Edwin L. Sibert

Edwin Luther Sibert
Born(1897-03-02)March 2, 1897
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedDecember 16, 1977(1977-12-16) (aged 80)
McLean, Virginia, U.S.
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Central Intelligence Agency
Years of service1918–1954
Rank Major General
CommandsDepartment of the Antilles
OP4 Commander Operation PORTREX
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal (3)
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
RelationsMG William L. Sibert (father)
MG Franklin C. Sibert (brother)
Lt. Cmdr. Edwin L Sibert, Jr. (son)[1]

Edwin Luther Sibert (March 2, 1897 – December 16, 1977) was a United States Army officer with the rank of major general and served as intelligence officer during World War II and post-war Europe, where he assisted in the creation of the Gehlen Organization.[2] He would return to the United States and briefly serve in the Central Intelligence Group, the forerunner of the modern CIA. He was the son of Major General William L. Sibert and the brother of Major General Franklin C. Sibert. A graduate of the United States Military Academy in 1918, he would receive the Distinguished Service Medal three times for his service during World War II and the Cold War.[3]

Early life and education

At West Point in 1918

Sibert was born on March 2, 1897, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Major General William L. Sibert and his wife Mary Margaret Cummings Sibert. He would be raised on military tradition, his grandfather William J. Sibert and great-uncle William B. Beeson having served in the Confederate army, and his father in the United States Army.[4] Sibert's early years would see his father assigned to Manila, Philippines (1899–1900), and the Panama Canal Zone (1907–1914).[5]

In 1914, Sibert would receive an at-large appointment to the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1918.[6]

Sibert later graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in June 1935. He also graduated from the Army War College in June 1939.[7]

Career

Dates of rank

Promotions[6]
Rank Date
Second lieutenant 12 June 1918
First lieutenant (acting) 23 October 1918
First lieutenant 16 August 1919
Captain 1 August 1933
Major 1 April 1940
Colonel (acting) 15 January 1941
Lieutenant colonel (acting) 12 June 1941
Colonel (acting) 1 February 1942
Lieutenant colonel 4 August 1942
Brigadier general (acting) 31 October 1942
Colonel 11 March 1948
Brigadier general (acting) 31 October 1942
Major general (acting) 1 August 1948
Brigadier general 21 March 1953

Service

Duty assignments[6][8]
Beginning Ending Assignment
1936 1937 Assistant Instructor in the Department of Tactics, United States Military Academy
July 1940 December 1941 U.S. Military Attaché to Brazil
December 1941 March 1942 Assistant Secretary, Combined Chiefs of Staff
March 1942 May 1942 Attending Field Artillery School, Ft. Sill, Oklahoma
May 1942 August 1942 Chief of Staff, 7th Division
August 1942 August 1943 Commanding Officer, Artillery, 99th Division
September 1943 March 1944 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2)European Theater of Operations
March 1944 July 1945 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2), 12th Army Group
July 1945 September 1946 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2)European Theater of Operations
September 1946 12 August 1948 Assistant Director of Operations, Central Intelligence Group (CIA)
13 August 1948 23 November 1948 Commanding General, Pacific Sector, Panama Canal Zone
24 November 1948 December 7, 1950 Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces, Department of Antilles
December 7, 1950 April 24, 1952 Staff Director, Inter-American Defense Board, Washington, D.C.
April 24, 1952 Commanding Officer, Camp Edwards, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Awards and decorations

Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
1st Row Army Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters
2nd Row Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal World War I Victory Medal American Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp
3rd Row American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four service stars World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal
4th Row National Defense Service Medal Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Officier de la Légion d'honneur French Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with Palm

Later life

After retirement, Sibert lived on Martha's Vineyard and spent his winters in Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to McLean, Virginia in 1972 and died there from a ruptured aneurysm in 1977.[9] Sibert is buried at Arlington National Cemetery along with his father MG William Luther Sibert.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Edwin L. Sibert Jr". March 6, 2012.
  2. ^ Selby, Andrew Scott. The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It. New York: Penguin, 2012. [ISBN missing]
  3. ^ "Edwin Sibert - Recipient -".
  4. ^ Beeson, Henry Hart. A Genealogy of the Beeson-Beason Family. Houston, Texas: H. H. Beeson, 1968. OCLC 2691510
  5. ^ MG William L. Sibert, Biography, Chemical Corps Regimental Association, http://www.chemical-corps.org/honors/sibertbio.htm
  6. ^ a b c Official U.S. Army Register 1954, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1954.
  7. ^ Biographical register of the officers and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York since its establishment in 1802: Supplement, 1930–1940. Vol. VIII. R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, The Lakeside Press. April 1941. p. 370. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Ruffner, Kevin C., ed. Forging An Intelligence Partnership: CIA and the Origins of the BND 1945–1949: A Documentary History, Vol. I, CIA History Staff, Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1999. [ISBN missing]
  9. ^ "Edwin Luther Sibert". Assembly. Vol. XXXVII, no. 4. March 1979. pp. 122–123. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Burial Detail: Sibert, Edwin Luther – ANC Explorer