EncyclopediaSmith, Walter Bedell
Smith, Walter Bedell, 1895–1961, U.S. general, b. Indianapolis, Ind. He enlisted (1910) in the Indiana National Guard, won a commission in the U.S. army (1918), and advanced to the rank of lieutenant general (1943). Secretary (1941–42) to the general staff, he became (1942) the U.S. secretary to the combined chiefs of staff, and as Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff (1942–45) he signed the surrender terms with Italy (1943) and with Germany (1945). Smith served (1946–49) as ambassador to the USSR, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1950–3), and Undersecretary of State (1953–54). He wrote My Three Years in Moscow (1950) and Eisenhower's Six Great Decisions: Europe 1944–1945 (1956).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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