Theodore Klein

KLEIN THEODORE, a Senior Central Intelligence Agency Operations Officer who retired in 1982, died of pneumonia on April 11, 2012 at Rockville Nursing Home in Rockville, MD. Mr. Klein was predeceased by his wife, Barbara Baron, his life partner of 60 years, in November 2009. Mr. Klein was born in what is now the Republic of Slovakia of Hungarian parents and emigrated to the United States in 1930. He served in the American Army during World War 2 and saw combat in Europe where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. Following his discharge from the military he attended Queens College in New York, graduating with a BA in European history, and then Harvard University's Russian Research Center where he did graduate study. He was recruited to the Office of Secret Services/Central Intelligence Agency, where he served for 31 years. He spent 20 years in overseas assignments, including Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and completed missions across Europe and Africa. Mr. Klein spoke German, Hungarian and Russian. He was awarded the Agency's Intelligence Medal of Merit in recognition of his especially meritorious service. Following his retirement he worked in a private capacity for several years in Europe. On his return to the United States in 1985, Mr. Klein was engaged by the Agency as a consultant for the next ten years. Mr. Klein was active as a volunteer for many years: at the Smithsonian Museums of American History and Natural History, the Holocaust Museum, Common Cause, and Youth for Understanding and American Councils. Mr. Klein is survived by his daughters and their families: Jessica and Pat Coleman of Rockville, MD, Lisa and Bill McKenna of Emerald Hills, CA, and Susanna and John Combs of Arcadia, CA, and their children David, Daniel, Andrew and Annabel, and; a brother, Ronald Kelton, of Bluffton, SC. Mr. Klein will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery together with his wife Barbara.