Laszlo Bartal was perfectly suited to be assigned to intelligence training at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, since he was foreign-born, fluent in at least three languages, and fully attuned to the culture of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. All this qualified him for service in military intelligence. He was also a classically-trained, professional pianist. Often, professional musicians got favored assignments during their army service. This is strikingly evident when one considers the war...

Before becoming a “Monuments Man,” Dr. Walter William Horn had made a name for himself as a specialist in early Christian and medieval architecture. This would hardly seem to qualify him for advanced work in military intelligence, and yet it was precisely Horn’s scholarship that endeared him to SHAEF 1 and assured him two of his most important assignments in postwar Europe. Walter was born on January 18, 1908 in Waldangeloch, Germany, a town on the Neckar River that is located about 25 miles...

Even though he was not a native-born Greek, Costa Couvaras dedicated his life to pursuing causes that would promote the country’s liberal...