The President's Daily Brief - July 4th, 2022. Special Brief: Hugh Francis Redmond

Episode Date: July 4, 2022

It’s July 4th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ On July 4th, 1967, a man named Hugh Redmond sat in a Chinese prison. His captors had allowed him to write his family on rare occasion. And on that particular day he penned what would be his final letter. He wrote, “It just dawned on me that today is the Fourth of July. Did you have a big celebration with fireworks and all?”  That incredible story of patriotism and sacrifice up next on this special Independence Day edition of the President’s Daily Brief. All up next on the President's Daily Brief. ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's July 4th. You're listening to a special edition of the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. The brief you're about to hear is in the same spirit of the actual President's Daily Brief, which is a top secret summary of the most critical events in the past 24 hours. All delivered to the president each day by the nation's spymasters. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am your spy, and this is your special Independence Day Brief. On July 4th of 1916, a man named Hugh Redmond sat in a Chinese prison. His captors had allowed him to write his family on rare occasion, and on that particular day he penned what would be his final note. He wrote to them, quote, It just dawned on me that today is the 4th of July. Did you have a big celebration with fireworks and all? He went on to ask how his mother was doing,

the latest in the world of sports, and as always, how his nephews were holding up. Don't forget, he reminded his mother, to buy ice cream for the children. And he closed out that final letter as he always had. Very best regards to you all loved Hugh. His family never heard from him again. Three years later, the communist Chinese government in Beijing said that he had died of suicide. They cremated his remains and sent them home.

But Hugh's family didn't believe that story. Hughes colleagues didn't either. and even the U.S. government thought that the communists were lying. And to this day, what exactly happened to Hugh remains a mystery. Still, the family buried the ashes in Yonkers, New York, and on his headstone, they engraved these five words. His country, above all else. And so on this July 4th of 2022, we here at the President's Daily Brief, we're going to celebrate this day by remembering the one back. in 1967. We're going to remember Hugh Francis Redmond, a man who, when he wrote that last letter,

had spent over 15 years in a Chinese prison cell, often tortured, all because he was accused of being a CIA officer, which he was, conducting sabotage operations against the communists, which he had. But he never admitted to any of it, partly because of his oath that he gave to the CIA and his agents, but mostly because of his love and commitment to America, above all else. That incredible story of patriotism and sacrifice all up next on this special Independence Day edition of the President's Daily Brief. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari.

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His family was very much working class. By all accounts, Hugh was an average young man, a good athlete, but nothing remarkable stood out, at least at that time, just a decent, all-American kid. after high school he tried college he lasted one semester but he left to join the civilian conservation corps which was a depression era program for unmarried men that did a lot of really great work in proving public land but when war broke out he enlisted in the army and he went on to serve in the famed 101st airborne division on june 6th of 1944 or d-day he parachuted in near the dove river in Normandy. Of the 20 paratroopers in his group, he was the only one who escaped death or wounds.

Now, he went on to fight other major battles, managing to escape death and injury in all of them, but his good luck ran out in the battle of the bulge, and like so many, he was wounded, hospitalized, in fact, for a year. And he was discharged in late 1945. He had a purple heart, a silver star, and a bronze star with oak leaf clusters. Within a few months of being discharged, he heard of a new government agency. It was called the Strategic Services Unit, and it was later renamed to the Office of of Strategic Services. We now call that office, the Central Intelligence Agency. Hugh applied and was accepted just nine months after he left the army, and he joined a very unique part of the CIA called the Special Activities Division. And these are men and women who then, as now, tend to be

very good at blowing things up rather than going to cocktail parties. So after training in 1946, was sent to Shanghai, China. And that was a heck of a time to be there, that the civil war between the communists and the nationalists was revving back up. And the U.S. government needed clandescent boots on the ground. Well, the CIA gave Hugh a cover job, basically something to explain himself when people asked what he was doing. And his cover job was a salesman of ice cream machines. But Hugh was anything but an ice cream salesman. In fact, what we know is that he had set up a spiring of Chinese citizens all opposed to the communists. They collected intelligence, they related to Hugh, who then sent it back to Washington, D.C.

His group was also very deep into plans for conducting a regional sabotage campaign. Hugh was in China for about five years doing all that when in April of 1951, things in the country were going from bad to worse. Communists had beaten the nationalists in the civil war, who in turn fled to Taiwan, where they remained to this day. All throughout China during that time, there was a fever. for revenge killings and a total suspicion of foreigners. So the CIA ordered him out. And after a quick break, I'll tell you how close Hugh was to freedom. And then what happened for the next 20

years. We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Ultima Replenisher. Health is all about balance, like a salad with fries. So why not have balance in your hydration? With six essential electrolytes and no junk, Ultima provides balanced hydration you can enjoy every day. That means no sugar, calories, or carbs, and it's not loaded with sodium. Just delicious plant-based flavors you'll actually look forward to drinking. Shop Ultima on Amazon or in store at Target and Whole Foods Market. From 1946 to 1951, Hugh was working as an ice cream machine salesman during the day, but a covert officer at night.

