History Federal Intelligence Service (Germany)

cia report on negotiations establish bnd (1952)

the predecessor of bnd german eastern military intelligence agency during world war ii, abteilung fremde heere ost or fho section in general staff, led wehrmacht major general reinhard gehlen. main purpose collect information on red army. after war gehlen worked u.s. occupation forces in west germany. in 1946 set intelligence agency informally known gehlen organization or org , recruited of former co-workers. many had been operatives of admiral wilhelm canaris wartime abwehr (counter-intelligence) organization, gehlen recruited people former sicherheitsdienst (sd), ss , gestapo, after release allies. latter recruits later controversial because ss , associated groups notoriously perpetrators of many nazi atrocities during war. organization worked @ first exclusively cia, contributed funding, equipment, cars, gasoline , other materials. on 1 april 1956 bundesnachrichtendienst created gehlen organization, , transferred west german government, staff. reinhard gehlen became president of bnd , remained head until 1968.