Moe Berg

This article is about the American baseball player. For the Canadian singer/songwriter, seeMoe Berg (musician).

Moe Berg
1933Goudeybaseball cardof Berg while with theWashington Senators
Catcher
Born:(1902-03-02)March 2, 1902 New York City,U.S.
Died:May 29, 1972(1972-05-29)(aged 70) Belleville, New Jersey,U.S.
Batted:Right Threw:Right
MLB debut
June 27, 1923, for the Brooklyn Robins
Last MLB appearance
September 1, 1939, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average	.243
Hits	441
Runs batted in	206
Teams
Brooklyn Robins(1923) Chicago White Sox(1926–1930) Cleveland Indians(1931;1934) Washington Senators(1932–1934) Boston Red Sox(1935–1939)
Awards Medal of Freedom Espionage activity Allegiance United States Agency Office of Strategic Services Service years 1943–1946

Morris Berg(March 2, 1902 – May 29, 1972) was an American professional baseball catcher and coach inMajor League Baseballwho later served as a spy for theOffice of Strategic ServicesduringWorld War II.He played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for fourAmerican Leagueteams, though he was never more than an average player and was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball."Casey Stengelonce described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball."

Berg was a graduate ofPrinceton UniversityandColumbia Law School,spoke several languages, and regularly read ten newspapers a day. His reputation as an intellectual was fueled by his successful appearances as a contestant on the radio quiz showInformation Please,in which he answered questions about the etymology of words and names from Greek and Latin, historical events in Europe and theFar East,and ongoing international conferences.

As a spy working for the government of the United States, Berg traveled toYugoslaviato gather intelligence onresistance groupswhich the U.S. government was considering supporting. He was sent on a mission to Italy, where he interviewed various physicists concerning theGerman nuclear weapons program.After the war, Berg was occasionally employed by theCentral Intelligence Agency,successor to theOffice of Strategic Services.

Early life and education

Berg was the third and youngest child of Bernard Berg, a pharmacist who emigrated fromUkraine,and his wife Rose (née Tashker), a homemaker, bothJewish,who lived in theHarlemsection ofNew York City,a few blocks from thePolo Grounds.When Berg was three and a half, he begged his mother to let him start school.

In 1906, Bernard Berg bought a pharmacy inWest Newarkand the family moved there. In 1910 the Berg family moved again, to theRosevillesection of Newark. Roseville offered Bernard Berg everything he wanted in a neighborhood—good schools, middle-class residents, and few Jews.

Berg began playing baseball at the age of seven for the RosevilleMethodist Episcopal Churchbaseballteam under the pseudonym "Runt Wolfe". In 1918, at the age of 16, Berg graduated fromBarringer High School.During his senior season, theNewark Star-Eagleselected a nine-man "dream team" for 1918 from the city's best prep and public high school baseball players, and Berg was named the team'sthird baseman.Barringer was the first of a series of institutions where Berg's religion made him unusual at the time. Most of the other students were East Side Italian Catholics or Protestants from theForest Hillneighborhood. His father had wanted an environment with few Jews.

After graduating from Barringer, Berg enrolled inNew York University.He spent two semesters there and also played baseball andbasketball.In 1919 he transferred toPrinceton Universityand never again referred to having attended NYU for a year, presenting himself exclusively as a Princeton man.Berg received aB.A.,magna cum laudeinmodern languages.He studied seven languages:Latin,Greek,French, Spanish, Italian, German, andSanskrit,studying with the philologistHarold H. Bender.His Jewish heritage and modest finances combined to keep him on the fringes of Princeton social life, where he never quite fit in.

During his freshman year, Berg playedfirst baseon an undefeated team. Beginning in his sophomore year, he was the startingshortstop.He was not a great hitter and was a slow baserunner, but he had a strong, accurate throwing arm and sound baseball instincts. In his senior season, he was captain of the team and had a.337batting average,batting.611 against Princeton's arch-rivals,HarvardandYale.Berg and Crossan Cooper, Princeton'ssecond baseman,communicated plays in Latin when there was an opposing player on second base.

On June 26, 1923, Yale defeated Princeton 5–1 atYankee Stadiumto win theBig Threetitle. Berg had an outstanding day, getting twohitsin fourat bats(2–4) with asingleand adouble,and making several marvelous plays at shortstop. Both theNew York Giantsand theBrooklyn Robins(the team became known as the Brooklyn Dodgers starting in 1932) desired "Jewish blood" on their teams, to appeal to the large Jewish community in New York, and expressed interest in Berg. The Giants were especially interested, but they already had two shortstops,Dave "Beauty" BancroftandTravis Jackson,who were futureHall of Famers.The Robins were a mediocre team, on which Berg would have a better chance to play. On June 27, 1923, Berg signed his first big league contract for $5,000 ($89,000 today) with the Robins.

