| Ellis Mark Zacharias, Sr. | |
|---|---|
|
File:Ellis M Zacharias.jpg Captain Ellis M. Zacharias, Sr. | |
| Born | January 1, 1890 |
| Died | June 27, 1961 (aged 71) |
| Place of birth | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Place of death | West Springfield, New Hampshire |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery (38°52′45″N 77°04′08″W / 38.879074°N 77.069006°W) |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1912–1946 |
| Rank |
 Rear admiral |
| Commands held | Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence |
| Battles/wars | World War I; World War II |
| Awards | Legion of Merit |
| Other work | TV presenter, Behind Closed Doors |
Ellis Mark Zacharias, Sr. (January 1, 1890 – June 27, 1961) was a Rear admiral and naval attaché to Japan, who served in World War I and World War II. After World War II, he was appointed as the deputy director of US Naval Intelligence, and post-retirement he narrated the 1958–1959 NBC television docudrama Behind Closed Doors.
Biography[]
From 1940 to 1942, Zacharias commanded the USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), a heavy cruiser that was part of the force that escorted Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle on the 1942 bombing raid over Japan.[1] During the war, he remained at the rank of captain.[2] He conducted radio psychological warfare against the Japanese high command.
Zacharias was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated in 1912 from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.[1] Zacharias served his first cruise aboard the new battleship USS Arkansas (BB-33), which escorted U.S. President William Howard Taft to Panama to inspect the Panama Canal before water was turned into it. From 1913 to 1915, Zacharias served aboard the USS Virginia (BB-13). He was then stationed for a time on the survey ship USS Hannibal.[3] During World War I, he served as a line officer aboard the USS Pittsburgh (ACR-4).[1]
His television series, Behind Closed Doors, is a unique 26-episode program set during the Cold War hosted by and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon in the role of Commander Matson. The series focuses on how the former Soviet Union stole American missile secrets and proposes steps to prevent further espionage. Behind Closed Doors is based on Zacharias files in naval intelligence and his war-time experiences. He offers comments at the conclusion of each segment.[4] Before he appeared on Behind Closed Doors, Zacharias had also narrated a radio series entitled Secret Missions.[1] The titles of both programs were taken from books that he had written.[5][6]
Zacharias retired from the US Navy in 1946 after thirty-four years of service as the result of a heart seizure. He died at his home in West Springfield, New Hampshire, at the age of seventy-one of complications from another heart seizure. He was interred on July 3, 1961, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His wife, the former Clara Miller (born February 27, 1897), was interred with him upon her death on November 7, 1992. At the time of her death, she was living in Falls Church, Virginia.[7] Their son, Ellis M. Zacharias, Jr. (February 1, 1926–April 17, 2006), died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the age of eighty.[7] He was a photographer who moved to Tulsa in 1975. Like his father, he graduated from the Naval Academy. He subsequently served on the USS Missouri (BB-63).[8]
See also[]
- Office of Naval Intelligence
- USS Salt Lake City (CA-25)
- Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series)
- Sidney Mashbir
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Ellis M. Zacharias". arlingtoncemetery.net. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/emzacharias.htm. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Books: Fifteen Guns". time.com. December 23, 1946. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,793373,00.html. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Our Captain". usslcca25.com. http://ussslcca25.com/mcmur-08.htm. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ↑ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present, New York: Ballantine Press, 1992, p. 79
- ↑ "Secret Missions; The Story of an Intelligence Officer". abaa.org/books. http://www.abaa.org/books/36048965.html. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Behind Closed Doors: The Secret History of the Cold War". barnesandnoble.com. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Behind-Closed-Doors/Ellis-M-Zacharias/e/9780548446171. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com. http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
- ↑ Phillips, Mickey (2006). "Ellis Zacharias, APSA 1926-2006 Tulsa, Oklahoma". findarticles.com. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1306/is_6_72/ai_n26910560/?tag=content;col1. Retrieved October 9, 2009.[dead link]
Sources[]
- Zacharias, Ellis (2003) [1946]. Secret Missions: The Story of an Intelligence Officer. New York: US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-999-6. OCLC 2101120. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Uge_rPrb7NYC&lpg=PP1&ots=ltRteONzl7&dq=Secret%20Missions%3A%20The%20Story%20of%20an%20Intelligence%20Officer&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- Mashbir, Sidney (1953). I Was An American Spy. New York: Vantage Press. OCLC 1243892.
- David A. Pfeiffer (2008). "Sage Prophet or Loose Cannon? Skilled Intelligence Officer in World War II Foresaw Japan's Plans, but Annoyed Navy Brass". Prologue Summer 2008: Vol. 40, No. 2. College Park, Maryland: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2008/summer/zacharias.html.
The original article can be found at Ellis M. Zacharias and the edit history here.