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Acknowledgments 

 This study was commissioned by the National Park Service, and I am indebted to 

a number of its members who have provided invaluable advice and assistance in its 

preparation. Gary Scott, Chief Historian, National Capital Region, of the NPS, gave me 

his expert advice all along the way. This study would not have been possible without his 

help and also without the strong support and advice of Bob Hickman, Superintendent of 

Prince William Forest Park, and Mel Poole, Superintendent of Catoctin Mountain Park. 

Brian Carlstrom, Resource Manager at Prince William Forest Park in 2004 when I 

began my research, had initiated this project. I am grateful to him and also to other 

members of the NPS staffs at the two parks, who provided assistance on many occasions 

and who read all or parts of the manuscript and offered valuable suggestions. At Prince 

William Forest Park, I received help from, in addition to Superintendent Hickman, 

Assistant Superintendent George Liffert, Resource Manager David Hayes, Chief of 

Interpretation Laura Cohen, and Museum Technician Judy Volonoski. At Catoctin 

Mountain Park, in addition to Superintendent Poole, I had assistance from Resource 

Manager James Voigt and his successor, Sean Denniston, as well as Supervisory Park 

Ranger Sally Griffin, Chief Ranger Holly Rife, and Biologist Becky Loncosky. 

I wish also to acknowledge the support of Charles Roman, National Park Service, 

North Atlantic Coast Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, located at the University of 

Rhode Island Bay Campus, Narragansett, Rhode Island; of Carole Daye, National Park 

Service, Boston, Massachusetts; and of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs 

at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. 

Much of my research was done at the National Archives II in College Park, 

Maryland. There I was fortunate to have the guidance of the venerable John E. Taylor of 

the Modern Military Records Branch, who among his may other achievements convinced 

the CIA to open the OSS files, and of Lawrence H. McDonald, archivist and author who 

oversaw the OSS collection from 1985 until his retirement in 2008, and who always 

welcomed me and guided me in my many visits to the central research room. Archivist 

Joseph D. Schwartz helped with the records of the National Park Service. 

Bringing to life the story of training and service in the OSS would have been 

much more difficult without the help of OSS veterans themselves. I am grateful to all the 

veterans who shared their stories with me. Their names are listed in the Bibliography, as 

are the names of relatives of deceased OSS veterans who provided me with useful 

material. I would be remiss, if I did not give special thanks to those veterans, who time 

after time provided additional information or other material: John W. Brunner, Caesar J. 

Civitella, Frank A. Gleason, Joseph E. Lazarsky, Elizabeth P. McIntosh, Albert 

Materazzi, Charles M. Parkin, Arthur F. Reinhardt, and Reginald G. Spear. 

Several non-veterans who have been engaged in work about the OSS also 

generously offered assistance. Charles T. Pinck, President of the OSS Society, 

encouraged me to join the society’s online discussion group. Jonathan Clemente and 

Lynn Philip Hodgson shared material. Toni L. Hiley, curator of the CIA Museum, 

provided insights. Troy J. Sacquety, U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command’s History 
vii

Office, helped generously. No study of Donovan, the OSS, and the origins of the CIA, 

would be possible without the meticulous early work of CIA historian Thomas F. Troy. 

My wife, Amy P. Chambers, read my entire manuscript and gave me her always 

insightful advice. The present work is the better for it. 

I gratefully acknowledge the assistance I have received from so many people, but 

any errors or inaccuracies that remain in the work are, of course, my own responsibility. 

 J.W.C.