E. Henry Knoche

Enno Henry Knoche (/ˈnɒki/ NOK-ee; January 14, 1925 – July 9, 2010) was a deputy director of the CIA and acting Director of Central Intelligence.[1]

E. Henry Knoche
Acting Director of Central Intelligence
In office
January 20, 1977 – March 9, 1977
Preceded byGeorge H. W. Bush
Succeeded byStansfield Turner
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
In office
July 7, 1976 – August 1, 1977
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byVernon A. Walters
Succeeded byJohn F. Blake
Personal details
Born
Enno Henry Knoche

January 14, 1925
Charleston, West Virginia
DiedJuly 9, 2010(2010-07-09) (aged 85)
Alma materWashington and Jefferson College
Awards President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1977)

Life and career

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 (equivalent to $28,600 in 2019) 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]

On January 12, 1977, he was honored as a recipient of the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. Presentation of the award was made in the East Room of the White House by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller.[5]

Upon Bush's resignation from the CIA with the inauguration of President 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 the president and delivered photo intelligence from Aerospace Data Facility-East.[6] His term as acting director ended when Stansfield Turner was confirmed as director of the CIA on March 9, 1977.[4]

Knoche 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. "E. HENRY KNOCHE 2001 - BASKETBALL". Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Washington-Greene County Chapter. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  3. "From Basketball to Covert Ops: E. Henry Knoche". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26.
  4. Shapiro, T. Rees (August 29, 2010). "E. Henry Knoche, 85; a key player in the intelligence game". The Washington Post.
  5. "the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service for E. Henry Knoche". Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  6. 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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