One of the foundation directors of ASIO, Robert Frederick Bird Wake, in his son's biography "No Ribbons or Medals" about his father's work as a counter espionage officer, is credited with getting "the show" started in 1949. Wake worked closely with Director-General Reed. During World War II, Reed conducted an inquiry into Wake's performance as a security officer and found that he was competent and innocent of the charges laid by the Army's commander-in-chief, General Thomas Blamey. This was the start of a relationship between Reed and Wake that lasted for more than 10 years. Wake was seen as the operational head of ASIO.