Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing William Archer Glenn Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Cold War
- Branch of Service: Navy; Army
- Unit of Service: Naval Air Training Command; VQ-1 (Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron); Naval Test Center; Commander Special Intelligence Operations Unit; Carrier Division (CCD 3); Naval Investigative Service; Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC)
- Location of Service: Atsugi, Japan; Patuxent River, Maryland; Pacific; Korea; Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Vietnam; California; Fort Holabird, Maryland; Austria; Germany
- Highest Rank: Officer Special Agent; Commander
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/23803
After a brief stint working counter-intelligence in the Army in mid-1950s Vienna, William Glenn took a job with the Office of Naval Intelligence. In 1962, he was working at NASA shortly after the Berlin Wall was erected, and he was called to active duty in the Navy. Glenn went on to become an intelligence officer as well as a test pilot, doing two tours of duty in Vietnam plus assignments along the DMZ in Korea and stateside, where he was involved in, among other cases, investigating the kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst.
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayHis duties when stationed in Vienna in the mid-1950s, working against Soviet intelligence efforts; some minor gun battles; being tailed by enemy agents; basic rules of staying ahead in intel work. 00:01:18.3 - 00:05:11.8
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PlayGoing to work for NASA working on security for first astronauts; discovered in talking with John Glenn that they were related; recalled to active duty when the Berlin Wall went up; making a career out of the Navy by going into training programs. 00:06:41.5 - 00:10:48.1
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PlayWorking as a test pilot; one of the planes was designed to discourage travel along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam; learning to do target analysis; working on contingency plans for returning Vietnam POWs and cleaning up mines in Haiphong. 00:12:31.8 - 00:15:12.1
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PlayHis five and a half year tour of duty in Vietnam, beginning in 1963; monitoring John Glenn's splashdown; problems with managing the course of the war from Washington. 00:16:34.1 - 00:20:05.1
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PlaySecond tour of duty in Vietnam as part of the carrier division staff. 00:23:41.7 - 00:25:10.9
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PlayIntelligence Watch Officer for Commander of the Pacific; dealing with shoot-down of Korean airliner; Chief of Indications & Warning Center in Korea; dealing with 3 or 5 shooting incidents a week around the DMZ 00:27:15.1 - 00:29:55.1
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PlayHow his wife summed up the appeal of his work. 00:41:18.3 - 00:42:32.1
More Resources
About this Item
Title
- William Archer Glenn Collection
Names
- Glenn, William Archer
- Tanner, Robin
- Regional Technical Institute/Daughters of the American Revolution, Reno
Home State
- Nevada
Headings
- - Glenn, William Archer
- - Cold War -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Navy.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- veteran
Service History
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Cold War
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: Counter-Intelligence Corps (CIC)
- Location of Service: Fort Holabird, Maryland; Austria; Germany
- Highest Rank: Officer Special Agent
- Dates of Service: 1954-1956
- Military Status: veteran
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Navy
- Unit of Service: Naval Air Training Command; VQ-1 (Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron); Naval Test Center; Commander Special Intelligence Operations Unit; Carrier Division (CCD 3); Naval Investigative Service
- Location of Service: Atsugi, Japan; Patuxent River, Maryland; Pacific; Korea; Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Vietnam; California
- Highest Rank: Commander
- Dates of Service: 1962-1980
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran also served in the Intelligence Center Pacific (IPAC).
Materials
- Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected 2003-02-07)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2003-02-07)
- Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2000)
- Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-02-07)
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2003-02-07; 2006-03-03)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/23803
Cite as
- William Archer Glenn Collection (AFC/2001/001/23803), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Atsugi, Japan
- Austria
- California
- Chicago, Illinois
- Fort Holabird, Maryland
- Germany
- Korea
- Pacific
- Patuxent River, Maryland
- Vietnam
- Washington, DC
Service Unit
- Carrier Division (Ccd 3)
- Commander Special Intelligence Operations Unit
- Counter-Intelligence Corps (Cic)
- Naval Air Training Command
- Naval Investigative Service
- Naval Test Center
- Vq-1 (Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron)