Office of Strategic Services Personnel Files from World War II
Descriptions of 23,973 personnel files from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) between 1941 and 1945 are available in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC).
Search Hint
To search for an individual's name in the OSS personnel files:
- Go directly to the series description (ARC ID 1593270)
- Scroll down to the "Includes" field and click on the link for "Search within this Series." An ARC search window with a filter for searching only within the personnel files will appear.
- Enter your keywords (such as the last name Donovan or the full name Mary Donovan) and press the "Search" button. If your search returns results, click on a title link to view the full details of any hit.
Ordering Copies
For information about ordering a copy of an OSS personnel file, please contact the Research Room staff. It would be good to mention that you would like a copy of the OSS personnel file for [the name of the person], the ARC ID for the file unit, the file unit title, and the Container ID (which can be found under the Archived Copies tab).
Digital Copies of Selected OSS Personnel Files
The digital copies of the selected OSS personnel files include extracts or selected highlights and do not represent the complete files. The only complete file is for Julia Child (under her maiden name McWilliams).
Note: The PDF files may open in the same browser window. If you would prefer to download a PDF to your computer or disk, right click on the linked image and select “Save Target As...” (or “Save Link As...”). When you click on a link to the file unit description in ARC, a new browser window with your ARC Search session will open.
Link to Digital Copy (PDF) | Name of OSS Employee | Link to File in ARC |
---|---|---|
Bunche, Ralph
Bunche was an African affairs specialist for the OSS who later served in the United Nations and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. |
ARC ID 2168596 | |
Casey, William
Casey received a Bronze Star Medal for his OSS service and later became Director of Central Intelligence. |
ARC ID 2169187 | |
Child, Julia [McWilliams, Julia]
Child served as a research assistant with the OSS and later became a cookbook author and TV personality. |
ARC ID 2180661 | |
Dulles, Allen
Dulles received a Distinguished Service Medal for his OSS service in Switzerland and later served as Director of Central Intelligence. |
ARC ID 2171692 | |
Goldberg, Arthur
Goldberg was a labor specialist for the OSS who later served as U.S. Secretary of Labor and as a Supreme Court Justice. |
ARC ID 2174048 | |
Hayden, Sterling [Hamilton, John]
Hayden was a film actor who left the Marine Corps to anonymously join the OSS and received a Silver Star. |
ARC ID 2174885 |