Louis Bloomfield
Encyclopedia
Louis Mortimer Bloomfield (1906–1984) was a Canadian
lawyer, businessman and soldier.
to Harry Bloomfield in 1906. He received a Bachelor of Arts
from McGill University
in 1927 and his Master of Laws
from the University of Montreal in 1930. A Zionist, Bloomfield joined the British
military prior to World War II
and served in Palestine
as an Intelligence Officer under General Charles Orde Wingate. Bloomfield was involved in training the Jewish army, Haganah
(1936-1939).
Bloomfield was recruited into the British
Special Operations Executive
(SOE) in 1938, the same year its head, William Stephenson
, negotiated closer ties between the United States
and British
Intelligence Agencies
. On the advice of William Stephenson
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
established the Office of Strategic Services
in 1942 and Bloomfield was recruited by that organization and given the rank of Major
in the United States Army
. His main assignment with the OSS was to help create and head recruitment for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
's counter-intelligence group Division Five. He continued with this group well after the war During World War II
Bloomfield was officially attached to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
.
. His most famous legal client until the late 1960s was the Samuel Bronfman
family with whom he maintained a business relationship until his death. In 1947, the OSS evolved into the Central Intelligence Agency
, and Bloomfield continued his relationship with the organization. He acted for King Carol II of Romania
who sought entry into Canada after World War II and an elected magistrate of the "Tribunal Mixte" Tangier
(International Zone) in 1949. He was a regular visitor to Israel
and met the Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
on 4 May, 1949.
In 1952, Bloomfield became an overseas representative of the International Executive Board of the International Law Association
making him a ranking official of the United Nations
. His expertise: terrorism, piracy and civil aviation.
He was also a major stockholder of Centro Mondiale Commerciale (CMC). The CMC was accused by the Italian Press of being a cover for CIA espionage in Italy
. He was the president and chairman of the board of Permindex
, a contraction of "Permanent Industrial Expositions", since its creation in 1958. Accusations of Permindex's involvement in the financing for the 1962 Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) assassination attempt on French
President Charles De Gaulle
prompted the removal of Bloomfield's name from the letterhead of his law firm in 1968. Among his other holdings were Heineken
’s Breweries Canada Ltd and Credit Suisse
of Canada. In 1967, Credit Suisse
of Canada was exposed as the conduit of, and the FBI's Division Five the source of the funds for the De Gaulle assassination plot by De Gaulle's Intelligence Bureau Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
.
Bloomfield had an active public service career serving with: National Capital Commission, 1963-1976; president, Quebec Council of St. John; co-founder and vice-president, World Wildlife Fund Canada; and was Honorary Consul General, Republic of Liberia 1962-1984. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, the Weizmann Institute of Science
and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He was associated with the Histadrut
campaign of Canada, Chairman of Canadian Red Cross
Ambulance Service and the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
.
He received an Doctor of Laws from St. Francis Xavier University
in 1964, a Doctor of Philosophy
(honorary degree
) from the Hebrew University in 1973 and a Doctor of Civil Law
from St. Thomas University
in 1973.
with the condition that they were not to be made public before 20 years after his death. The papers have yet to be made available and are the subject of a legal dispute.
http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=6622
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer, businessman and soldier.
Early life & Military Career
Louis was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Harry Bloomfield in 1906. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1927 and his Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
from the University of Montreal in 1930. A Zionist, Bloomfield joined the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
as an Intelligence Officer under General Charles Orde Wingate. Bloomfield was involved in training the Jewish army, Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
(1936-1939).
Bloomfield was recruited into the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) in 1938, the same year its head, William Stephenson
William Stephenson
Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC was a Canadian soldier, airman, businessman, inventor, spymaster, and the senior representative of British intelligence for the entire western hemisphere during World War II. He is best known by his wartime intelligence codename Intrepid...
, negotiated closer ties between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Intelligence Agencies
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
. On the advice of William Stephenson
William Stephenson
Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC was a Canadian soldier, airman, businessman, inventor, spymaster, and the senior representative of British intelligence for the entire western hemisphere during World War II. He is best known by his wartime intelligence codename Intrepid...
