Editing Reinhard Gehlen (section)

==Gehlen Organization==
After Germany’s defeat in 1945, Reinhard Gehlen, former head of Nazi intelligence on the Eastern Front, leveraged his expertise to establish the Gehlen Organization, a pivotal Cold War intelligence network. Anticipating the Allies’ need for anti-Soviet intelligence, Gehlen surrendered to U.S. forces in May 1945, offering his microfilmed archives and network of operatives. The U.S. Army, recognizing the emerging Soviet threat, accepted his proposal. By 1946, under U.S. supervision and later CIA funding, Gehlen set up the organization in Pullach, near Munich. He recruited former Wehrmacht and SS officers, many with Nazi ties, to conduct espionage against the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc. The organization exploited Gehlen’s wartime contacts, establishing covert networks across Europe for intelligence gathering, infiltration, and sabotage. Operating with significant autonomy, it became a cornerstone of U.S.-NATO anti-communist efforts, potentially supporting Operation Gladio’s stay-behind units. Despite its intelligence contributions, the organization faced criticism for employing war criminals and its vulnerability to Soviet penetration, notably by double agent Heinz Felfe. In 1956, it transitioned into the West German BND, with Gehlen as president until 1968, cementing his legacy as a controversial architect of Cold War espionage.