He was CIA's man in Shanghai. He was organizing aspiring for intelligence and sabotage purposes. But then things were getting just a bit too hot. The Chinese communists were after foreigners of all kinds, but most especially businessmen and missionaries. So the CIA ordered its staff completely out of the country, including Hugh. And so one night he got a secret message with a code word that meant evacuation. So Hugh got his things together and made his way to the port.

Well, as Hugh was actually boarding the ship that was bound for San Francisco, Chinese police grabbed him. They let others through, but not Hugh. Why he was picked out, in other words, how he was discovered, we're still not really sure. Suspicion fell almost immediately on a Russian woman, who, much to the CIA surprise, had actually married Hugh at some point before. But whether or not she had something to do with it, we don't know. But what we do know is this. Hugh disappeared. Now, his family back in New York was absolutely, distraught. His mother, Ruth, kept up a constant visual. She wrote letters to the government. She was asking for updates, anything, but they had nothing to tell her. The embassy and the consulates

were emptied. Their China networks gone. And so from 1951 through 1953, she heard virtually nothing other than confirmation once that he had actually been arrested. Now, his mother knew a lot more than she let on. Her intuition told her that he was a CIA officer, and she was right, but she kept quiet, and she maintained the ruse to keep him safe. And then on March 29th of 1953, a German citizen who had been held in a Shanghai jail said that he had been in a cell next to Hugh. And he reported that, at least initially, Hugh was receiving relatively soft treatment on an effort to get him to confess to having conducted espionage for the CIA. But Hugh, he, refused. A year later, that same man heard Hugh's voice once again. But this time, Hugh was being

tortured. I will spare you those details. On September of 1954, three years after he had been captured and imprisoned and tortured, the Chinese government announced that Hugh was in fact a prisoner, that he was alive, but that he had been tried and convicted of spying. And the sentence was life imprisonment. They also announced that they had caught all of his CIA agents, his aspiring, and they executed them right in front of Hugh. But that didn't phase him. He still refused to acknowledge that he ever worked for the CIA,

which is pretty remarkable when you consider that all of the CIA's officers who were held captive in China eventually admitted to being government agents, and China actually released most of them. Only Hugh refused. And for that, he sat in prison year after year after year. As punishment for his refusal, he was given just enough food to keep him alive, but not enough to thrive. So not surprisingly, he lost a lot of weight and his teeth eventually fell out.

Over time, and perhaps as an attempt to bribe him, the Chinese did allow Hugh to read some books. And he taught himself how to speak Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and French. He grew to love science and latest theories and physics. He became fond of the classics and philosophy and art. And so as it turned out, that the man with one month of college was quite the student. There was a glimmer of hope in the mid-1950s that China might let him out. And the reason was that they decided to let him exchange letters with his family. Now, the letters were obviously screened and many never made it out, but some did. Now, his first was in about 1955, when he wrote for the very first time asking for some very heavy woolen clothes. Winter, as he explained, was fast approaching, and the Chinese didn't

give him anything to protect himself from the elements. It was a very brief letter, and it ended with these words. I'm sending all of my love to you and everybody back home. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Love Huey. Around that same time, there was a citizens group that launched in New York. It was called the Yonker Citizen Committee for the release of Hugh Francis Redmond. and it worked to keep the case in the press, plus to support Hugh's mother who worked at a local school. But what the group didn't acknowledge was that the CIA was funding and organizing most of the activities. Regardless, the letters to and from Hugh and his family continued throughout the 1950s.

His mother Ruth could send him more and more items as years passed, like he loved Lucky Strike cigarettes, powdered milk, candies, and above all else, he wanted books and sports columns. most especially about baseball. Hugh also asked about his wife, the Russian, who had left before he had. Ruth grew fearful that she would never see Hugh again. But incredibly, the Chinese finally agreed to let her come visit Hugh in prison. For propaganda purposes, they dressed him up in a suit,

and they gave him a set of dentures to make up for those that they had pulled out. Regardless, it was a joyous few hours, heartbreaking, but at least it was something for poor Ruth, who had grown accustomed to present, to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes. Unfortunately, the years ticked by without resolution. The 1950s became the 1960s, and the Chinese refused to release Hugh because he refused to admit who he was.

And the American government was unable, or some say, unwilling to get him out. That last part, the unwilling bit, is because some people argue that there was a new era underway to re-engage with the Chinese. and some people in the U.S. government didn't want to upset that process. And so Hugh sat. His mom visited him four times in total. Each time she grew more and more concerned for his health, but she always held out hope that he'd be released eventually.