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
established the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
in 1942 and Bloomfield was recruited by that organization and given the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. His main assignment with the OSS was to help create and head recruitment for the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's counter-intelligence group Division Five. He continued with this group well after the war During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Bloomfield was officially attached to the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps
For successor see Logistics BranchThe Royal Canadian Army Service Corps was an administrative and transport corps of the Canadian Army....
.
Post-War Career
At the close of the war the SOE's operations in the US ended and Bloomfield focused on international law from until 1970 at the firm of Phillips, Bloomfield, Vineberg and Goodman in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. His most famous legal client until the late 1960s was the Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman
Samuel Bronfman, was a Canadian business magnate and philanthropist. He founded Distillers Corporation Limited, and is a member of the Canadian Jewish family dynasty, the Bronfman family.-Early life:...
family with whom he maintained a business relationship until his death. In 1947, the OSS evolved into the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, and Bloomfield continued his relationship with the organization. He acted for King Carol II of Romania
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
who sought entry into Canada after World War II and an elected magistrate of the "Tribunal Mixte" Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
(International Zone) in 1949. He was a regular visitor to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and met the Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
on 4 May, 1949.
In 1952, Bloomfield became an overseas representative of the International Executive Board of the International Law Association
International Law Association
The International Law Association is a non-profit organization based in Great Britain that — according to its 2004 constitution — promotes "the study, clarification and development of international law" and "the furtherance of international understanding and respect for international law."The ILA...
making him a ranking official of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. His expertise: terrorism, piracy and civil aviation.
He was also a major stockholder of Centro Mondiale Commerciale (CMC). The CMC was accused by the Italian Press of being a cover for CIA espionage in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He was the president and chairman of the board of Permindex
Permindex
Permindex was a trade organization created in 1958 by Canadian lawyer Louis Bloomfield who became its president and chairman of its board. Its name was a contraction of "Permanent Industrial Expositions".- De Gaulle assassination attempt allegations :...
, a contraction of "Permanent Industrial Expositions", since its creation in 1958. Accusations of Permindex's involvement in the financing for the 1962 Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) assassination attempt on French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
President Charles De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
prompted the removal of Bloomfield's name from the letterhead of his law firm in 1968. Among his other holdings were Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
’s Breweries Canada Ltd and Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
of Canada. In 1967, Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
of Canada was exposed as the conduit of, and the FBI's Division Five the source of the funds for the De Gaulle assassination plot by De Gaulle's Intelligence Bureau Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
The Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage was France's external intelligence agency from 6 November 1944 to 2 April 1982 when it was replaced by the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure...
.
Bloomfield had an active public service career serving with: National Capital Commission, 1963-1976; president, Quebec Council of St. John; co-founder and vice-president, World Wildlife Fund Canada; and was Honorary Consul General, Republic of Liberia 1962-1984. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He was associated with the Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
campaign of Canada, Chairman of Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
Ambulance Service and the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
Books & Education
Bloomfield wrote several books: The British Honduras-Guatemala Dispute, 1953; Grundung und Aufbau Kanadischer Aktiengesellschaften, 1960; Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons, 1962 with Gerald F. Fitzgerald http://www.amazon.ca/dp/0275053504; Egypt, Israel and the Gulf of Aqaba in International Law, 1967; and La Convention de Varsovie dans une Optique Canadienne, 1976. He authored and co-authored many articles and reviews mostly in the field of international law.He received an Doctor of Laws from St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a post-secondary institution located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The school was founded in 1853, but did not offer degrees until 1868. The university has approximately 5000 students.-History:...
in 1964, a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
) from the Hebrew University in 1973 and a Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
from St. Thomas University
St. Thomas University (New Brunswick)
St. Thomas University is jointly a public and Roman Catholic liberal arts university located in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It offers degrees exclusively at the undergraduate level for approximately 3,000 students in the liberal arts, humanities, journalism, education, and social work....
in 1973.
Bloomfield Archives
Prior to his death he donated 31 boxes of documents, Bloomfield Archives to the Library and Archives CanadaLibrary and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
with the condition that they were not to be made public before 20 years after his death. The papers have yet to be made available and are the subject of a legal dispute.
Further reading
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKbloomfield.htmhttp://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=6622