Lattu, Onnie P.

Onnie Peter Lattu was born in Hitola, Finland, on 24 April 1906. He joined the first NROTC unit, under the command of Captain Chester W. Nimitz, when he attended the University of California at Berkeley in 1926 and was commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve on 19 June 1930. He transferred to the U.S. Navy on 3 December 1930. In August 1940, Lattu was sent to the American Embassy, Berlin, Germany, as Assistant Naval Attache, also being attached to American Legations in Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; Stockholm, Sweden; and Vichy, France. After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, he was interned with other military attaches in Germany until the diplomatic exchange of internees was arranged in May 1942. At that point, he returned to the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts in June 1942, and served until March 1944 as Officer in Charge, Field Operations Branch; Officer in Charge, Requisition and Order Section, Maintenance Division; and a member of the Selection Board. On 25 August 1961, he reported as Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts for Transportation and Facilities, Navy Department and in July 1964, he became Director of the Office of Oil and Gas, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. On 1 December 1965, Rear Admiral Lattu transferred to the Retired List of the U.S. Navy. He remained as the Director of the Office of Oil and Gas in the Department of the Interior until 1969, when he became a director on the board of the Cities Services Company.