Albert Watson II

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albert Watson II 1972

Albert Watson II (born January 5, 1909 in Mount Vernon (Illinois) , † March 19, 1993 in San Antonio ) was an American officer and Lieutenant General in the United States Army . He took part in World War II and fought in a number of major battles in the Pacific War , including the Battle of Okinawa . From May 1961 to January 1963, Watson served as the commandant of the American sector of Berlin and commanded the American forces there when construction of the Berlin Wall began. From 1964 to 1965, Watson held the position of Commissioner of the Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands . He increased the autonomy of the Ryukyu, but ultimately spoke out against the significant reduction in the authority of the American administration on the Ryukyus. Watson has received two Army Distinguished Service Medals during his career .

Private life

Watson was born on January 5, 1909 and grew up in Mount Vernon , Illinois. His father was an Army Colonel and his grandfather, Albert Watson, was a member of the Illinois Supreme Court. He was raised by his family as a member of the Episcopal Church and remained so throughout his life.

Watson married Anne Dunlap Bucher and had two children with her: Albert Watson III and John B. Watson. His two sons attended military schools in Pennsylvania . During his service in the country, he spoke fairly fluent German . His hobbies included tennis and golf . The Berlin press also noted that he enjoyed horse riding, playing bridge , and enjoying light operas and mystery novels . The Syracuse University preserves the collection of his writings in her research center for special collections.

Military career

Watson graduated from the US Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill as part of the 1934-1935 classes. Watson graduated from and served on the faculty of Army War College . At that college he taught strategy , tactics and geopolitics .

Watson participated in Operations Reckless , the Battle of Leyte, and the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. He served mainly with the 10th Army in New Guinea . He then served as director of human resources planning in the office of the deputy chief of staff for human resources. He also fought in the Korean War , where he commanded the artillery of the X Army Corps and the 3rd Infantry Division .

Watson commanded the 3rd US Army from 1963 to 1964. He also commanded two infantry divisions stationed in West Germany , including the 24th Infantry Regiment in Munich . By the time he retired, he had attained the rank of lieutenant general.

Commander of the American sector in Berlin

Watson was Major General from May 5, 1961 to January 2, 1963, in command of the American sector in Berlin. In this position, he fulfilled many functions, was under Ambassador Walter C. Dowling in a diplomatic role and General Lauris Norstad in a military role and was above the heads of mission of the United States, E. Allan Lightner Jr.., In direct connection with the State Department of the United States . He received his first Army Distinguished Service Medal during his years as a commandant.

The construction of the Berlin Wall began during his tenure as commandant. In a defiant reaction to part of the wall erected there, Watson was ordered to establish a military presence in the Steinstücke enclave and sent more helicopter flights into the disputed area. During the first few years of the wall there were also tank confrontations with the Soviets.

A minor diplomatic incident occurred in October 1961 when Watson canceled an appointment with the Soviet commander of East Berlin , Andrei J. Solovyov . The East German border guards , whose authority the United States did not recognize, denied access to his two helpers and his interpreter after refusing to show any papers at the border, even though they were in an official army car and the Americans insisted that only Soviet officers be used could request that the US military identify themselves; this caused Watson to turn around and send protest to the Soviets instead of meeting them. Ironically, part of the meeting was convened to discuss barring an American official's entry into East Berlin less than a week earlier. Watson responded by banning Soloviev and his chief political advisor from entering the American sector.

A second diplomatic crisis arose when Soviet official PW Signaow refused to see Watson because he refused to prevent West Berlin youth from throwing stones at East German buses.

He also dealt with the Peter Fechter incident and the riots after Fechter's murder.

Ryukyu Islands Commissioner

Watson became Commissioner of the US Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands on August 1, 1964 . The Foreign Ministry had initially General Charles H. Bonesteel III. intended for this position; when Bonesteel proved unsuitable to fill the position due to poor eyesight, Watson was offered the position instead.

In August 1965, Watson received the Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Satō and was the first commissioner of the islands to meet a Japanese head of government . Watson also increased the amount of aid Japan was allowed to give to the islands well above the numbers his predecessors had allowed. He tried to improve relations between the American military and the Ryukyu legislature. He expanded the autonomy and Japanese engagement to a certain extent and expressed a more lenient attitude towards the inhabitants of the island chain. However, he refused to give up the United States' administrative rights on the island as it would reduce troop mobility and endanger national security .

Despite a promising start, Watson continued the trend of its predecessor and had a conflicted relationship with the United States Ambassador to Japan, Edwin O. Reischauer . The two accused each other of denying the other information and breaking agreements. At the end of his tenure as commissioner, he received a second Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Departments of Labor and Health Education and Welfare Appropriations for 1970: Albert Watson II in the Google Book Search
  2. ↑ a b c d e Flora Lewis: Berlin Commandant: Maj. Gen. Albert Watson 2d Has What May be the Most Critical General's Job in the Army . In: The New York Times , April 1, 1962, p. 211. 
  3. ^ A b Sarasota Journal - US Berlin Army Boss Has Poise, Likes Poetry. In: news.google.com. October 12, 1961, accessed March 19, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Frederick Kempe: Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth . Penguin Books , New York City 2011, ISBN 978-0-399-15729-5 (Retrieved September 22, 2011).
  5. ^ Albert Watson II Papers; An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University. In: library.syr.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2020 .
  6. ↑ The Judge Advocate General's School 1951–1961 . The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, Charlottesville 1961, p. 90. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012 (Retrieved August 1, 2011).
  7. ^ Commanding Generals . United States Army Central . 2011. Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved on August 1, 2011.
  8. ↑ Robert Grathwol: Berlin and the American Military: A Cold War Chronicle . New York University Press, New York City 1999, ISBN 0-8147-3133-3 , p. 192, (accessed August 1, 2011).
  9. ^ Alfred Goldberg: History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense , Volume 5. United States Government Printing Office , Washington, DC 1984, ISBN 978-0-16-075369-5 , p. 165 (accessed September 7, 2011).
  10. ↑ a b Valor Awards for Albert Watson II . In: Military Times . Archived from the original on August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011. 
  11. ↑ 50 years of building the wall: October 27, 1961 - tanks at Checkpoint Charlie - pictures & photos. In: welt.de . September 10, 2012, accessed March 19, 2020 .
  12. ↑ One lieutenant and eight men. In: zeit.de . October 27, 1961, accessed March 20, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXIX, Part 2, Japan - Office of the Historian. In: history.state.gov. April 12, 1964, accessed March 21, 2020 .
  14. ^ The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search. In: news.google.com. August 20, 1965, accessed March 21, 2020 .
  15. ↑ a b Nicholas Evans Sarantakes: Reischauer vs. Caraway . In: Keystone: The American Occupation of Okinawa and US-Japanese Relations . Texas A&M University Press, College Station 2000, ISBN 0-89096-969-8 , pp. 139-141 (accessed July 30, 2011).
  16. ↑ Miko Higa: The Reversion Theme in Current Okinawan Politics . In: University of California Press (Ed.): Asian Survey . 7, No. 3, Berkeley , March 1967, pp. 151-158. doi : 10.2307 / 2642234 .
personal data
SURNAME Watson, Albert II
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Watson, Albert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Lieutenant General, City Commander of Berlin
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Mount Vernon (Illinois)
DATE OF DEATH March 19, 1993
Place of death San Antonio