Political Warfare Timeline 1942

Notes towards a chronology of the modern history of covert action with particular reference to the role of the Lovestoneite movement.

February

• 12 - Esther and Nathan Mendelssohn stopped on flight from Miami.

March

• 2 - Mendelssohns arrested.
• 6 - Lovestone writes Judge Justine Polier on Mendelssohns' behalf.

April

• 9 -- Charges against Mendelssohns dismissed.

June

• US Office of the Coordinator of Information becomes the Office of Strategic Services.

August

• 24 - Lovestone writes to George K. Bowden asking to join OSS and stating "I have made a firsthand study of the Nazi movement and I have had practical experience in underground as well as open work in nearly fifteen countries."
• 31 - OSS memo states "Lovestone is engaged not only in a number of intrigues involving the Communist Party, from which he broke ostensibly in 1929 when he formed the Communist Party Opposition, but also in other activities which may render him useless as an impartial source of information."

September

• Office of Strategic Services establishes Secret Intelligence Branch to organise clandestine agent operations abroad.
• 9 - After Lovestone applies for work with Department of Labor, J. Edgar Hoover writes: "It is positively shocking that this man is even being considered for a government job.

December

• 25 Leon Jouhaux arrested by Vichy authorities attempting to embark at Marseilles.