---
born: 1922
category: Other
died: 2005-03-07
location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
summary: Samuel Halpern was a Jewish American who served for years as executive assistant
  to the director of the CIA's clandestine services.
tags:
- Person
---

Samuel Halpern was a Jewish American who served for years as executive assistant to the director of the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/)'s clandestine services. His position, the highest reached by any Jew in the clandestine service, gave him access to the name and background of every foreigner recruited by the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/). Halpern was under constant investigation by [James Jesus Angleton](/people/james-jesus-angleton/), who suspected him of trafficking in classified information due to his Jewish background and family ties to Zionism.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 11.