Samuel Halpern Papers

Collection

Identifier: GTM-20231010

Request

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the papers of Samuel Halpern, an officer with the OSS and CIA from 1943 to 1974. The papers primarily document his post-CIA work as a writer and historian on U.S. intelligence and foreign affairs, especially CIA operations in Cuba in the 1960s. It includes correspondence with Richard Helms and a number of other individuals, dating from the 1970s to 2000s. Other documents include writings by Halpern, his commentary on other articles and reports, interviews, photographs, maps, and subject files on U.S. intelligence operations.

Dates

Creation: 1934 - 2013
Creation: Majority of material found within 1960 - 2005

Creator

Halpern, Samuel, 1922-2005 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.

Biographical Note

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Samuel Halpern (1922-2005) was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and received his undergraduate degree from City College of New York in 1942. He pursued graduate work at Columbia University and George Washington University and also attended the National War College.

His career as an intelligence officer began in 1943 when he joined the research and analysis branch of the Office of Strategic Services, in the Far East division. During World War II, he served in India, Ceylon and Burma.

From 1947 to 1959, he was with the Central Intelligence Agency, successor to the Office of Strategic Services, in the agency's Far East division. From 1959 to 1961, he was deputy chief of operations and executive officer for the Tokyo Station, and, from 1961 to 1964, executive officer for the CIA's Task Force on Cuba.

After attending the National War College from 1965 to 1966, he became executive assistant to the CIA's deputy director for plans.

The recipient of the agency's Certificate of Distinction and the Intelligence Medal of Merit, Mr. Halpern retired in 1974.

In retirement he was a consultant, lecturer and writer on intelligence and national security affairs and a founding member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. He was a member of the OSS-101 Society and the Central Intelligence Retirees Association and was a volunteer for Talking Books at the Fairfax County Public Library and for the Resident Associates Program of the Smithsonian Institution.

[Source: Washington Post obituary]

Extent

9.25 Cubic Feet (11 boxes, 9 oversized folders, and 3 audio cassette tapes)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection was loosely organized by the donor prior to donation. The collection was arranged into 6 series by the processing archivists.

Series 1: Correspondence

Series 2: CIA

Series 3: Personal and Professional Papers

Series 4: Writings

Series 5: Interviews

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Anne Halpern, 2023.

Related Materials

The OSS Oral History Project (GTM-220705) includes an interview with Halpern.

See also the Richard M. Helms Papers (GTM-GAMMS422, GTM-GAMMS423, GTM-GAMMS424, GTM-GAMMS425), the Cynthia Helms Papers (GTM-GAMMS426), and the William E. and Barbara Colby Papers (GTM-960101).

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Sean Jacobs in fall 2025. This included the arrangement and folder-level description of the collection, as well as rehousing the collection in acid-free boxes and folders.