Moe Berg

Moe Berg (1902-1972) was an American Major League Baseball player and a spy for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. A catcher, Berg played 15 seasons in the major leagues, from 1923 to 1939, for several teams including the Brooklyn Robins, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and Boston Red Sox. Despite his respectable, though not stellar, baseball career, he is far more renowned for his intellect and espionage activities.

Berg was known for his extensive knowledge of languages, reportedly being fluent in several including Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, and Japanese, among others. This aptitude for languages and his cosmopolitan background made him an attractive candidate for intelligence work.

During World War II, Berg worked for the OSS, a precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). His missions included travelling to Europe to gather information on the German nuclear program. One of his most significant assignments involved determining whether German physicist Werner Heisenberg was continuing his research on the atomic bomb. Berg reportedly attended a lecture by Heisenberg in Switzerland, prepared to assassinate him if he concluded that Germany was close to developing a nuclear weapon. Ultimately, he determined Heisenberg was not a significant threat and did not carry out the assassination.

After the war, Berg's service with the OSS ended, and he lived a somewhat eccentric and nomadic life. He refused several offers of government employment and never publicly discussed his wartime activities in detail. He died in 1972, leaving behind a legacy of intellectual prowess and enigmatic service to his country. His story has been the subject of numerous biographies and documentaries, solidifying his image as a fascinating and unconventional figure in American history.