Why did the United States create the Office of Strategic Services during World War II?

The United States established the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in June 1942 to centralize and coordinate the nation's fragmented foreign intelligence efforts during World War II.12

Prior to the creation of the OSS, U.S. intelligence gathering was conducted in an unsystematic manner by the Office of Naval Intelligence, Army intelligence, and the FBI. These agencies often operated with intense rivalry, failing to share critical information with each other or with senior policy makers—a systemic failure that contributed to the lack of warning regarding the attack on Pearl Harbor.2

Under the leadership of William J. (“Wild Bill”) Donovan, the OSS was tasked with collecting and analyzing intelligence in areas where U.S. forces operated. Beyond gathering data, the agency was responsible for conducting military intelligence activities, including counterpropaganda, disinformation, and sabotage operations behind enemy lines to support resistance fighters. Many of its functions were eventually assumed by the Central Intelligence Agency following the war.12