The 488 Military Intelligence Detachment (for Steve T)

First topic message reminder :

Steve,

your skepticism about the reality of this detachment got me wondering... and searching. The web is full of references to it - but all are JFK related and not necessarily based on anything solid.

Then I finally found something that indicates it was a real outfit.

Here's some info:

obit of Jack E. Earnest wrote:He enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 1948 and served as an enlisted man in various units attaining the rank of Master Sergeant, was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in September, 1953 and assigned to the 847th CIC Detachment. In June 1956, he was assigned to the 488th Strategic Intelligence Detachment until 1962, achieving the rank of Captain. This latter assignment was primarily concerned with providing intelligence on Russian and other countries' status in exploration and production of oil and natural gas for use with other intelligence units in preparing and updating National Intelligence Summaries. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=160976735#sthash.mX3LJS6E.dpuf

Ed. Ledoux wrote:Steve,

I went through the rank via mainly newspapers articles,

Whitmeyer was a Capt. in '54, Major 55-60 where I could no longer find any more Major Whitmeyer stories.

Ed,

Thanks,

The obituary for Frances Whitmeyer says that they moved to Fort Worth in 1961 and then Dallas in 1963.
Doesn't say why.
The other article says he went to Indiantown Gap for a while. I used to live near Indiantown Gap once upon a time.
Could you give me the urls for the articles you posted?

The one article says that he was a native of New Jersey.

I've been a little confused about that. There was a George L. Whitmeyer who served as an ambulance driver in WWI, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1890. by 1940, he was living in New Jersey and was 50 years old.
http://www.archives.com/1940-census/george-whitmeyer-nj-125053713
That George Whitmeyer's wife was named Millie. (Also called Nellie in another place in that census roll) (A first wife perhaps?)

Steve Thomas

greg parker wrote:Steve,

your skepticism about the reality of this detachment got me wondering... and searching. The web is full of references to it - but all are JFK related and not necessarily based on anything solid.

Greg (and Hasan if you're still around) and Ed,

How 'bout this *grin*?

The Mexia Daily News from Mexia, Texas · Page 1
November 7, 1957
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/11876796/



Mexia Man Receives Appointment Earl McKeilh, (center) is pictured with L. Robert Castorr, of Dallas, Southwestern division manager of the National Federation of Independent Business, and Si N. Meadow, district manager of the organization from Austin.


“Earl McKeith was coming out of a local bank Tuesday and came face to face with a man who was one of his fellow Army officers in the early thirties. Earl didn't recognize him but L. Robert Castorr, of Dallas, immediately grabbed Earl's arm and said "I know you." Mr. Castorr. who is now a- colonel in the Active Reserve serving as inspector and advisor to the 90th Division in Texas., and Mr. McKeith, a Reserve. Army captain, were first lieutenants when they served with each other in the Second Infantry Division. They last saw each other in 1930. Col. Castorr served with Merrill's Marauders in Burma during World War II.” "Mr. Meadow was accompanied to Mexia by L. Robert Castorr, the Southwestern division manager for the National Federation of Independent Business. Mr. Castorr formerly served in the U. S. Army with Mr. McKeilh.”


Dallas Morning News 11-16-1965
10 Dallas reserve Units Included In Inactivation
By Gene Ormsby
Fourteen Army Reserve units in Dallas, including 10 in the 90th Infantry Division, are scheduled to be inactivated immediately, Major Gen. William R. Calhoun commander of the Eighth U.S. Army Corps said Monday in Austin.



Lt. Col. George L. Whitmeyer, deputy East Texas sector commander said the same units were listed more than a month ago by Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara as the ones to be disbanded.
McNamara announced at that time that the 90th Infantry Division would be disbanded. Whitmeyer said he had not received confirmation of the orders from Gen. Calhoun, but said they could take place in the next two to three months. 

I think the 488th is going to come out of the 90th Infantry Division Reserves.

PS: The following is just an interesting little side note.

Ex-CBI Roundup
December 1982 Issue
By L. Robert Castorr, Col., USA Inf. (Ret.)
While visiting with General Frank "Pinky" Dorn, one of our early rugged infantry comrades of the CBI and just shortly before he passed away on July 26,1981, he related the history and origin of how this distinguished patch came into being. I pass on his remarks presented to me for those of our readers who may find the story of interest.


(How the China, Burma, India patch came into existence) 
http://www.ex-cbi-roundup.com/articles/cbi_patch.html

Steve Thomas

Interesting. Thanks Steve. It's a tough field, but Castorr would have to be one of the most intriguing figures in the whole case.

From doing gun-running deals with Ruby, to stirring up the Dallas exiles to writing the foreword on a book about remote viewing to playing a minor role in the Iran-Contra affair...

Crichton was OSS in Europe.

Who was agent 488 in the OSS?

Carl Jung. Ally of Dulles. Doctor to Bancroft.

http://jungcurrents.com/carl-jung-spy-488

http://ionamillersubjects.weebly.com/occult-espionage.html

This might also help explain Castorr writing a forward for a book on remote viewing authored by one the actual participants.

A good sprinkling of these folk seem to be former OSS. OSS was a precursor to the CIA.

This is probably a leap too far, but what if it turned out that these almost ghostlike outfits were actually CIA and designed to get around laws preventing domestic ops?