Charles Tracy Barnes (August 2, 1911 – February 18, 1972) was a senior staff member at the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), serving as principal manager of CIA operations in the

1954 Guatemalan coup d'état The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état was the result of a CIA covert operation code-named PBSuccess. It deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz and ended the Guatemalan Revolution of 1944–1954. It installed the mili ...

and the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion.

History

Tracy was born in Manhasset,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to parents Courtlandt Dixon Barnes (June 13, 1881 in

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...

- ?) and Katherine Lansing Barney (February 6, 1885 in New York City - ?), siblings were Courtlandt Dixon Barnes, Jr. (December 26, 1907 - 1997) and Katharine Lansing Barnes (February 27, 1909 - ?). He was educated at

Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...

and Yale University, where he became a member of the Scroll and Key

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

. He graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1937 and was hired by William Harding Jackson as an associate (1937-1939) at the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn. As WW-II began, Barnes was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant, and was one of the first persons to attend the US Army-Air Forces Air Combat Intelligence School at Harrisburg, PA (June 1942) along with his '2nd cousin' John Hay 'Jock' Whitney. Barnes was married to Janet who was born June 10, 1913 in Providence, Rhode Island. At the Intelligence School, they began a lifelong friendship with the Whitneys. When Jock Whitney served as US Ambassador to Great Britain, Barnes served as CIA station chief in London. During World War II he served first with United States Army Air Forces intelligence, then with the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

. He was awarded France's

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

and the US

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. After the war, he returned to legal practice. In 1950 he went to Washington to serve as special assistant to Under Secretary of the Army,

Archibald S. Alexander Archibald Stevens Alexander (October 28, 1906 – September 4, 1979) was an American lawyer, civil servant, and Democratic politician. He served as Under Secretary of the United States Army in the Truman Administration and as New Jersey State T ...

. He also served as deputy director of the Psychological Strategy Board during the Korean War. In 1951 he joined the CIA. In 1953, he was appointed Special Assistant for Paramilitary Psychological Operations, under Frank Wisner, and was the principal case officer in the CIA operation leading up to the

. From 1954 to 1956, he was appointed Chief Of Station (COS) in Germany. From 1957 to 1959, he was appointed Chief Of Station (COS) in United Kingdom. In 1960, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Director for Plans, under

Richard M. Bissell Jr. Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. (September 18, 1909 – February 7, 1994) was an American Central Intelligence Agency officer responsible for major projects such as the U-2 spy plane and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He is seen as one of the most im ...

, with direct responsibility for the CIA operation leading to the Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961.Bissell (1996) In 1962, he was made head of the CIA's Domestic Operations Division. In July 1966 new CIA Director Richard Helms had Desmond FitzGerald fire Barnes from the CIA. In June 1970, Tracy Barnes suffered a serious stroke. His recovery was slow and on 18 February 1972, he had a heart attack and died at his home at Saunderstown, Rhode Island, at age 60.

References

Additional References

* Bissell, Richard M. (Jr.), with Jonathan E. Lewis and Frances T. Pudlo (1996). ''Reflections of a Cold Warrior: From Yalta to the Bay of Pigs''. Yale University Press. . *Higgins, Trumbull (1987). ''The Perfect Failure: Kennedy, Eisenhower, and the CIA at the Bay of Pigs''. Norton. . * Hunt, E. Howard (1973). ''Give Us This Day''. Arlington House. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Tracy 1911 births 1972 deaths American spies Harvard Law School alumni People of the Central Intelligence Agency People of the Office of Strategic Services Yale University alumni Groton School alumni Recipients of the Silver Star People from Manhasset, New York