MAJOR GENERAL JACK EUGENE THOMAS

Jack Eugene Thomas, the assistant chief of staff, intelligence, U.S. Air Force, was born in Salt Lake City in 1910. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and holds both a master's and a doctor of philosophy degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Nearly all of his military career has been served in a variety of intelligence assignments.

He was commissioned a second lieutenant, field artillery reserve, in 1932 on the basis of ROTC training at the University of Utah, and was a reserve captain when called to active duty in 1941. In the intervening years he had been a newspaperman in Salt Lake City, then a graduate student and research specialist on the staff of the University of California, Berkeley.

He spent 16 months in Italy during World War II as intelligence officer of the 47th Bomb Wing, 15th Air Force, and was awarded the Legion of Merit. At the close of the war in Europe he was assigned to Berlin where as a staff officer in the Office of Military Government, U.S., he participated in quadrapartite discussions with Soviet, British and French representatives.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas returned to the United States in 1946 and was appointed to the regular Air Force. He was promoted to colonel in 1948.

Colonel Thomas was in the Office of the Air Deputy, SHAPE, from 1953 until 1957, and while there obtained much of the material needed for his doctor of philosophy dissertation on "SACEUR and SHAPE, A Study of Peacetime Preparation for Coalition Defense, 1950-1956."

He returned to the United States in 1957 to attend the National War College, and was assigned from there back to Paris in 1958 as director of intelligence on the joint staff of Headquarters, U.S. European Command.

He was promoted to brigadier general (temporary) in 1961, and to major general May 17, 1964.

He returned to Washington in 1961 to become commander, Air Force Intelligence Center, and on Dec. 1, 1961 was assigned as deputy assistant chief of staff, intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

On March 15, 1963 he was named the assistant chief of staff, Intelligence, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

(Up to date as of April 1963)