Edwin Luther Sibert (March 2, 1897 – December 16, 1977) was a United States Army officer with the rank of major general and served as intelligence officer during World War II and post-war Europe, where he assisted in the creation of the Gehlen Organization.Selby, Andrew Scott. The Axmann Conspiracy: The Nazi Plan for a Fourth Reich and How the U.S. Army Defeated It. New York: Penguin, 2012. He would return to the United States and briefly serve in the Central Intelligence Group, the forerunner of the modern CIA. He was the son of Major General William L. Sibert and the brother of Major General Franklin C. Sibert. A graduate of the United States Military Academy in 1918, he would receive the Distinguished Service Medal three times for his service during World War II and the Cold War.
Early life and education
Sibert was born on March 2, 1897, in Little Rock, Arkansas, to Major General William L. Sibert and his wife Mary Margaret Cummings Sibert. He would be raised on military tradition, his grandfather William J. Sibert and great-uncle William B. Beeson having served in the Confederate army, and his father in the United States Army.Beeson, Henry Hart. A Genealogy of the Beeson-Beason Family. Houston, Texas: H. H. Beeson, 1968. Sibert's early years would see his father assigned to Manila, Philippines (1899–1900), and the Panama Canal Zone (1907–1914).MG William L. Sibert, Biography, Chemical Corps Regimental Association, http://www.chemical-corps.org/honors/sibertbio.htm
In 1914, Sibert would receive an at-large appointment to the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1918.Official U.S. Army Register 1954, Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1954.
Sibert later graduated from the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in June 1935. He also graduated from the Army War College in June 1939.
Career Dates of rank + Promotions Rank Date Second lieutenant12 June 1918 First lieutenant (acting)23 October 1918 First lieutenant16 August 1919 Captain1 August 1933 Major1 April 1940 Colonel (acting)15 January 1941 Lieutenant colonel (acting)12 June 1941 Colonel (acting)1 February 1942 Lieutenant colonel4 August 1942 Brigadier general (acting)31 October 1942 Colonel11 March 1948 Brigadier general (acting)31 October 1942 Major general (acting)1 August 1948 Brigadier general21 March 1953
Service + Duty assignmentsRuffner, Kevin C., ed. Forging An Intelligence Partnership: CIA and the Origins of the BND 1945–1949: A Documentary History, Vol. I, CIA History Staff, Center for the Study of Intelligence, 1999. Beginning Ending Assignment1936 1937 Assistant Instructor in the Department of Tactics, United States Military AcademyJuly 1940 December 1941 U.S. Military Attaché to BrazilDecember 1941 March 1942 Assistant Secretary, Combined Chiefs of StaffMarch 1942 May 1942 Attending Field Artillery School, Ft. Sill, OklahomaMay 1942 August 1942 Chief of Staff, 7th DivisionAugust 1942 August 1943 Commanding Officer, Artillery, 99th DivisionSeptember 1943 March 1944 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2) European Theater of OperationsMarch 1944 July 1945 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2), 12th Army GroupJuly 1945 September 1946 Assistant Chief of Staff (G2)European Theater of OperationsSeptember 1946 12 August 1948 Assistant Director of Operations, Central Intelligence Group (CIA)13 August 1948 23 November 1948 Commanding General, Pacific Sector, Panama Canal Zone24 November 1948 December 7, 1950 Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces, AntillesDecember 7, 1950 April 24, 1952 Staff Director, Inter-American Defense Board, Washington, D.C.April 24, 1952 Commanding Officer, Camp Edwards, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Awards and decorations
1st RowArmy Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters2nd RowLegion of MeritBronze Star MedalWorld War I Victory MedalAmerican Defense Service Medal with Foreign Service Clasp3rd RowAmerican Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four service starsWorld War II Victory MedalArmy of Occupation Medal4th RowNational Defense Service MedalHonorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British EmpireOfficier de la Légion d'honneurFrench Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with Palm
Later life After retirement, Sibert lived on Martha's Vineyard and spent his winters in Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to McLean, Virginia in 1972 and died there from a ruptured aneurysm in 1977. Sibert is buried at Arlington National Cemetery along with his father MG William Luther Sibert.Burial Detail: Sibert, Edwin Luther – ANC Explorer
References
External links Generals of World War II