(Classified)SUPERSPY CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A CIA FUROR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000200520007-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 16, 2000
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: August 7, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

. ;~iN"r~'O~s5 ~Y~~l
Approved For Release 2000/09/13~~j~2,~P71~~A001R00020
CPYRGHT
By CLACK' iii LEi^,iHOF'h
r.int? wis i ribune
5tafr' Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
i`he life of an Iowa business-
man was pleasant but un-
~naiysis:
wHaT ~~`
civentful for
i Hans V. Tofte.
` He had al-
~: ready live d
hrough a,
series or ex-;~ and he needed an experi- you to nts own story ul ~wa,~ Of course, he was not,
?~eriences that ; et:ced undercover agent to rather :umarl:abie service in `billed as one of the super-
j would have, . , g espies of the C[A agent ,but
i done credit 'to Handle plannin .and execu- World War II, a good part of; y
erations for the which was spent m the' OSS ~ h
could deal publicly wit h
tion of o
In Tokyo, he used a letter been oltcratin;,. He jtunpcd.
of introduction from Mac-`into it with the same entlntsi-
Nider on the stationery of?asm 17e haci for his wort: jn~
'li9 >\t,,,-rhwactarn ~ S t. a t e '~ esniona~e and u n o 1? l h o dox
Portland Cement Co. of M. 'warfare. ,
crn~ C1CV.
;,~ "This will be preset;te. ~ LS starl.u:~. tv t t. t a
and fellow 'speech befare a l u n c h e o n
t~,y good friend
.
~; townsman. LieuC. Col. I-Ians.'~roup in Clear Lake, Tofte
Donovan MacN~ider headquarters," M a c N i d e r i spealter that won him a wide
Eg,,...~:,.,,, ,.,,..,,,,,r wrote. "Col. Tofte can tell ;reputation in the Midwest.
p
e
1----- - ----~ Lawrence or
nakion's b ~ g interttational'.under our mutual friend, I3ill leis danger-fit}cd activities in
Arabia when t:e Danish-born 4pying activity. 'Donovan, who 'considered the Danish undergrowxt . in
Tofte -end his Iowa -born 'trim one of his aolest and 1940 his work in 194,x' and
wire, lb~arlys, moved ~t.o ?owa~. ? TOFTE' PASSED cff the,rnost valuable operatives."'i '
with the intention of living; suggestions t1~aC he .join the: 142 with the British comutan-,
1 , . ~ "Col. Tofte has s;~ent a I dos in guerilla warfare 9n
City.
THEI' HAD purchased thr?
e . ?' ` . `.. large enough, and there was
Mason City Chamber of Com- a need for a man with Tof-,his experience qualifies him,"' Tito, and Tof-
merce and the Etks. In a similar letter to Maj,~te and a Capt.
d articu- R b T1
t iom
-
?~-pry
busir.'essman. He joined the ,~~'ithm hours, and? m t as ~- ~ Mess, and I commend him tp~ the survival of F;-~-~^~
~;,.
Masoas, the , rotary Club, ~ ington was told that Vi inner yaur consideration for any the forces of f y
th - ?n~r~c~n f Legion the considered this emergency tasks for which you may ferl Marshal Jostp i , s
e
,.oose a ~ teas War in ...fungi ' 1900
City from Mrs. Tofte's untie, of definite service. to you in;
John Corsaut. Tofte was de-.:brought a call from Wisner, the present emergency. I{ The gun-running activities
termined to be what he con- ^ s 1: i t~ ? that he come to. have faith in his abilities, his'; Pram Italy to Yugoslavia
sidered a typical Midwestern ~V`'.`~shitigton, D.C.-H ~.1 eft ,loyalty and his resourseful-t were regarded as essential to
-
CIA with the comment t tat
he "would be available if you ;rood part of his adult life in~l3urma, his entry into 'the
get an emergency.,U~aC is big!the Far East, particularly in OSS as an instructor and
? ,ivlanchuria and China, and later as an operator in north?
`
~
T cz1nug
t
tl:ejern Africa and Yugoslavia,
controlling interest in ~C-iptol~ would semi t.o have all
The outbreak of. the Iso-~ y g from 1943 through 1946.
f Co in Mason', _ necessar back round to be
" L
Japanese and Russian. was in c arge o i ~,
~ for MacArthur, MacNider I s h a r e d t h e
There were conferences at' commented: c o m m a n d
ances_ap tn.oug
Gen. William (Wild Bill) ~ the highest levels in govern-
Donovan, wartime head of meat, including the then
the Office of Strategic 5erv- ~ Defense Secretary Gcn.
ties (OSS), Tofte and his wife'.George C. Marshall;~and Tofte
in military affairs and be-
cause of a ?:;~utual acquant-
h the late
p
to s experience an . p ~ Gen, C. A. Willoughby, who o gir
Through amutual interestilarly his fluency in Chinese, h f 'ntelli~encejs o n .w h o
I-Iar. o dcMacNider, onetof the'nient-starting from scratch, tt:at ne consiaeis non one ur,;Lhe United States bovern-
most distinguished citizens to build the CIA operation ~ it ` for twhichnh s exper once ! ment ?wi tlt Donovan 'making
ui Korea. He was t o b e{ Y ,the presentation.
of northeast Iowa. based i n Tokyo, Sapan, a nd ~ qualities him?? Alilu{~+;,h ct r, c o r a 1. c ci h
;}.It even in the first'w a s t o work directly with That ~~?~^s to be a ane-year; ~ y
months in Masoit City Toftc Gcn. boughs MacArthur, jay for t,.,, CIA, hut. at Wis- ?}?ito's ;;