History of Jack Koehler in Timeline

John "Jack" O. Koehler was a German-born American journalist and executive for the Associated Press. He served briefly as White House Communications Director under President Reagan in 1987. After the Cold War and German Reunification, Koehler dedicated his retirement to researching Cold War espionage. He authored two popular history books about the East German Stasi's foreign and domestic activities, as well as the Warsaw Pact's actions against the Catholic Church. Koehler was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors after his death in 2012.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Controversies & Scandals

1923: Execution of Monsignor Konstanty Budkiewicz

In 1923, Monsignor Konstanty Budkiewicz was executed in the basement of Moscow's Lubyanka Prison on Easter Sunday, marking the beginning of religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Russia after the October Revolution.

June 11, 1930: John O. Koehler Born

On June 11, 1930, John O. Koehler, formerly Wolfgang Koehler, was born in Dresden, Germany.

August 1931: Murders by Erich Mielke

In August 1931, Erich Mielke committed the first degree murders of Berlin Police Captains Paul Anlauf and Franz Lenck as well as the attempted murder of Senior Sergeant Max Willig. At the time he acted as one of two triggermen in the 1931 cop killings, Mielke had been a young street-fighter in the Parteiselbstschutz, the paramilitary wing of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).

1934: Trial of Mielke's Co-conspirators

In 1934, the transcripts from the trial of Erich Mielke's co-conspirators were recorded.

1945: Served as Child Soldier

In 1945, at the age of ten, John Koehler was forcibly trained as a child soldier by the Deutsches Jungvolk, a Nazi Party youth wing, and delivered ammunition during the Bombing of Dresden.

1950: Marco Torreta became a KGB informant

Since 1950, Marco Torreta, the Cardinal's own nephew, had been an informant for the KGB.

1954: Immigration to the United States

In 1954, John Koehler immigrated to the United States and subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he worked in military intelligence. He legally changed his name to John Koehler after moving to the United States.

1957: Mielke's leadership in Stasi

From 1957, Erich Mielke assumed leadership in the East German Stasi.

1961: Dąbrowski Spying

From 1961, Fr. Jerzy Dąbrowski spied for the Polish SB and the Soviet KGB while studying art in Rome.

1965: Confrontation with Erich Mielke in Leipzig

In 1965, John Koehler, working covertly for the U.S. Intelligence Community under journalistic cover at the Associated Press, had a confrontation with Erich Mielke in Leipzig during which Mielke boasted of his involvement in the 1931 Bülowplatz murders.

1967: Andropov Briefing on Dąbrowski's Reports

In 1967, Yuri Andropov was briefed on Fr. Dąbrowski's reports immediately after taking command of the KGB and cited them as grounds to order a mass offensive against the Catholic Church beginning in 1969.

1969: KGB Offensive Against Catholic Church

Beginning in 1969, the KGB launched a mass offensive against the Catholic Church, based on information from Fr. Dąbrowski's reports and ordered by Yuri Andropov.

1970: Dąbrowski Spying

Until 1970, Fr. Jerzy Dąbrowski spied for the Polish SB and the Soviet KGB while studying art in Rome.

February 1973: Recording of Meeting Between Pope Paul VI and Trần Văn Lắm

On 22 February 1973, a meeting between Pope Paul VI and South Vietnamese Foreign Minister Trần Văn Lắm was recorded, transcribed, and shared with North Vietnamese intelligence, revealing the South Vietnamese government's terror and sense of abandonment by its allies.

1981: Assassination Attempt on Pope John Paul II

In 1981, according to Koehler's allegations, the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Ağca was a Soviet intelligence operation approved by the Politburo, including future Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev.

1981: Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II

In 1981, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II took place and triggered a massive investigation into this event, which then led to the discovery of the listening devices.

1985: Retirement from Associated Press

In 1985, John Koehler retired from the Associated Press after rising to become the assistant general manager and managing director of AP's world services.

1987: Appointment as White House Communications Director and Subsequent Resignation

In 1987, John Koehler became the White House Communications Director but resigned after one week due to media reports about his past as a child soldier. He later claimed his resignation was to allow his successor to form a team.

1987: White House Communications Director

In 1987, John Koehler briefly served as the White House Communications Director during the Reagan administration.

December 1988: Appointment to National Commission for Employment Policy

In December 1988, John Koehler was appointed by President Reagan to a position in the National Commission for Employment Policy of the United States Department of Labor.

1989: End of Mielke's Leadership

In 1989, the leadership of Erich Mielke in the East German Stasi ended.

1990: Death of Fr. Jerzy Dąbrowski

In 1990, Fr. Jerzy Dąbrowski, the late former bishop of Gniezno, died.

1990: Police Search of Mielke's Home

In 1990, a police search of Erich Mielke's house resulted in the discovery of original police files, the transcripts from the 1934 trial of his co-conspirators, and a handwritten memoir in which Mielke revealed that his role in, "the Bülowplatz Affair," had been his reason for fleeing to Moscow from the Weimar Republic in 1931.

1990: Discovery of Listening Devices in Vatican Secretary of State's Office

In 1990, listening devices planted by the Czechoslovak StB in the early 1970s inside the office of Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Agostino Casaroli were uncovered as part of an investigation into the 1981 attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II.

February 1992: Testimony in Erich Mielke Trial

In February 1992, John "Jack" Koehler testified as a witness in the trial of former East German secret police chief Erich Mielke, stating that Mielke had boasted about his involvement in the 1931 Bülowplatz murders during a confrontation in Leipzig in 1965.

October 1993: Erich Mielke's Sentencing

In October 1993, Erich Mielke was sentenced to six years' imprisonment after being convicted of two counts of murder and one of attempted murder for crimes committed in 1931.

1999: Publication of Book on East German Stasi

In 1999, John Koehler published a book documenting the covert activities of the East German Stasi, particularly under Erich Mielke's leadership, and termed the Stasi "The Red Gestapo".