GDG- BMI

[Eric J. Wittenberg]

Alice,

Bureau of Military Information.

Eric

On Oct 30, 2006, at 7:22 PM, Alice J. Gayley wrote:

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> Coming out of lurking status to ask a question...I know you're  
> talking about military intelligence operations, but what does the  
> acronym "BMI" mean?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Back to my corner...
>
> Richard M Kadas wrote:
>> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>>
>>
>> Fishel's book is excellent in style and content. Fishel is an  
>> intelligence wonk who is exceedingly careful about making  
>> assertions that he didn't corroborate through use of multiple  
>> sources. From reading his review of BMI's role in the GB campaign,  
>> it can be argued that Gb was as much an intel victory in the ACW  
>> as Midway was in WW II. IMHO telling the AoPs generally  
>> unaggressive group of corps commanders that they outnumbered the  
>> ANV probasbly woildn't have sold as they were convinced of the  
>> opposite and didn't wish to be confused by the facts.
>>   Dick
>> James Cameron <cameron2 at optonline.net> wrote:
>>   Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>>
>>
>> << ""I wish that someone would write a book that would discuss  
>> this subject in
>> more detail.>>
>>
>> There are two books that deal with BMI operations. Edwin C.  
>> Fishel's "The
>> Secret War for the Union" and William B. Feis' "Grant's Secret  
>> Service."
>> Fishel covers the BMI up to and including the Gettysburg Campaign,  
>> and Feis
>> picks up from there and describes BMI activities until the end of  
>> the war.
>>
>> Tom Ryan >>
>>
>> Fishel's book is by no means a light read. It's the kind of work  
>> where you really need to pay attention as you go along. But the  
>> time and effort involved is well worth reading one of the most  
>> seminal books on the AOP (despite the title, its focus is heavily  
>> on that army) to come out in recent years. In my opinion, it does  
>> not go too far to say that anyone who has not read Fishel is at a  
>> serious disadvantage in understanding the Gettysburg Campaign.
>>
>> It is interesting, though, how the intelligence gathered and, more  
>> importantly, so accurately evaluated, by the BMI still seems to  
>> have such limited influence on the mindset within much of the  
>> senior command of the AOP that the ANV was so much larger than it  
>> actually was. Almost as if the AOP's "corporate culture" was  
>> predisposed to act on the basis it was outnumbered, even when,  
>> objectively, it should have known better.
>>
>> Jim Cameron
>>
>>
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>>
>
> -- 
> Alice J. Gayley
> Pennsylvania in the Civil War
> http://www.pa-roots.com/~pacw/
>
>
>                    
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