Miller pioneered CIA 'risk-of-capture' program

Bill Miller of Sisters has led an adventurous life. A ski enthusiast, he enlisted in the elite 10th Mountain Division and saw combat in the rugged terrain of northern Italy during World War II (see The Nugget, July 23, page 3).

After discharge in 1946, Miller decided to go to college. A college degree was quite an ambition for a guy who graduated 449th out of a high school class of 452. The admissions dean gave the veteran a break and said if he did well on College Board Exams, maybe something could be done.

Miller did and he was admitted on probation, meaning any low grades and he was immediately out. He didn't set the house on fire the first year or so, but managed to pass. In the middle of his sophomore year, his beloved Nan entered the scene and Miller made the Dean's List for the rest of his college career.

He eventually obtained a master's degree in psychology from Colgate University in 1952. Nan worked and Miller directed a winter sports program, drawing on his skiing background.

He was hired at the school as an instructor for a whopping $3,200 a year and began working on a Ph.D.

Miller didn't like the program and took a job with Alcoa Aluminum, in labor relations, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was soon the chief negotiator for the company with a 3,000-man work force. Miller was too sympathetic to the union viewpoint for the job.

Once, at a big meeting, he wondered why there were no salaried layoffs when hourly jobs were cut.

It was 1955 and Miller was restless. He was receptive to a call from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the organization charged with gathering intelligence around the world.

While he still won't talk about specific CIA operations, he says he would defend most of the work done by the sometimes controversial agency.

Miller spent considerable time in Vietnam in the 1960s. He recalls once he was with some CIA staff that had long service in the country and knew the country and its leaders well. One was even president of the Saigon Golf Club.

The consensus was that the problems in Vietnam were a civil war and the U.S. should get out of the country. The CIA veterans were ignored by the politicians, he said.

U.S. troops did not leave until 1975, after some 60,000 American deaths and thousands of civilian casualties, with many more to follow.

Miller also believes the U.S. should get out of Iraq. He cites two reasons: no one can come up with a picture of what Iraq will look like in 10 years, and the existence of an American presence in a Muslim world is a constant irritant.

One of the major contributions Miller made to the CIA was his Risk of Capture Program.

A famous incident occurred in 1960 when a U2 "spy" plane was shot down over Russia. The pilot, Gary Powers, was released in 1962, and the CIA was embarrassed by his lack of preparation for imprisonment. Miller, with his psychology background, was named to head the Risk of Capture Program, designed to prepare U.S. personnel for this eventuality.

He began by debriefing military and state department personnel who had been detained in foreign prisons. Two pilots, for example, had been in a Chinese prison for 20 years.

After extensive conversations, Miller put together a program that differed widely from anything done before. Previous POW training relied on yelling, harassing, humiliating, demanding unrealistic resistance, and ignored the most important element for people: concern for their family, Miller said.

They needed to be assured that their families would receive pay, that promotions would continue, savings would be put away and a large life insurance policy was in effect.

Miller was involved in debriefing the crew of the USS Pueblo, a U.S. spy ship captured by North Korea in 1968, and an "intelligence disaster," since the ship was filled with the latest spy technology and information.

In the next few years, Miller was also active in educating people about how service personnel would act and what they would need after imprisonment in Vietnam. He worked with the League of Families of POW/MIAs (Prisoners of War and Missing In Action) to help them understand that these men, for the most part, would not have deep psychological wounds and would adjust rapidly and with great resilience.

They did tend to be upset by a lot of activity and making decisions, he noted. Some friction could also be expected about who runs the household and other role adjustments such as rearing children.

Miller ended up addressing a national convention of the League of Families with his observations and had an interview on national television.

"My 15 minutes of fame," he said.

Miller and Nan decided to retire in San Diego in 1975 after an eye infection acquired in Vietnam made him legally blind in his right eye. Doctors at Johns Hopkins could not reassure him that he wouldn't go blind, so they decided to make the most out of life.

The agency had an early-retirement program at the time for anyone 50 or over, with 20 years service and five years of hazardous duty. But a life of shuffleboard would not fit Bill Miller. He soon became involved with search and rescue operations in San Diego, growing out of his interest in ham, or amateur, radio. He worked closely with the Red Cross and helped with emergencies in California and all over the country.

In 1988, a nephew suggested they consider moving to Sisters. With a nest egg from sale of their San Diego home they bought a place with five acres in the Panoramic Estates area, where they now reside.

Miller continued his search and rescue work when he came to Oregon and eventually became Disaster Chairman for the whole state. A heart attack slowed him down in the mid-1990s, but he is still on call and continues to help with amateur radio communications.

The active Miller is trim and fit. He takes golf lessons and hits 120 practice range balls twice a week at Aspen Lakes Golf Course. Flying has been a hobby since the 1940s and he enjoys "Flight Simulator" on his computer.

While he has an artificial hip and some joint problems from his World War II days, he still can walk a mile, ride a bike and ski.

He says he enjoyed ski instructing last winter at Hoodoo Mountain Resort, but teaching the snowplow, or wedge is hard on his knees and ankles. His eye condition has not worsened.

His son Gary, 55, followed his parents to Sisters. He served on the Sisters City Council for four years and on the board of SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities & Recreation). He operates a computer consulting service, serves on the Sisters Folk Festival Board of Directors and takes photographs for The Nugget.

Gary married and made Miller and Nan instant grandparents, and now instant great-grandparents, Miller said with a smile. But the Miller household has not been without pain. Son Gregg died at the age of 22 in an accident.

"I think about him every day," Miller said.