| Sosthenes Behn | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 30, 1882 St. Thomas, Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) |
| Died | June 6, 1957 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Co-founder of the Puerto Rico Telephone Company and ITT Corporation |
Sosthenes Behn (January 30, 1882 – June 6, 1957) was an American businessman widely known for founding ITT. He held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army.
Sosthenes Behn was born in the island of St. Thomas, then part of the Danish West Indies. His ancestry was German on his paternal side, and French on his maternal side.
Behn served in the United States Army and was commissioned a Captain, Signal Corps, on June 19, 1917. He later achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, having served with distinction during World War I. Behn served with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France until February 1919. He was given command of the 232nd Field Signal Battalion, Chatteau Thierry, St. Mihiel, Argonne. For his valor in combat, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM).
After his return from active duty serving his country, Colonel Behn co-founded the Puerto Rico Telephone Company which eventually spawned ITT. According to Anthony Sampson's book The Sovereign State of ITT, one of the first American businessmen Hitler received after taking power in 1933 was Sosthenes Behn, then the CEO of ITT and his German representative, Henry Mann. Antony C. Sutton, in his book Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler, makes the claim that ITT subsidiaries made cash payments to SS leader Heinrich Himmler.
ITT, through its subsidiary The Lorenz Company, owned 25% of Focke-Wulf, the German aircraft manufacturer, builder of some of the most successful Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. In addition, Sutton’s book uncovers that ITT owned Huth and Company, G.m.b.H. of Berlin, which made radio and radar parts that were used in equipment going to the Wehrmacht.
Behn, along with his brother, Hernan, built the Two Brothers Bridge —Puente Dos Hermanos in Spanish— in San Juan. The bridge links the districts of Condado and Old San Juan.
During the war, all of ITT's German holdings were put under German government control. These included a minority share in airplane manufacturer Focke-Wulf, which ITT had acquired through its contacts with German financier Kurt Baron von Schröder. After the end of the war, the US authorities returned these assets to their rightful US owner.
In recognition of his extraordinary service to his country, Behn was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.