whole of Southeast Asia was worth a single American life.”

“People keep honking about four Presidents having made commitments,” he said in an interview in 1968.  “We never made commitments, legal or otherwise, to furnish combat-type forces to anyone.”

General Shoup, a short, chunky man who had a quiet, matter-of-fact way of speaking, was named Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1959 after 33 years in the service.

General Shoup’s appointment by President Eisenhower caused bitterness among ranking Corps officers.  He was advanced over nine other officers, including three lieutenant generals, all of whom immediately applied for retirement.

In 1962, testifying before a special preparedness subcommittee of the Senate formed to investigate anti-Communist indoctrination in the armed forces, General Shoup criticized the panel for sending investigators to question enlisted Marines.  The Marine Corps should not be teaching hate, he said; it should be teaching men how to defend themselves and their country.

Among his first actions as head of the Marine Corps was to end the use of swagger sticks “except for those who need them.”  They promptly disappeared.  He also ended the traditional practice of escorting Marines convicted by a court-martial off the post with drummers playing the death march.

In command of the Marines in the attack on Japanese-held Beito Island of Tarawa, November 20-22, 1943, then-Colonel Shoup earned the highest military honor for valor.

On the first night of the assault, Colonel Shoup was wounded in the leg by shrapnel, but, according to the citation be received, he “fearlessly exposed himself to the terrific and relentless artillery, machine gun and rifle fire.”

Stranded a half mile down the beach from their landing point, Colonel Shoup rallied his troops and, the citation read, “gallantly led them across the fringing reefs to charge the heavily fortified island and reinforce our hard-pressed, thinly held lines.”

After Tarawa he served through the battles of Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands.

David Monroe Shoup was born in Battle Ground, Indiana, on December 30, 1904.  He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, in 1926.

After graduation, he spent a month as a Lieutenant in the United States Army Infantry Reserve and was then transferred to the Marine Corps on June 26, 1926.  He studied at the Basic School for Marine Officers at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and served several years on the battleship USS Maryland off China.

Later he served as an instructor at the Marine Corps Training and Instructional Center at Quantico, Virginia.

Colonel Shoup was commanding a Marine Detachment in Iceland at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

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SHOUP, ZOLA DeHAVEN

On January 28, 2003. Preceded in death by her husband, General David Monroe Shoup, United States Marine Corps (Retired); Survived by daughter, Carolyn Lamar of North Carolina; brother, Floyd DeHaven of Indiana; granddaughters, Catherine Chase of New York, Vicky Watkins of North Carolina, Martha Shoup of Colorado; grandson, Kenneth Shoup of Virginia; and great-granddaughter, Becky Watkins of North Carolina.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, February 13, 9 a.m. in Fort Myer Chapel. Interment Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Cuban Missile Crisis: JFK being mocked by top generals caught on tape

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other, which occurred in October 1962, during the Cold War.

https://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-cuban-missile-crisis-jfk-being-mocked-by-top-generals-caught-on-tape-1745221

"I agree with that answer, general, I just agree with you, I just agree with you a hundred percent. Somebody's got to keep him from doing the goddamn thing piecemeal. That's our problem. Go in there and frig around with the missiles. You're screwed. You go in there and frig around with anything else, you're screwed," Shoup had added.

The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other, which occurred in October 1962, during the Cold War.