Hugh Francis Redmond (October 30, 1919 - April 13, 1970) was an American World War II paratrooper who later worked for the CIA in their storied Special Activities Division. He was in Shanghai disguised as an ice cream machine salesman from 1946 to 1951, returning intelligence information on the Communists.

As he was boarding a ship to San Francisco to return to the United States, he was captured and imprisoned. Held for almost twenty years in a prison camp, he was severely tortured, but never admitted his connection to the CIA. In 1970, he died; the Chinese claim he slit his wrists on April 13, 1970. The Chinese cremated his remains and they were returned to the United States. Redmond was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers on August 3, 1970. Considerable mystery still surrounds whether or not he was murdered during his imprisonment.

The information above can be found on Wikipedia and is basically all of the information available on Hugh Francis Redmond. To be honest with you, it's a damn shame. We first came across the name Hugh Francis Redmond while doing research on Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers. Once we read all of the information available on Wikipedia and a few other random websites, we decided to dig a little deeper into Mr. Redmond's life and here is our work. Below you will find newspaper articles that relate to Hugh Francis Redmond, along with a few photos that we found while searching through newspapers online. Redmond's story, hidden history that has remained long forgotten, is the story of a true American patriot and the cruelty of a Communist regime set on proving a point.

For the rest of Hugh Francis Redmond's story, please check out the audio link provided for EPISODE ONE of our new podcast, Hidden History:

LISTEN NOW - A Covert Life: The Redmond Story

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Images and Newspaper Articles

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - December 4, 1954

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - August 4, 1955

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - January 2, 1958

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - December 11, 1958

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - December 18, 1958

Mrs. Ruth Redmond packing to see her son in China, 1958

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - September 23, 1959

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - November 28, 1959

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - August 3, 1962

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - November 5, 1962

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - November 5, 1962

Newspaper Unknown

The Buffalo Courier Express, November 28, 1968. Unknown to the public, the CIA was working with the Yonkers, N.Y. attorney,

had put up the $1 million dollars, and had a list of celebrities who could pose as donors if need be.

The Daily News, Tarrytown, N.Y. - December 26, 1969

A political cartoon published in the New York Daily News on July 11, 1970 that appeared after the Chinese reported that Hugh Redmond had committed suicide in one of their prisons. An editorial that was included with the cartoon suggested what many already suspected - that Redmond had been murdered or died of neglect.

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - July 30, 1970

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - August 4, 1970

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - August 6, 1970

The final resting place of Hugh Francis Redmond in Oakland Cemetery, Yonkers, N.Y.

Photo found online.

The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y. - March 16, 1973

RESOURCES

• https://fultonhistory.com/
• https://nypost.com/2000/05/29/forgotten-hero-may-be-honored-after-50-years/

• Gup, Ted. The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives. Anchor Books, 2001.