Major league career

Early career (1923–1925)

Berg's first game with the Robins was on June 27, 1923, against thePhiladelphia Philliesat theBaker Bowl.Berg came in at the start of the seventh inning, replacingIvy Olsonat shortstop, when the Robins were winning 13–4. Berg handled fivechanceswithout anerror,and caught aline driveto start a game-endingdouble play.He got a hit in two at bats, singling up the middle againstClarence Mitchell,and scoring arun.For the season, Berg batted.187 and made 21 errors in 47 games, his onlyNational Leagueexperience.

Passport photo of Morris "Moe" Berg, 1923

After the season ended, Berg took his first trip abroad, sailing from New York toParis.He settled in theLatin Quarterin an apartment that overlooked theSorbonne,where he enrolled in 32 different classes.In Paris he developed a habit he kept for the rest of his life: reading several newspapers daily.Until Berg finished reading a paper, he considered it "alive" and refused to let anyone else touch it. When he was finished with it, he would consider the paper "dead" and anybody could read it.In January 1924, instead of returning to New York and getting into shape for the upcoming baseball season, Berg touredItalyandSwitzerland.

Duringspring trainingat the Robins facility inClearwater, Florida,managerWilbert Robinsoncould see that Berg's hitting had not improved, and optioned him to theMinneapolis Millersof theAmerican Association.Berg did not take the demotion well and threatened to quit baseball, but by mid-April he reported to the Millers. Berg did very well once he became the Millers' regular third baseman, hitting close to.330, but in July his average plummeted and he was back on the bench. On August 19, 1924, Berg was lent to theToledo Mud Hens,a poor team ravaged by injuries. Berg was inserted into the lineup at shortstop when Rabbit Helgeth refused to pay a $10 ($180 today) fine for poor play and was suspended. Major league scoutMike Gonzálezsent a telegram to theDodgersevaluating Berg with the curt, but now famous, line, "Good field, no hit." Berg finished the season with a.264 average.

By April 1925, Berg was starting to show promise as a hitter with the Reading Keystones of theInternational League.Because of his.311 batting average and 124runs batted in,theChicago White Soxexercised their option with Reading, paying $6,000 ($104,000 today) for him, and moved Berg up to the big leagues the following year.

Career as a catcher (1926–1934)

The 1926 season began with Berg informing the White Sox that he would skip spring training and the first two months of the season in order to complete his first year atColumbia Law School.He did not join the White Sox until May 28.Bill Hunnefieldwas signed by the White Sox to take Berg's place at shortstop, and was having a very good year, batting over.300. Berg played in only 41 games, batting.221.

Berg returned to Columbia Law School after the season to continue studying for his law degree. Despite White Sox ownerCharles Comiskeyoffering him more money to come to spring training, Berg declined, and informed the White Sox that he would be reporting late for the 1927 season. Noel Dowling, a professor to whom Berg explained his situation, told Berg to take extra classes in the fall, and said that he would arrange with the dean a leave of absence from law school the following year, 1928.

Because he reported late, Berg spent the first three months of the season on the bench. In August, a series of injuries to catchersRay Schalk,Harry McCurdy,andBuck Crouseleft the White Sox in need of somebody to play the position. Schalk, the White Sox player/manager, selected Berg, who did a fine job filling in. Schalk arranged for former Philadelphia Phillies catcherFrank Bruggyto meet the team at their next game, against theNew York Yankees.Bruggy was so fat that pitcherTed Lyonsrefused to pitch to him. When Schalk asked Lyons whom he wanted to catch, the pitcher selected Berg.

In Berg's debut as a starting catcher, he had to worry not only about catching Lyons'knuckleball,but also about facing the Yankees'Murderers' Rowlineup, which includedBabe Ruth,Lou Gehrig,andEarle Combs.Lyons beat the Yankees 6–3, holding Ruth hitless. Berg made the defensive play of the game when he caught a poor throw from the outfield, spun and tagged outJoe Duganat the plate. He caught eight more times during the final month and a half of the season.

