Bissell, Richard M., Jr. Interview by Brackley Shaw. "Origins of the U-2." Air Power History 36, no. 4 (1989): 15-21.See Nick Sambides, Jr., "A Spymaster's Son, Bangor Man Seeks Traces of His CIA Dad," Bangor Daily News, 25 Aug. 2013. [http://bangordailynews.com/]
Bissell, Richard M., Jr. Interview by Brackley Shaw. "Origins of the U-2." Air Power History 36, no. 4 (1989): 15-21.
As the DCI's special assistant for planning and coordination from 1954, Bissell directed the development of the U-2. Clark comment: Bissell's role in his later position as Deputy Director for Plans in organizing and carrying out the Bay of Pigs invasion has tended to obscure his earlier successes in developing the U-2 and portions of the satellite reconnaissance program.
[CIA/60s/U-2; Recon/Aircraft][c]
Bissell, Richard M., Jr., with Jonathan E. Lewis and Frances T. Pudlo. Reflections of a Cold Warrior: From Yalta to the Bay of Pigs. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1996. JK468I6B55
Shryock, WIR 15.6, sees Bissell's memoirs as "thoughtful, candid, provocative, and ultimately puzzling." However, at times, the author "conveys his thoughts in a stiff, disorganized, and even excessively lawyerly manner." Falcoff, National Interest, Winter 1996-1997, finds the book "informative and stimulating," despite "its unexciting prose and a tendency to flatten what must have been far more dramatic events."
For Immerman, Choice 34.2, this work is disappointing but "nevertheless has value. It provides a succinct history of some of America's most dramatic Cold War initiatives and insight into the mindsets of their architects." Chambers concludes that "[t]here are no major disclosures. However, Bissell's personal recollections do add a new and useful viewpoint to the history of these operations." Click for a full review by Chambers.
"Methodological problems" with Bissell's memoirs are raised by Westerfield, Studies (Winter 1998-1999). Noting the clear acknowledgement that the "actual writing was done by [Bissell's] two collaborators," Westerfield also is concerned that "the posthumous additions (not clearly delineated ) obscure throughout what words were ever personally approved by Bissell and what ones were not."
[CIA/Memoirs, 50s/Gen, 50s/Guatemala, 60s/Bay of Pigs, & 60s/Gen; Recon/Aircraft][c]
Bissell, Richard
M., Jr. "Response to Lucien S. Vandenbroucke, The 'Confessions' of
Allen Dulles: New Evidence on the Bay of Pigs." Diplomatic History
8, no. 4 (1984): 377-380. [Petersen]
[CIA/60s/BoP]
Bissell,
Schuyler, and Daniel G. Kniola. "Intelligence for War Fighting."
Signal 41 (Sep. 1986): 48-49. [Petersen]
[MI/Warfighter]
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