Henry Hecksher
Encyclopedia
Henry Hecksher was a career United States
intelligence officer
who served in both the OSS
and CIA
.
Hecksher was born in Hamburg
, Germany
. He emigrated to the United States in 1934. He joined the United States Army
, achieving the rank of captain. Hecksher took part in the Normandy
invasion, and was wounded in Antwerp.
He later became an intelligence officer with the Army and interrogated some of the top Nazi leaders, including Julius Streicher
. He joined the OSS
and in 1946 became head of its counterintelligence section in Berlin
. Later, this section would become the CIA's Berlin Operating Base
, also known as BOB. Hecksher would eventually work under CIA station chief William Harvey
at BOB.
Alongside CIA officers like Harvey and David Atlee Phillips
, Hecksher became heavily involved in CIA covert operations, including the Berlin Tunnel project. He was CIA Station Chief in Santiago, and was involved in covert actions in the period before the coup d'etat
owhich overthrew Chile
an president Salvador Allende Gossens in 1973. Accusations persist that Hecksher, the CIA and the US Government were instrumental in the coup. http://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/chile-kornbluh.asphttp://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/ch05-01.htm
In reporter Dick Russell's 1992 biography of Richard Case Nagell
, "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Nagell referred to Hecksher as "Bob".
Hecksher died in 1990 from complications of Parkinson's disease
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
who served in both the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
.
Hecksher was born in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He emigrated to the United States in 1934. He joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, achieving the rank of captain. Hecksher took part in the Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
invasion, and was wounded in Antwerp.
He later became an intelligence officer with the Army and interrogated some of the top Nazi leaders, including Julius Streicher
Julius Streicher
Julius Streicher was a prominent Nazi prior to World War II. He was the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer newspaper, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine...
. He joined the OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and in 1946 became head of its counterintelligence section in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Later, this section would become the CIA's Berlin Operating Base
Berlin Operating Base
Berlin Operating Base, or B.O.B., was the CIA station in West Germany during the Cold War.The station was run by legendary CIA officer William Harvey.His main subordinate was CIA officer Henry Hecksher....
, also known as BOB. Hecksher would eventually work under CIA station chief William Harvey
William King Harvey
William King "Bill" Harvey was a Central Intelligence Agency officer, best known for his role in Operation Mongoose. He was known as "America's James Bond."...
at BOB.
Alongside CIA officers like Harvey and David Atlee Phillips
David Atlee Phillips
David Atlee Phillips was a Central Intelligence Agency officer for 25 years, one of a handful of people to receive the Career Intelligence Medal. He rose to become the CIA's chief of all operations in the Western hemisphere...
, Hecksher became heavily involved in CIA covert operations, including the Berlin Tunnel project. He was CIA Station Chief in Santiago, and was involved in covert actions in the period before the coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
owhich overthrew Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an president Salvador Allende Gossens in 1973. Accusations persist that Hecksher, the CIA and the US Government were instrumental in the coup. http://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/chile-kornbluh.asphttp://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB8/ch05-01.htm
In reporter Dick Russell's 1992 biography of Richard Case Nagell
Richard Case Nagell
Richard Case Nagell is a former military officer who, according to Dick Russell's biography of him, claimed to have had foreknowledge of the John F. Kennedy assassination, and also to have gotten himself arrested in a bank shooting weeks before the assassination to avoid becoming a patsy...
, "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Nagell referred to Hecksher as "Bob".
Hecksher died in 1990 from complications of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.