Description
The papers contain drafts and galleys of the book by Wilbur C. Eveland,
Ropes of Sand: America's Failure in the Middle East (New York, 1980), relating to the role of the Central Intelligence Agency in American diplomacy in the Middle East, and photocopies
of personnel records and correspondence with Central Intelligence Agency officials and others, relating to publication of
the book. Digital copies of select records also available at
https://digitalcollections.hoover.org.
Background
Wilbur Crane Eveland was an intelligence agent known for his work with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Middle
East. He was born on July 1, 1918, in Spokane, Washington. At 17, Eveland lied about his age so that he could join a Marine
Corps Reserve battalion at Puget Sound Navy Yard but failed the West Point written test when he took the examination the next
year. Eveland then took classes at the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. In 1940, Eveland joined
the United States Army, where in January 1941 he was recruited as an agent for the Corps of Intelligent Police, later known
as the Counter Intelligence Corps. He was put in charge of the Counter Intelligence Corps field offices in Panama and held
several other intelligence positions until 1948, when he decided to become a military attaché.
Availability
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.