Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

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encountered operational problems from the beginning. In the late
1960s, some B-52 bomber airplanes were modified to serve as
launching platforms for the drones, at which point the entire program
was renamed SENIOR BOWL. Despite consistent operational diffi-
culties, SENIOR BOWLdrones flew several successful missions for
two years beginning in 1969. The program, however, was cancelled
in 1971 because of mounting costs and operational setbacks. See also
UNMANNED AERIALVEHICLES.

TALLMADGE, BENJAMIN (1754–1835).Benjamin Tallmadge was
a Continental Army officer who in 1778 established the Culper Spy
Ring in New York and ran it until the end of the Revolutionary War.
He did so at the behest of General George Washington, with whom
Tallmadge maintained a steady correspondence. Tallmadge also
played a role in the Benedict Arnoldaffair, during which he had cus-
tody of Arnold’s case officer, British Major John Andre.

TASK FORCE 157. In 1966, the navy established a covert human in-
telligence (HUMINT) collection unit, designated the Naval Field
Operations Support Group (NFOSG). The navy changed the name to
the task force designation because of resentment over its work by
navy commands. Some of its operations, moreover, assumed notori-
ety during the Vietnam War. Nonetheless, Task Force 157 was a
highly regarded clandestine collection intelligence organization that
fell victim to the pressures generated during the Church Committee
hearings in 1976. Task Force 157 was disbanded in 1977.

TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784–1850).The 12th president of the United
States between 1849 and 1859 and a hero of the Mexican-American
War. President Taylor spent most of his life in the army and was one
of the few military men of his day not to make good use of intelli-
gence. In fact, Zachary Taylor ignored intelligence almost to the point
of dereliction, especially when invading northern Mexico during the
Mexican-American War. Yet, General Taylor received a commenda-
tion from the U.S. Congress on 18 July 1846, congratulating him “for
the fortitude, skill, and enterprise and courage which have distin-
guished the recent operations on the Rio Grande.” His colleague,
General Winfield Scott, who landed in Vera Cruz and occupied cen-

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