US Army Military Intelligence History: A Sourcebook - Fort Huachuca ...

U.S. Army Intelligence History: A Sourcebookdivision would:have cognizance and control of military intelligence, both positive and negative, and shall be incharge of an officer designated as the director of military intelligence, who will be an assistant to theChief of Staff. He is also the chief military censor. The duties of this division are to maintain estimatesrevised daily of the military situation, the economic situation, and of such other matters as the Chief ofStaff may direct, and to collect, collate, and disseminate military intelligence. It will cooperate withthe intelligence section of the general staffs of allied countries in connection with military intelligence;prepare instructions in military intelligence work for the use of our forces; supervise the training ofpersonnel for intelligence work; organize, direct, and coordinate the intelligence service; supervisethe duties of military attaches; communicate directly with department intelligence officers and intelligenceofficers at posts, camps, and stations; and with commands in the field in matters relating tomilitary intelligence; obtain, reproduce and issue maps; translate foreign documents; disburse andaccount for intelligence funds; cooperate with the censorship board and with intelligence agencies ofother departments of the Government.One of the jobs accomplished by the MI section since its inception was the production of daily andweekly intelligence summaries that covered a wide range of subjects, not only military, but political, socialand economic areas as well. Early efforts were characterized by rudimentary collection techniques, likenewspaper clippings and even brochures provided by the French General Staff, and superficial assessments.But, as resources increased, so too did the sophistication and interpretative content of the intelligencesummaries.By the Fall of 1918, these summaries were being distributed to the Army Chief of Staff, the Secretary ofState and the President. The main source of information was the military attache network, but reportssupplied by the Office of Naval Intelligence and the State and Justice Departments were relied upon aswell. The MI section also drew upon the services of “confidential agents, special informants, and distinguishedforeign visitors.” In 1922, with its staff reduced, the MI division cut back production to a weeklybasis.To respond to an increasingly pressing need for interpreters in the American Expeditionary Force inFrance, the Secretary of War approved the commissioning a limited number of officers who could qualifyas interpreters. In July 1917, a Corps of Interpreters was created in the National Army which would fallunder the supervision of the Chief of Staff with a close affiliation to the Military Intelligence Section.Exams were conducted around the country with the ranks of the corps filling up with 17 captains, 41 firstlieutenants and 72 sergeants. It sent men to all the major field headquarters and to the MIS.American neutrality at the outset of World War I was shattered when a coded message from GermanForeign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the Mexican government was intercepted by the Americans anddeciphered by British Intelligence. The Zimmerman telegram proposed an alliance between Germany andMexico in the event of war with the United States. If the alliance proved victorious, Mexico would regainTexas, New Mexico and Arizona. As a result, border outposts at Douglas, Naco and Nogales werestrengthened.The lessons Pershing learned about the value of military intelligence during the 1916 Punitive Expeditioncaused him to place great reliance upon this tool during World War I when he commanded theAmerican Expeditionary Force and organized a G2 section along French and British examples. Anintelligence section existed in every battalion and higher command.Adopting an organizational system for his American Expeditionary Force (AEF) staff, General Pershingtook the four main staff sections from the French (Personnel, Intelligence, Operations, and Logistics) andadded the British prefix “G” for General Staff. So his intelligence staff, led by Colonel Dennis E. Nolan,a Spanish-American veteran and close friend of Van Deman, became the G2 with these various subsectionsand duties:G2A (Information): 1-Order of Battle and Strategic Intelligence, 2-Translation/Interpretation andTechnical Intelligence, 3-Situation Maps and Aerial Reconnaissance, 4-Summaries and Terrain Studies,82