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Mr.
Wannall, a native of Washington,
D.C.,
received his law degree from Columbus School of Law, now part of
Catholic
University of America, in 1942. He was
admitted to the D.C. Bar the same year and entered the FBI as a Special
Agent,
from which he retired in 1976. All but
five of his years in the Bureau were spent at FBI Headquarters in the
Intelligence Division, which was responsible for all FBI operations
regarding
intelligence, counterintelligence, counter-terrorism, security,
espionage and
related matters. His last position was
head of the Division as an Assistant Director of the FBI, and in this
capacity
he served as the Bureau’s representative on the United States
Intelligence
Board, as well as one of its spokesmen before Congressional committees,
civic
and other groups.
His
intelligence work has been
acknowledged by awards from British and Canadian Intelligence services,
CIA,
the Emperor of Japan, and the Masonic Lodge of which he and FBI
Director J.
Edgar Hoover had been life-long members. In
September, 1992, the Board of Directors of the
National Intelligence
and Counterintelligence Association extended to him an Honorary Life
Membership. He also had life membership
with
the National
Intelligence Study Center
as well as the
Association of Former Intelligence Officers. Mr.
Wannall formerly served as the AFIO’s Chairman
and President. He also served on the
boards of other
respected organizations including America’s Future, Inc.; The
Maulden
Institute; The Hale Institute; The American Sentinel; and the Harold P.
Ransburg Foundation.
After
his
retirement, Mr.
Wannall authored the biography, The Real
J. Edgar Hoover, For the Record published in 2000 by Turner
Publishing
Company, and continued as an outspoken advocate for a strong and
responsible
national intelligence establishment before Congressional committees,
and civic
and educational groups in 23 States. He
was
a frequent guest on radio and television shows. His
appearances included NBC national evening news,
ABC Nightline and
Entertainment Tonight, CBS Nightwatch, Cable News Network and the
History
Channel.
Mr.
Wannall is survived by a brother, former U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
William H. Wannall, his wife of over 70 years, Gertrude Crane Wannall,
son W. Raymond Wannall III, Daughter Anne W. Hart, grandsons Douglas K.
Wannall and Steven H. Wannall, five nieces and nephews and three
treat-granddaughters.
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