To prepare for the 1928 season, Berg went to work at alumber campin New York'sAdirondack Mountainsthree weeks before reporting to the White Sox spring training facility inShreveport, Louisiana.The hard labor did wonders for him, and he reported to spring training on March 2, 1928, in excellent shape. By the end of the season, Berg had established himself as the starting catcher.In 1928, he led all AL catchers in caught-stealing percentage (60.9), was third in the AL in double plays by a catcher, with 8, and fifth in the American League in assists by a catcher, with 52.At the plate, he batted.246 with a career-high 16 doubles.

At law school, Berg failedEvidenceand did not graduate with the class of 1929, but he passed the New York Statebar exam.He repeated Evidence the following year, and on February 26, 1930, received hisLL.B.On April 6, during an exhibition game against theLittle Rock Travelers,his spikes caught in the soil as he tried to change direction, and he tore a knee ligament.In 1929, he was second in the American League in both double plays by a catcher (12) and assists by a catcher (86), caught the third-most attempted base stealers in the league (41), and was fourth in the league in caught-stealing percentage (47.7%).He had perhaps his best season at bat, hitting.287 with 47 RBIs.

He was back in the starting lineup on May 23, 1930, but was prevented from daily play because of his knee. He played in 20 games during the whole season and finished with a.115 batting average. During the winter, he took a job with the respectedWall Streetlaw firm Satterlee and Canfield (now Satterlee, Stephens, Burke & Burke).

TheCleveland Indianspicked him up on April 2, 1931, when Chicago put him on waivers, but he played in only 10 games, with 13 at-bats and only 1 hit for the entire season.

"Yeah, I know, and he can't hit in any of them."

—Dave Harris,Senators' outfielder, when told that Berg spoke seven languages

The Indians gave him his unconditional release in January 1932. With catchers hard to come by,Clark Griffith,owner of theWashington Senators,invited Berg to spring training inBiloxi, Mississippi.He made the team, playing in 75 games while not committing an error, and was second in the AL in double plays by a catcher, with 9, and in caught-stealing percentage, at 54.3%.When starting catcherRoy Spencerwent down with an injury, Berg stepped in, throwing out 35 baserunners while batting.236.

First trip to Japan

Retired ballplayerHerb Hunterarranged for three players, Berg,Lefty O'Doul,and Ted Lyons, to go toJapanto teach baseball seminars at Japanese universities during the winter of 1932. On October 22, 1932, the group of three players began their circuit ofMeiji,Waseda,Rikkyo,Todai (Tokyo Imperial),Hosei,andKeiouniversities, the members of theTokyo Big6 Baseball League.When the other Americans returned to the United States after their coaching assignments were over, Berg stayed behind to explore Japan. He then went on to tourManchuria,Shanghai,andPeking,China;Indochina,Siam,India,Egypt,andBerlin,Germany.

Despite his desire to return to Japan, Berg reported to the Senators training camp on February 26, 1933, in Biloxi. He played in 40 games during the season and batted a disappointing.185. The Senators won the pennant, but lost to the Giants in theWorld Series.Cliff Bolton,the Senators' starting catcher in 1933, demanded more money in 1934. When the Senators refused to pay him more, he sat out and Berg got the starting job. On April 22, Berg made an error, his first fielding mistake since 1932. He had an American League record of 117 consecutive errorless games. On July 25, the Senators gave Berg his unconditional release. He soon returned to the big leagues, however, afterCleveland IndianscatcherGlenn Myattbroke his ankle on August 1. Indians managerWalter Johnson,who had managed Berg in 1932, offered Berg the reserve catching job. Berg played sporadically untilFrankie Pytlak,Cleveland's starting catcher, injured himself, and Berg became the starting catcher.

Second trip to Japan

Main article:1934 Japan Tour

Herb Hunter arranged for a group of All-Stars, includingBabe Ruth,Lou Gehrig,Earl Averill,Charlie Gehringer,Jimmie Foxx,andLefty Gomez,totour Japan playing exhibitionsagainst a Japanese all-star team. Although Berg was a mediocre, third-string catcher, he was invited at the last minute to make the trip. Berg had contracted withMovietone News,a New York City newsreel production company, to film sights from his trip; he took a16-mmBell & Howellmovie camera and a letter from the company attesting to this. When the team arrived in Japan, Berg gave a welcome speech inJapanese;he also was invited to address thelegislature.

On November 29, 1934, while the rest of the team was playing inOmiya,Berg went toSaint Luke's HospitalinTsukiji,ostensibly to visit the daughter of American AmbassadorJoseph Grew.However, when Berg arrived he immediately went to the roof of the hospital which was one of the tallest buildings inTokyo,and filmed the city andportwith his movie camera. In 1942, Berg provided American intelligence with his photos of the city in case they were of use to plan bombing raids. He never did see the ambassador's daughter.While Berg was in Japan, the Indians notified him of his unconditional release. Berg continued to travel to thePhilippines,Korea,andMoscowof theSoviet Union.

