Born in Boston , he earned a bachelor 's degree from Cornell University in 1910 . Griffis began his business career in 1919 after serving the Army General Staff with the rank of captain during World War I . While with Hemphill , Noyes & Co. , Griffis financed Adolf Kroch 's acquisition of Brentano 's in 1933 . He also helped the Atlas Corporation manage Madison Square Garden . Griffis was named a trustee of Cornell in 1930 and led Paramount Pictures from 1935 to 1942 . He became involved with diplomacy and non-governmental organizations during World War II , serving as special envoy to several western European nations from 1942 to 1943 , and directing the Motion Picture Bureau , a division of the Office of War Information , between 1943 and 1944 . In a subsequent two-month stint as diplomatic representative , Griffis tried to dissuade Swedish manufacturers of ball bearings from exporting to Germany . Upon his return to the United States , Griffis was named leader of the American Red Cross in the Asia-Pacific . For aiding the World War II war effort , he received the Medal for Merit and the Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom (1945)
Stanton Griffis