People
Reinhard Gehlen
Wehrmacht intelligence chief on the Eastern Front; handed his files to the US in 1945 and ran a spy network for them.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremde Heere Ost | head of Wehrmacht intelligence on the Eastern Front | 1942–1945 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Sheehan on Danny Jones (2024) | Sheehan: Shackley was Gehlen's translator/protégé (unsourced) | 1945 | Unproven | youtube.com |
| Gehlen Organization | founder and head | 1946–1956 | Documented · occurred | nsarchive2.gwu.edu |
| US Army | Operation Rusty: the network ran under Army control before the CIA | 1946–1949 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| Order of Malta | Grand Cross pro Merito Melitensi | 1948 | Documented · occurred | motherjones.com |
| Heinz Felfe | the Soviet mole inside his own service | 1951–1961 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
| BND | first president | 1956–1968 | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reinhard Gehlen was recruited by Donovan and Dulles and was a Knight of Malta, as were Donovan, McCone and Colby | named | Structural | ||
| Theodore Shackley was Reinhard Gehlen's translator-protégé, having been in the 101st CIC unit that took Gehlen's surrender; Gehlen led West German intelligence and was the CIA's primary Soviet-intel source | named | Structural | ||
| Allen Dulles | correspondence (letter from Gehlen) | Documented · occurred | cia.gov | |
| Otto Skorzeny | contacts | Unproven | en.wikipedia.org | |
| Operation Paperclip | parallel program: intelligence personnel rather than scientists | 1946– | Documented · occurred | en.wikipedia.org |
Mentioned in
Notes
- Surrendered in 1945 with microfilmed files on the Soviet Union and traded them for his network's survival.
- CIA files on him: see World Commerce Corporation deep dive, section 3c.