Late career and coaching (1935–1941)

After his return to America, Berg was picked up by theBoston Red Sox.In his five seasons with the Red Sox, Berg averaged fewer than 30 games a season.

On February 21, 1939, Berg made his first of three appearances on the radio quiz showInformation, Please.Berg had a dazzling performance.Of his appearance, Baseball CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landistold him, "Berg, in just thirty minutes you did more for baseball than I've done the entire time I've been commissioner".On his third appearance,Clifton Fadiman,the moderator, started asking Berg what the latter thought were too many personal questions. Berg did not answer any of them and never appeared on the show again.Regular show guest and sportswriterJohn Kieranlater said, "Moe was the most scholarly professional athlete (I) ever knew."

After his playing career ended, Berg worked as a Red Sox coach in 1940 and 1941.Berg punctuated his career in baseball with "Pitchers and Catchers," a widely admired valedictory essay on the meaning and playing of the game, published in the September 1941 issue ofThe Atlantic Monthly.A 2018 profile of Berg inThe New York Timesdescribed the essay as "still one of the most insightful works ever penned about the game."

Post-baseball career

Spying for the U.S. government

With theattack on Pearl Harborby theJapaneseon December 7, 1941, the United States was thrust into World War II. To do his part for the war effort, Berg accepted a position withNelson Rockefeller'sOffice of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs(OIAA) on January 5, 1942. Nine days later, his father, Bernard, died.During the summer of 1942, Berg screened the footage he had shot ofTokyo Bayfor intelligence officers of theUnited States military.(At one time it was thought his film may have helpedLieutenant ColonelJimmy Doolittleplan his famousDoolittle Raid,but the raid was conducted well before the summer, on April 18, 1942.)

From August 1942 to February 1943, Berg was on assignment in the Caribbean and South America. His job was to monitor the health and physical fitness of the American troops stationed there. Berg, along with several other OIAA agents, left in June 1943 because they thought South America posed little threat to the United States. They wanted to be assigned to locations where their talents would be put to better use.

On August 2, 1943, Berg accepted a position with theOffice of Strategic ServicesSpecial Operations Branch (SO) for a salary of $3,800 ($66,900 today) a year. He was a paramilitary operations officer in the part of the OSS that developed as the present-dayCIASpecial Activities Division.In September, he was assigned to the OSSSecret Intelligence branch(SI), and given a spot on the OSS SIBalkansdesk. In this role, based in Washington, he remotely monitored the situation inYugoslavia.He assisted and helped prepare Slavic-Americans recruited by the OSS to go on dangerous parachute drop missions into Yugoslavia.His OSS code name was "Remus".

In late 1943, Berg was assigned to Project Larson, an OSS operation set up by OSS Chief of Special ProjectsJohn Shaheen.The stated purpose of the project was to kidnap Italianrocketandmissilespecialists in Italy and bring them to the U.S. Another project hidden within Larson was called Project AZUSA, which had the goal of interviewing Italianphysiciststo learn what they knew aboutWerner HeisenbergandCarl Friedrich von Weizsäcker.It was similar in scope and mission to theAlsosproject.

During the mission, Berg had a heated run-in inItalywith Alsos chiefBoris Pash,a controversialarmyofficer who played a major role in the stripping of thesecurity clearanceofRobert Oppenheimer.

From May to mid-December 1944, Berg hopped around Europe, interviewing physicists and trying to convince several to leave Europe and work in the United States. In November, news about Heisenberg giving a lecture inZürichreached the OSS. Berg was assigned to attend the lecture, which took place on December 18, and determine "if anything Heisenberg said convinced him the Germans wereclose to a bomb."If Berg concluded that the Germans were close, he had orders to shoot Heisenberg; Berg determined that the Germans were not close.On orders direct from President Franklin Roosevelt, Berg persuadedAntonio Ferri,who had served as the head of the supersonic research program in Italy, to relocate to the United States and take part insupersonic aircraftdevelopment here. When Berg returned with Ferri, Roosevelt commented "I see that Moe Berg is still catching very well".During his time in Switzerland, Berg became close friends with physicistPaul Scherrer.Berg resigned from the OSS after the war, in January 1946.

