Louis Onorato "Jeff" Giuffrida (October 2, 1920 – November 20, 2012) was the Ronald Reagan administration's first director of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Ex ...

from 1981 to 1985. Giuffrida graduated from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

(B.A.) and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

(M.A.). He had a lengthy career in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1968. As originally reported by Alfonso Chardy in a newspaper article in the Miami Herald, July 5, 1987, at the

US Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army educational institution in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instruction to senior military officer ...

, Giuffrida wrote a thesis outlining a military plan for the forcible relocation of millions of black Americans to

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

in the event of a national emergency involving racial strife. This is debatable as the thesis referenced below states it would take 14 years to relocate them forcibly. The thesis appears to refer to 500K self-described militants (see page 38) being relocated. On page 41, he appears to question whether this is even realistic. Much of the thesis appears to be devoted to the history of racism and concludes that the treatment of blacks in the army offers a positive example to society (see pages 1 and 47) Prior to September 2014 the Miami Herald article was the only publication to share details about Giuffrida's thesis. In 1971 he left the Army and organized the California Specialized Training Institute for then

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Governor Reagan. The institute trained state employees in emergency management and police in counter-terrorism activities.. It was during this time that Giuffrida became friends with

Edwin Meese Edwin Meese III (born December 2, 1931) is an American attorney, law professor, author and member of the Republican Party who served in official capacities within the Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial administration (1967–1974), the Reagan pre ...

. He also served as an advisor on terrorism, emergency management, and other special topics for Governor Reagan. He was eventually promoted to the rank of

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the California Militia ee Title 32 U.S. Code Giuffrida was confirmed on May 18, 1981. At the time of his nomination Giuffrida was president of the Specialized Management Services Co. and director of the California Specialized Training Institute. During his tenure at FEMA, Giuffrida developed much of FEMA's civil defense programs, including Continuity of Government. Giuffrida was eventually forced out of the agency in 1985 after a Congressional investigation alleged that he spent government money to build a private residence at FEMA's Emergency Management Institute in

Emmitsburg, Maryland Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town ...

as well as mismanagement and fraud. After Giuffrida's tenure at FEMA, he was hired by

Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2019) was an American political activist who founded the LaRouche movement and its main organization the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC). He was a prominent conspira ...

's organization as a security consultant.Murphy, Caryle (December 9, 1988). "BUSINESS EFFORTS FELL SHORT, LAROUCHE AIDES TESTIFY." ''Washington Post''

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giuffrida, Louis 1920 births 2012 deaths Boston University alumni Federal Emergency Management Agency officials Reagan administration personnel United States Army generals University of Connecticut alumni