Military career Vernon A. Walters

1 military career

1.1 1940s , 50s
1.2 1960s
1.3 1970s

military career
1940s , 50s

walters in 1976 lieutenant general

walters joined army in 1941 , commissioned. served in africa , italy during world war ii. served link between commands of brazilian expeditionary force , u.s. fifth army, earning medals distinguished military , intelligence achievements.

his served aide , interpreter several presidents. @ president harry s. truman s side interpreter in key meetings america s spanish- , portuguese-speaking latin american allies. language skills helped him win truman s confidence, , accompanied president pacific in 1950s, serving key aide in truman s unsuccessful effort reach reconciliation insubordinate general douglas macarthur, commander of united nations forces in korea.

in europe in 1950s, walters served president dwight eisenhower , other top officials translator , aide @ series of nato summit conferences. during period participated in famous visit of eisenhower general franco. worked in paris @ marshall plan headquarters , helped set supreme headquarters allied powers in europe. then-vice president richard nixon in 1958 when anti-american crowd stoned car in caracas, venezuela. walters suffered facial cuts flying glass. vice president avoided injury.

1960s

in 1960s, walters served u.s. military attaché in france, italy, , brazil. in 1961, proposed american military intervention in italy if socialist party had participated in government. 2 decades later high-profile u.s. ambassador u.n. april 1989 until august 1991, during german reunification, ambassador west germany. served roving ambassador, performing sensitive diplomatic missions included talks in cuba, syria, , elsewhere. sent morocco meet discreetly plo officials , warn them against repetition of 1973 murders of 2 american diplomats in region. (in earlier visit morocco, had given ride on tank young boy later became king hassan ii.)

while serving military attaché in paris 1967 1972, walters played role in secret peace talks north vietnam. arranged smuggle national security advisor henry kissinger france secret meetings senior north vietnamese official, , smuggle him out again. accomplished borrowing private airplane old friend, french president georges pompidou.

1970s

walters in 1972 deputy director central intelligence

president richard nixon appointed walters deputy director central intelligence (ddci) in 1972. (walters served acting dci 2 months in mid-1973.) during 4 years ddci, worked closely 4 successive directors agency—and nation—confronted such major international developments 1973 arab-israeli war, subsequent oil crisis, turbulent end of vietnam war, , chilean military coup against allende government , letelier assassination. according close colleague, walters averted looming catastrophe cia in connection watergate scandal:

despite numerous importunings on high, [walters] flatly refused to...cast cloak of national security on guilty parties. @ critical moment, he... refused involve agency, , bluntly informed highest levels of executive [branch] further insistence quarter result in immediate resignation.

walters himself reflected on challenging days in 1978 autobiography, silent missions:

i told [president nixon s white house counsel] on day went work @ cia had hung on wall of office color photograph showing view through window of home in florida…when people asked me was, told them [this] waiting [for me] if squeezed me hard.