| | William T. | Baker | OK - Oklahoma City; PR - San Juan; Honduras; Bodega, Columbia; TX - Dallas; Argentina; Managua, Nicaragua; AZ - Phoenix; Mexico City, Mexico | 1935 - 1962 | Hollywood Seven | Eva Peron, Socialist Party of Mexico, Gus Hall, smuggling, Communist Party, Special Intelligence Services (SIS) | For the FBI Oral History Heritage Project sponsored by the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, Inc., which holds the copyright to the material.
Special Agent Baker served in the FBI from 1935 to 1962. This interview took place on August 26, 2004 by Brian Hollstein.
SA Baker took a job as a night clerk with the FBI in St. Louis, MO. After he graduated from law school he became an Agent in 1940. His first office was the Oklahoma City Field Office, followed by the Houston Field Office, where he married. Soon after he and his wife shipped out for Puerto Rico. German subs were seen preying on the shipping off shore. SA Baker investigated sabotage within the port.
SA Baker was transferred back to WFO to the FBI Language School for Spanish and was promptly kicked out as speaking the language too well and assigned to the Special Intelligence Services (SIS) in an undercover role in Honduras. This prepared him for an Embassy job in Bogota, Colombia, mostly translating reports of informants about German espionage’s financial deals in emeralds.
After a brief return to the States in Fort Worth TX, SA Baker was sent to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and worked on informants in the German community. He reports on an interesting brush with the Perons. Baker and his wife left Argentina and went to Nicaragua where he essentially shut down the FBI operation there. He tells a story about President Somoza who facilitated their water supply.
Baker’s next office was the Phoenix Field Office followed by WFO and an extended police school in Mexico, back to the Phoenix Field Office, and after a short time in DC, he was assigned as Assistant Legal Attaché in Mexico City, mostly locating deserters. The Communist Party of Mexico was also a subject of interest. Gus Hall, a Communist Party – US fugitive, was captured in Mexico City while Baker was there. The Hollywood Seven were also active communists in Mexico City.
After retirement SA Baker worked for Boeing and then volunteered in the International Executive Service Corps, a State Department sponsored organization which aided companies worldwide. | Download PDF 1 | | |