I have an ancestor who served in the CIP in WW1. According to stories passed down from other relatives, and his published obituary some years later, he was recruited (by a former classmate from Harvard) for covert intelligence work because he spoke fluent French, and had traveled extensively in both France and Ireland, and could thus pass as an Irish expat living in France. He was given a Sinn Fein passport so as not to arouse suspicion, and was somehow dropped or landed behind German lines. Unfortunately, he was badly injured in a gas attack, disabling him for a time, and after being discharged after the war, stayed in France in the care of a French woman until he died, never returning to this country.
I have been unable to find much printed information on the Corps of Intelligence Police and do not know how to find any official records, or if they even exist. Apparently it was established in 1917 as the Army's first counterintelligence unit, the Army having virtually no intelligence capability at the time. Supposedly the Army approached the Pinkerton Agency looking for experienced investigators fluent in French and was told "there ain't no such animal." I have read that ultimately about 400 CIP agents served in France. I would appreciate it if anyone knows anything on this subject, or has any experience researching military records of this type. I am not experienced with military records at all, and would like to verify, if possible, any details of his service. Thank you.