Departures of note

Bonner Frank Fellers, a U.S. Army officer, served as military attaché in Egypt from October 1940, reporting on British operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East. His reports, sent via the State Department's 'Black Code,' were intercepted by Italian and German intelligence, which had stolen or broken the code. For over six months, the Axis read his detailed dispatches on British strengths, positions, and plans, providing Erwin Rommel with reliable intelligence that contributed to British defeats at Gazala and Tobruk in June 1942. The Germans called him 'die gute Quelle' (the good source); Rommel called him 'the little fellow.' His reports also compromised Allied operations, including the failed convoys to Malta in June 1942.

Fellers had warned about the code's insecurity, but his concerns were overridden. After British intelligence confirmed the leak in June 1942, he switched codes on June 29, ending the compromise. He was not blamed for the interception, but was transferred from Egypt in July 1942. He received the Distinguished Service Medal for his reports, which were praised for their 'clarity, brevity, and accuracy,' and was promoted to brigadier general in December 1942. His blunt criticism of British tactics and his advocacy for increased American support in North Africa influenced President Roosevelt's decisions to reinforce the British Eighth Army and support Operation Torch.

In August 1943, Fellers joined General Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Southwest Pacific Area as military secretary and chief of psychological operations. He led the Psychological Warfare Branch, which used leaflets, radio, and loudspeakers to demoralize Japanese troops and encourage surrender. He signed the Basic Military Plan for Psychological Warfare Against Japan in May 1945, which aimed to undermine Japanese morale while avoiding direct attacks on the Emperor. After the war, he remained on MacArthur's staff in occupied Japan, where he wrote memoranda arguing for keeping Emperor Hirohito in place and helped coordinate the stories of Tokyo tribunal defendants to exonerate the Emperor and his family from war crimes.

Fellers retired from the army in 1946, but his retirement rank was later reinstated as brigadier general. He became active in conservative politics, working for the Republican National Committee, promoting Robert Taft and Barry Goldwater for president, and joining groups like the John Birch Society and the Defenders of the American Constitution. He died in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 1973, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.