Paper on the Death of Frank Olson
By Corey Ransom
Graduate Student
Seminar on Ameican History Since 1865
University of Delaware
Fall Semester 1999
The Twentieth Century has been a truly remarkable and unusual time in
the course of history. This period saw the occurrence of events which
would shape the lives of every person, in every country around the world.
The 1950’s was a decade particularly caught in the swirl of world
events. Having emerged from a vast ideological struggle against fascism
in the Second World War, human kind engaged in a global reconstruction.
Nations rebuilt, soldiers returned to civility, the world became more
intertwined through new mediums such as the United Nations. However, looming
behind the global reconstruction was the formation of another ideological
struggle that would envelop the world and all of its citizens.
The struggle between
Western Capitalism and World Communism, although best represented by the
conflict between superpowers, nonetheless affected every person, in every
country. Perhaps the best, if not the most repulsive example of the influence
of the global conflict was the development of weapons of mass destruction
by both superpowers. For the first time in world history humans possessed
the means of ending their own existence in the universe. A world divided
almost completely on an ideological difference, each side with its finger
on a cataclysmic trigger set the tone for the 1950’s. It was a decade
affected in some part by mistrust, fear and paranoia, and it affected
every person, in every nation.
This paper tells the story of a man who became caught up in the worst extremes of these Cold War influences. The policy makers of this country perceived a threat, and they created a means to contain and counter that threat. However, the CIA, an agency created to counter a foreign threat, was granted an unchecked freedom in its ability to deal with that threat. Some members of the agency abused that freedom, out of fear, mistrust and paranoia, and the results were the death of innocent people and the violation of others’ civil rights. Frank Olson died in a program created from the perception of a threat. This paper presents a chronological narrative of the events which occurred surrounding the death of Frank Olson and its effects on his family. It will also place his story into the larger context of that program created by the CIA.