Aliases
Disambiguation
General Walter Bedell 'Beetle' Smith (1895–1961, U.S. military/CIA) is distinct from Wilbert B. Smith (1894–1962, Canadian government scientist and UFO researcher). This entry refers to the American general.
Stats
Person
Enrichment
- Walter Bedell Smith — WikipediaWikipedia▎ high· 2026-05-14
- Born 5 October 1895 in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Died 9 August 1961 in Washington, D.C.
- Chief of Staff to Eisenhower (1942–1945)
- Negotiated Italian (1943) and German (1945) surrenders
- CIA Director 1950–1953
- Promoted to four-star General 1951
- Walter Bedell Smith | World War II, Eisenhower, CIA | BritannicaBritannica▎ high· 2026-05-14
- U.S. Ambassador to Soviet Union (1946–1949)
- Director of Central Intelligence (1950–1953)
- Reorganized CIA into directorate system
- Established Office of National Estimates
- Under Secretary of State (1953–1954)
- Military service 1910–1953
- General Walter Bedell Smith as Director of Central Intelligence, October 1950–February 1953 — CIA FOIA Reading RoomCIA▎ high· 2026-05-14
- DCI tenure: 7 October 1950 – 9 February 1953
- Reorganized CIA structure and mission
- Made CIA primary covert operations arm of U.S. government
SMITH
Description (EN)
Stub generated by entity dedup. Will be enriched in Phase 6.
Descrição (PT-BR)
Stub gerado pela deduplicação de entidades. Será enriquecido na Fase 6.
<!-- enrichment:start -->Enrichment (EN)
Disambiguation: General Walter Bedell 'Beetle' Smith (1895–1961, U.S. military/CIA) is distinct from Wilbert B. Smith (1894–1962, Canadian government scientist and UFO researcher). This entry refers to the American general.
General Walter Bedell Smith (1895–1961), nicknamed 'Beetle,' was a senior United States Army officer and intelligence leader. He served as Chief of Staff to General Dwight D. Eisenhower at both Allied Forces Headquarters (1942–1943) and Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1944–1945), and negotiated the surrenders of Italy (1943) and Germany (1945). After World War II, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1946–1948), Commander of the U.S. First Army (1949–1950), and Director of Central Intelligence (1950–1953)—the 4th DCI. During his CIA tenure, Smith reorganized the agency into the directorate system still in use, redefined its covert operations mission, and established the Office of National Estimates. He was promoted to four-star General rank on 1 August 1951. Smith concluded his government career as Under Secretary of State (1953–1954) before retiring. He died of a heart attack in Washington, D.C., on 9 August 1961.
Enriquecimento (PT-BR)
Desambiguação: General Walter Bedell 'Beetle' Smith (1895–1961, U.S. military/CIA) is distinct from Wilbert B. Smith (1894–1962, Canadian government scientist and UFO researcher). This entry refers to the American general.
O General Walter Bedell Smith (1895–1961), apelidado de 'Beetle,' foi um oficial sênior do Exército dos EUA e líder de inteligência. Serviu como Chefe de Estado-Maior do General Dwight D. Eisenhower tanto na Força Expedicionária Aliada quanto na Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (1944–1945), e negociou as rendições da Itália (1943) e da Alemanha (1945). Após a Segunda Guerra Mundial, serviu como Embaixador dos EUA na União Soviética (1946–1948), Comandante do Primeiro Exército dos EUA (1949–1950) e Diretor da Inteligência Central (1950–1953)—o 4º DCI. Durante sua gestão na CIA, Smith reorganizou a agência no sistema de diretorias ainda em uso, redefiniu sua missão de operações encobertas e estabeleceu o Office of National Estimates. Foi promovido a General de quatro estrelas em 1º de agosto de 1951. Smith concluiu sua carreira governamental como Subsecretário de Estado (1953–1954) antes de se aposentar. Faleceu de infarto em Washington, D.C., em 9 de agosto de 1961.
External Sources
- Walter Bedell Smith — Wikipedia · Wikipedia · reliability:
high— Born 5 October 1895 in Indianapolis, Indiana; Died 9 August 1961 in Washington, D.C.; Chief of Staff to Eisenhower (1942–1945); Negotiated Italian (1943) and German (1945) surrenders; CIA Director 1950–1953; Promoted to four-star General 1951 - Walter Bedell Smith | World War II, Eisenhower, CIA | Britannica · Britannica · reliability:
high— U.S. Ambassador to Soviet Union (1946–1949); Director of Central Intelligence (1950–1953); Reorganized CIA into directorate system; Established Office of National Estimates; Under Secretary of State (1953–1954); Military service 1910–1953 - General Walter Bedell Smith as Director of Central Intelligence, October 1950–February 1953 — CIA FOIA Reading Room · CIA · reliability:
high— DCI tenure: 7 October 1950 – 9 February 1953; Reorganized CIA structure and mission; Made CIA primary covert operations arm of U.S. government