After World War II

In 1951, Berg begged theCIA(which replaced the OSS) to send him to the recently founded nation ofIsrael."A Jew must do this", he wrote in his notebook. The CIA rejected Berg's request. But in 1952 Berg was hired by the CIA to use his old contacts from World War II to gather information about theSoviet atomic bomb project.For the $10,000 plus expenses that Berg received, the CIA received nothing. The CIA officer who spoke with Berg when he returned from Europe said that he was "flaky".

For the next 20 years, Berg had no real job. He lived off friends and relatives who put up with him because of his charisma. When they asked what he did for a living, he would reply by putting his finger to his lips, giving them the impression that he was still a spy.A lifelong bachelor, he lived with his brother Samuel for 17 years. According to Samuel, Berg became moody and snappish after the war, and did not seem to care for much in life besides his books. Samuel finally grew fed up with the arrangement and asked Moe to leave, even having eviction papers drawn up.Berg next moved in with his sister Ethel inBelleville, New Jersey,where he resided for the rest of his life.

He received a handful of votes inBaseball Hall of Famevoting (four in1958,and five in1960). When he was criticized for "wasting" his intellectual talent on the sport he loved, Berg replied, "I'd rather be a ballplayer than a justice of theU.S. Supreme Court".

Berg received many requests to write his memoirs, but turned them down. He almost began work on them in 1960, but he quit after the co-writer assigned to work with him confused him withMoe Howardof theThree Stooges.

Death

Berg died on May 29, 1972, at the age of 70, from injuries sustained in a fall at home. A nurse at the Belleville, New Jersey, hospital where he died recalled his final words as: "How did theMetsdo today? "(They won.)By his request, his remains were cremated and spread overMount ScopusinJerusalem,Israel.

Legacy

Berg turned down theMedal of Freedomduring his lifetime; it was awarded after his death, with his sister accepting on his behalf.

• After the war, the OSS was disbanded. Berg was awarded theMedal of Freedom,the highest honor given to civilians during wartime, from PresidentHarry S. Trumanfor his service. He declined to accept it without any public explanation. The citation read:

"Mr. Morris Berg, United States Civilian, rendered exceptionally meritorious service of high value to the war effort from April 1944 to January 1946. In a position of responsibility in the European Theater, he exhibited analytical abilities and a keen planning mind. He inspired both respect and constant high level of endeavor on the part of his subordinates which enabled his section to produce studies and analysis vital to the mounting of American operations."

After his death, his sister, Ethel, requested and accepted the award on his behalf, later donating it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• In 1996 Berg was inducted into theNational Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
• In 2000 he was inducted into theBaseball Reliquary'sShrine of the Eternals.
• His is the onlybaseball cardon display at the headquarters of theCentral Intelligence Agency.

Representation in other media

• Nicholas Dawidoff wrote Berg's biography inThe Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg(1994).
• Berg is a major figure in science writerSam Kean's historical bookThe Bastard Brigade.
• In 2017, during the first season of the biographical seriesGenius,which tells the story ofAlbert Einstein,Berg is seen in the ninth episode, played byAdam Garcia.
• The biographical filmThe Catcher Was a Spy(2018) was based on Nicholas Dawidoff's book. The film was directed byBen Lewin,and Berg was played byPaul Rudd.It premiered at the2018 Sundance Film Festival.
• Berg is the subject of the documentary filmThe Spy Behind Home PlatebyAviva Kempner,released in 2019.
• Berg is the subject of Chuck Brodsky's 2002 ballad, "Moe Berg: The Song"
• The story of Berg's attendance at Heisenberg's lecture is told inTerminator:_The_Sarah_Connor_Chronicles,Season 1, Episode 3.

See also

• Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story,2010 documentary
• List of Jewish Major League Baseball players
• Operation Alsos

References

Notes

References cited

• Dawidoff, Nicholas(1994).The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg.New York: Vintage Books.ISBN0-679-76289-2.
• Kaufman, Louis, Fitzgerald, Barbara, and Tom Sewell (1974)Moe Berg Athlete, Scholar...Spy.Boston and Toronto: Little, Brown and Company.ISBN0-316-48348-6

External links

• The Moe Berg Papers at Princeton University Library
• Guide to the Papers of Morris Bergat theAmerican Jewish Historical Society,New York.
• The Moe Berg Papersat the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, New York, NY
• Career statistics and player information fromBaseball Reference,orFangraphs,orBaseball Reference (Minors),orRetrosheet
• Moe Bergat theSABR Baseball Biography Project
• Annotated bibliography for Berg from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues
• Jewish Sports Hall of Fame bio^[usurped]
• "Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies"
• Jewish-American Hall of Fame
• Moe Berg Batted.243 for the White Sox and 1.000 for America