On October 14, 1918, in the waning days of the First World War, 35-year-old Army Lieutenant Colonel William Donovan led a battalion of the famed 165th Infantry Regiment through the Argonne Forest in an assault on Landres-et-St. Georges, France. The terrain was brutal, the enemy deeply entrenched, and communication was, at best, unreliable.
When adjacent units faltered and failed to advance, Donovan continued pressing forward even as fire from a heavily fortified German position concentrated on his forces. Exposing himself to intense fire, Donovan personally moved onward to reconnoiter the enemy position while reorganizing his forces and urging his men forward. Despite being wounded – his knee was shattered by enemy shrapnel – Donovan refused evacuation. His example that day sustained the momentum of the attack and would subsequently earn him the Nation’s highest decoration: the Medal of Honor.
More importantly, Donovan learned a valuable lesson that day in the Argonne: future conflicts would not be won by mass alone, but through the use of intelligence, deception, and psychological factors. The experience would ultimately shape the man who would one day be regarded as the father of American intelligence.
From Warrior to Strategist
Born in Buffalo, NY, on New Year’s Day in 1883, Donovan was a second generation Irish-American in a family committed to pursuing a better life in their adopted home. Choosing the law over the priesthood, Donovan attended Columbia University where, as a classmate of Franklin D. Roosevelt, he earned the nickname “Wild Bill” on the gridiron as the quarterback of the football team. He eventually returned to Buffalo, opened a law practice, and married the daughter of the wealthiest man in the city.
In 1912, he helped to form a cavalry troop in the New York National Guard. Then, at the behest of the State Department, he deployed the troop to the Texas Border to join the hunt for Pancho Villa with then-Brigadier General John J. Pershing. Promoted to major in the field, Donovan returned to New York and joined the 69th Infantry Regiment (later designated at the 165th), the “Fighting Irish” of Civil War fame. When the United States joined the fight in Europe, Donovan led his battalion to war.
The war lit a spark in the young Donovan, revealing his true vocation. He had been exposed to the cost of operating without timely information and the inherent dangers in flawed intelligence. In the following years, he traveled extensively across Europe and Asia, cultivating relationships with foreign leaders and intelligence officials. When the next Great War came, his former Columbia Law classmate, FDR, appointed him as the Coordinator of Information. On June 13, 1942, Donovan became the first director of the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to today’s Central Intelligence Agency.
Lessons in leadership
Donovan was a leader cast in a much different mold than his contemporaries, who tended to value hierarchical structures and uniformity. His leadership philosophy was rooted in trust – trust in people, innovation, and the necessity of embracing risk. At the core of his philosophy was the conviction that intelligence must drive operations, not bureaucracy. Intelligence was about more than gathering secrets: it informed strategy, enabled decision-making, and shaped outcomes.
Donovan never led a field army during World War II, yet his impact on national security rivals that of the most famous generals of the era. His impact on the intelligence community was transformational, positioning it as a permanent instrument of state power. From his time leading the OSS, five distinct lessons emerge that define much of Donavan’s legacy as the father of American intelligence.
1. Intelligence is a strategic capability.
Donovan recognized that when integrated early, intelligence could shape entire campaigns. OSS operations demonstrated that timely intelligence fused with local resistance could amplify conventional military power. Information superiority is foundational to operational success.
2. Diversity of thought is a competitive advantage.
Donovan’s unconventional hiring practices were revolutionary at the time. He recognized a fundamental truth: in complex environments, homogeneity limits perception; diversity expands it. By blending academic rigor with operational daring, he ensured that OSS assessments were both creative and grounded.
3. Decentralization enables agility and adaptability.
OSS teams operated with significant autonomy, often behind enemy lines. Donovan trusted his subordinate leaders to make decisions in the face of uncertainty and ambiguity. This decentralized approach fostered rapid innovation and adaptation – essential traits in the complex environments common to OSS operations.
4. Leadership demands personal courage.
Donovan frequently clashed with political rivals, military conventionalists, and even allies within the Roosevelt administration. He persisted because he believed the mission mattered more than parochial interests. Effective leaders – especially innovators – must possess the courage to fight for their vision.
5. Institutions matter beyond the individual.
Although the OSS was dissolved after World War II, Donovan’s vision persevered through the creation of the CIA in 1947. But it was never about him – he understood that the truest measure of legacy is the lasting success of the institution, success that endures long after the individual has moved on.
A Legacy in Words
Donovan died in 1959, largely outside the public spotlight. Every modern intelligence operation, every interagency fusion center, and every effort to integrate intelligence analysis with ongoing operations can trace roots to his efforts. His life serves as a reminder that leadership is often about seeing what others can’t – or don’t – and building what doesn’t yet exist.
Long after his death, his words echo through the halls of the Intelligence Community, serving as further reminder of the insights that fueled an Irish kid from Buffalo.
1. “In war, nothing is more important than intelligence—except courage.”
Donavan firmly believed that information and human resolve were inseparable. Good intelligence tied with personal courage produces measurable results.
2. “The best intelligence service is one that tells the truth, even when the truth is unpopular.”
Donavan held a fundamental commitment to the integrity of the intelligence services. Don’t tell people what they want to hear; tell them what they need to hear.
3. “We must organize our thinking as carefully as we organize our forces.”
Donovan understood that strategy begins in the mind. As General James Mattis so aptly stated, “The most important six inches on the battlefield is between the ears.”
4. “There are no rules in intelligence except those imposed by necessity and conscience.”
Donavan was nothing if not practical. His pragmatic yet principled approach to unconventional warfare ensured that the people he empowered to make the hard choices in complex circumstances had the autonomy – and trust – to do so.
5. “Leadership means accepting responsibility before you are given authority.”
Few statements better capture how Donovan operated – from the trenches of World War I to the creation of the OSS. Leadership isn’t about a position of authority or a corner suite in an office building. It’s about setting a positive example and holding yourself accountable.
