Alan Goodrich Kirk

Infobox Military Person
name=Alan Goodrich Kirk
born= 1888
died= death year and age|1963|1888
placeofbirth= Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
married= Lydia Chapin Kirk, 1896-1984
placeofdeath= Washington, D.C.
burried= Arlington National Cemetery
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption=Admiral Alan Goodrich Kirk
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears=1909-1946
rank= Admiral
commands=U.S. Naval Forces, France
unit=
battles= World War I World War II
awards= Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit
relations=
laterwork=Infobox US Ambassador
name=


imagesize=
order=
ambassador_from=United States
country=Belgium
term_start=1946
term_end=1949
predecessor=Charles W. Sawyer
successor=Robert Daniel Murphy
president=
order2=
ambassador_from2=United States
country2=the Soviet Union
term_start2=July 4, 1949
term_end2=October 6, 1951
president2=
predecessor2=Walter Bedell Smith
successor2=George F. Kennan
order3=
ambassador_from3=United States
country3=Taiwan
term_start3=June 7, 1962
term_end3=January 18, 1963
president3=John F. Kennedy
predecessor3=Everett Drumright
successor3=Jerauld Wright

Alan Goodrich Kirk (born October 30, 1888, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; died October 1963, Washington, D.C.) was an admiral in the United States Navy and an American diplomat.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1909 and served in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. During his wartime naval service, Alan Kirk became the U.S. naval attaché in London (1939 to 1941). He was Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence from March 1941 but, obstructed and opposed by Rear Admiral Richmond Turner, he was unable to develop the office into an effective centre along the lines of the British Royal Naval Operational Intelligence Centre (which he had seen whilst in London). Eventually, he requested a transfer to an Atlantic destroyer squadron. [cite book|last = Gannon|first = Michael|authorlink = |coauthors = |title = Operation Drumbeat|publisher = Harper Collins|date = 1991|location = New York|pages = pp.160-161|url = |doi = |id = ISBN 0-06-092088-2]

Kirk served as an amphibious commander in the Mediterranean in 1942 and 1943 (the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy). In addition, he was the senior U.S. naval commander during the Normandy landings of June 6, 1944 embarked on the heavy cruiser USS Augusta (CA-31), and as Commander U.S. Naval Forces, France during 1944 and 1945. He retired from the Navy as a full admiral in 1946.

Kirk subsequently served as U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, 1946-49; Soviet Union, 1949-51; China (Taiwan), 1962-63 and as U.S. Minister to Luxembourg, 1946-49.

Admiral Alan G. Kirk took his post as the second president of Amcomlib, in February 1952. As a former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, he oversaw the recruitment of emigres in New York and Munich, a group that would later form the core of Radio Liberty's staff. Less than a year after taking office, Kirk was forced to resign due to poor health. Also in 1952, he served briefly as Director of the Psychological Strategy Board, which planned for and coordinated government psychological operations. [cite web
url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hstpaper/physc.htm
title=Staff Member and Office Files: Psychological Strategy Board Files
publisher=Harry S. Truman Presidential Library]

Kirk served as United States Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan) from June 1962 to January 1963 during the Kennedy administration.

ee also

References