E. Henry Knoche

E. Henry Knoche
Acting Director of Central Intelligence
In office
January 20, 1977  March 9, 1977
Preceded by George H. W. Bush
Succeeded by Stansfield Turner
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
In office
July 7, 1976  August 1, 1977
President Gerald Ford
Personal details
Born January 14, 1925
Charleston, West Virginia
Died July 9, 2010(2010-07-09) (aged 85)
Alma mater Washington and Jefferson College

Enno Henry Knoche (KNOCK-ee)(January 14, 1925 in Charleston, West Virginia - July 9, 2010) was a deputy director of the CIA and acting Director of Central Intelligence.[1]

Knoche attended Mt. Lebanon School District, where he played basketball and tennis, winning a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League doubles championship.[2] In 1942, he enrolled in Washington & Jefferson College, playing baseball and the freshman basketball team. He then enlisted in the United States Navy to serve in World War II in 1943.[2] Later, he attended Bethany College, again playing basketball and leading the team in scoring.[2] He then attended University of Colorado, where he led his basketball team to the 1946 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and played baseball.[2] Following his discharge from the military, he returned to W&J to complete his degree, graduating in 1947.[2] He then played for 2 years in the professional National Industrial Basketball League, leading his team in scoring both years.[2] He was drafted by the failing Pittsburgh Ironmen in the 1947 BAA Draft.[3][nb 1] When his contract was then sold to the New York Knicks, Knoche demanded $2,500 to play for the team, a demand that was not met.[3][4]

He served in the United States Navy as a Navy intelligence officer, in World War II, and the Korean War.[4]

He joined the CIA in 1953 as an analyst; he was fluent in Russian and the Fuzhou dialect.[4] During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he briefed President John F. Kennedy.[4] Even though he lacked the typical CIA resume, as having never served in operational capacity or in the clandestine operations, he was steadily promoted through the agency's ranks.[4] On July 7, 1976 he became deputy director, serving under director George H.W. Bush.[4] In that position, he was responsible for day-to-day agency operations.[4]

Upon Bush's resignation from the CIA with the inauguration of Jimmy Carter on January 20, 1977, Knoche became acting director.[4] That day, he briefed Carter on the agency's ongoing clandestine operations.[4] On January 21, 1977, he met with president Jimmy Carter, and delivered photo intelligence from Aerospace Data Facility-East.[5] His term as acting director ended when Stansfield Turner was confirmed as director of the CIA on March 9, 1977.[4] He retired on August 1, 1977. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.[4]

He married Angie Papoulas in 1947; they had five sons[4]

Notes

  1. Overall, it is unclear exactly which professional basketball team Knoche played for in 1947-1948. One source indicates that he played for the National Industrial Basketball League,[2] while another source does not mention it at all, instead discussing the Pittsburgh Ironmen, which were not part of the National Industrial Basketball League[3]

References

  1. "Enno Henry Knoche*". Center for Study of Intelligence. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "E. HENRY KNOCHE 2001 - BASKETBALL". Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Washington-Greene County Chapter. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "From Basketball to Covert Ops: E. Henry Knoche". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-09-25.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Shapiro, T. Rees (August 29, 2010). "E. Henry Knoche, 85; a key player in the intelligence game". The Washington Post.
  5. Burrows, William (1986). Deep Black: Space Espionage and National Security. New York, New York: Random House. pp. 229. ISBN 0-394-54124-3
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