Reinhard Gehlen

Reinhard Gehlen was a German military officer and intelligence expert, best known for leading West Germany’s external intelligence agency after World War II. During the war, he ran Nazi Germany’s intelligence operations on the Eastern Front. After the war, he established the Gehlen Organization, which became the foundation of West Germany’s intelligence agency (BND). He played a key role in Cold War intelligence, especially in gathering information about the Soviet Union. Gehlen's work was controversial due to his Nazi connection, but he was influential in shaping West Germany’s early intelligence efforts amid Cold War tensions.