Walter Bedell Smith

Walter Bedell Smith (1895-1961), a U.S. Army general born in Indianapolis, Indiana, served as Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff in World War II, negotiating the surrenders of Italy (1943) and Germany (1945). Postwar, he was U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union (1946-1949), commander of First Army (1949-1950), and crucially, Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) at the CIA from 1950 to 1953. As DCI during the early Cold War and UFO sighting surge (e.g., 1952 Washington flap), he oversaw intelligence on unidentified aerial phenomena, including the CIA's Robertson Panel (1953) which recommended downplaying UFO reports to reduce public hysteria. No direct personal publications or testimony on UAP exist, but his leadership shaped government UFO policy amid military programs like Project Blue Book. He later served as Undersecretary of State (1953-1957) until retirement.