World War II soldier who became a pre-CIA spy dies at 102

AUBURN, Maine — A World War II soldier who became a spy in Europe for the forerunner of the CIA has died in Maine. Irving Isaacson was 102.

Isaacson was a retired lawyer in Lewiston. The Albert & Burpee Funeral Home in Lewiston confirms he died at Hospice House in his native Auburn last week.

He was a U.S. Army soldier assigned to the Office of Strategic Services. The Portland Press Herald reports he was trained to parachute behind enemy lines. He also helped the Dutch resistance effort.

Isaacson spied on the Soviets in eastern Europe. He authored “Memoirs of an Amateur Spy: The Story of the First OSS Spy in the Cold War with the Russians” in 2001.

Isaacson met his wife, Auschwitz concentration camp survivor Judith Magyar Isaacson, in 1945. She died in 2015 at age 90.

In Other News

MacArthur still endures as a larger-than-life figure — for good or ill

Few subjects in military history are more loaded than public perception of Douglas MacArthur.

January 6 convict asks for light sentence in order to remain in Navy

An active-duty service member convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack urged a judge for a light sentence in order to remain in the Navy.

Agreement helps military spouses keep federal jobs in overseas moves

Here's how an agreement between the Pentagon and State Department will help federally employed military spouses move their jobs overseas in a PCS.

Biden says uncle’s remains never found during WWII due to cannibals

While the claim contradicts the DPAA report about his uncle's fate, Biden's comments on cannibalism in the region during WWII are not far off.

Will the Supreme Court’s GI Bill ruling mean more money for vets?

A major veterans education benefits ruling by the Supreme Court this week could have far-reaching effects for millions of students.

Load More