Archimedes L. A. Patti – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

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From a contemporary press report:

Archimedes L.A. Patti, 84, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, crisis management specialist and author, died of kidney failure April 23, 1998 at a nursing home in Winter Park, Florida. Colonel Patti, a former Washington resident, had lived in Florida since 1971.

Colonel Patti, a native of New York, began his military career in 1941. He served as an infantry officer in Europe during World War II and was later detailed to the Office of Strategic Services in Hanoi. His military decorations included the Bronze Star.

After his military retirement in 1957, he worked 13 years as a crisis management specialist in the Office of Emergency Planning in Washington, helping to formulate contingency plans for the civil governance of the nation in the event of a nuclear attack.

In retirement, he wrote a book and several articles on Vietnam. In 1982, he wrote “Why Vietnam: Prelude to America's Albatross,” which describes his relationship with Communist guerrilla leader Ho Chi Minh during the mid-1940s.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret Telford Patti of Casselberry, Fla.; two daughters, Alexandra Eldridge of Winter Springs, Fla., and Giuliana Scott of Downers Grove, Ill.; a sister; and two grandsons.

PATTI, ARCHIMEDES L.A., Lt. Col. AUS (Ret.)

Of Winter Park, Florida, age 84, passed away on April 23, 1998 after a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Telford Patti, Casselberry, FL; daughters, Alexandra Eldridge, and Giuliana Scott; sister, B. Margaret DeGaetano; grandsons, Gregory and Jacob Eldridge. A Mass of Christian Burial for Colonel Patti will be celebrated on Thursday, May 7, 1998 at 12:45 p.m. in the chapel at Fort Myer, Virginia, followed by interment with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Colonel Patti's 33-year career was in both military intelligence and civil service. He headed the OSS team which flew into Hanoi in August, 1945 to make preparations for the Japanese troop surrender in North Vietnam and for the release of the Allied POW's.

After retirement from the Army, he worked in crisis management with the Office of Emergency Planning in Washington, DC. In 1982 he wrote ”Why Vietnam?: Prelude to America's Albatross”, a full account of his relationship with Ho Chi Minh and the events surrounding Ho's proclamation of Vietnamese independence on September 2, 1945. His research and archival materials have been deposited with the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

During his career, Colonel Patti was awarded the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster as well as other military and civilian citations.

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