But by the mid-1960s, the cultural revolution in China was in full swing. And if you recall that history, China's communist leader Mao Zedong felt that Beijing was drifting too far away from the revolutionary principles of socialism and communism. So he shut down the nation's schools, and he urged the students to rise up against the old values and old ideas and customs. There was absolute chaos near anarchy and the economy all but collapsed. Over a million people were killed. Meanwhile, the war in Vietnam was raging and had grabbed the passions of the world to include within the Chinese government. And because of that, they were in no mood to grant clemency or compassion to a CIA spy.

And it was in the midst of that mess that Hugh wrote for what would be the last time in a letter dated July 4th of 1967. He, as always, asked about how the big Independence Day parties were and the fireworks and such, and, of course, he insisted that someone get his nephews some ice cream. And then he closed out his note with somewhat of a sad request. He needed a bottle of aspirin. For what it's worth, the CIA did try a few times to get him out. The final attempt was in 1968, 17 years after Hugh was first imprisoned.

They basically offered up a ransom that would have been given to the Chinese government through the Yonker Citizen Committee that I mentioned earlier. And what's interesting is that famous people agreed to tell the public that it was their money, not the CIA or the U.S. governments. One famous man in particular who lent his name was Jackie Roy. Robinson. He knew that Hugh loved baseball and was happy to help with the cause. Unfortunately, that plan failed, and China wasn't interested in America's money. And then the sad news arrived a couple of years later. According to the Chinese government, Hugh killed himself

on the evening of April 13, 1970. Now, they claimed that they had rushed him to the hospital, but that it was simply too late, he had lost too much blood. But what's suspicious is that the Chinese quickly cremated his body, and they placed the ashes and and urn, and they handed it over to another captive. And at that point, they actually released that man and the urn. From the moment of China's announcement, no one believed the story of how Hugh died, not Hugh's family, not his CIA colleagues, and not the U.S. government. But they had no way of proving or disproving their hunch. And they actually had no way of confirming that the ashes inside the urn were actually Hughes. There was even a suspicion that Hugh was perhaps still alive,

but that China wanted to be done with a never-ending fight over his status, so they just declared him dead. Regardless, there wasn't much to be done at that point, just anguish for his family. And so without options, they did the only thing that they felt to be right. They buried his remains in the Yonkers Oakland Cemetery on August 3rd of 1970. That was 19 years after he had first been captured. On his headstone, they engraved five words that they thought best fit, use life. His country above all else. The CIA, for its part, chiseled a new star on its marble wall of stars. And each of those actually signify an officer who died in the line of duty.

Now, some stars have names associated with them, and others don't, well, because their affiliation with the CIA has to be kept secret. And that was the case with Hugh. They didn't list his name, not in 1970, or for many decades after that. In fact, the U.S. government would not confirm his intelligence affiliation until the year 2000. At a ceremony that year, CIA colleagues finally publicly acknowledged Hugh as one of their own, and he honored his tremendous service and his sacrifice. In attendance at that ceremony was a man named Bill McKinnelly. And it turns out, Bill was one of Hugh's nephews, one that always got his ice cream because Uncle Huey made sure of it.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes. your special Independence Day brief. If you would, do me a favor. At some point today, give a nod to Hugh in whatever way you think best, a little prayer of thanks or a toast of gratitude, because what Hugh represents to me is what this Independence Day represents to all of us, his country above all else. And it's an idea that's losing favor these days, isn't it? As I was preparing this story for you, I was reminded of the speech that the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, gave to his party faithful a few years ago.

He said that we could never make America great again because it was never great to begin with. He said that just a few miles from Hughes Ashes and a park bearing his name, Redmond Park and Yonkers. And so what's important, I think, is to remind ourselves today of all days that we're, what Andrew Cuomo said is just not true. America has been great. Imperfect? Yes, my goodness, yes, have we? But there are too many stories of profound sacrifice and courage and perseverance all that have brought about this day of independence. If it weren't for people like Hugh, maybe people that you know, people that you've lost. We wouldn't be in this place that we are today, celebrating our freedom and our liberty, say nothing of the fireworks and picnic.

and memories of all of our family and friends. So tip one back for Hugh, if you wouldn't mind, or offer up that big prayer of thanks. And if you do, maybe ask this. Maybe ask that we all find that fight in our bellies to stand up for America just like Hugh did. Like when he parachuted in on D-Day, when he fought at the battle of the bulge against Hitler, or he refused to break when his Chinese prison guards tortured him. it's because of that fight, that tenacity of spirit and that love of country, that we can all be here in towns big and small,

all to celebrate this day, our day of American independence. And so, ladies and gentlemen, let us close out the show, reminding each other of why we are here, talking about our country and our world. It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from John chapter 8, verse 32. And you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. Good day.

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