The predecessor of the current German Federal Intelligence Service BND, was established shortly after WWII, in 1946, by the US occupation authorities. It was known as Organisation Gehlen (OG), after its head — former Wehrmacht major Reinhard Gehlen — who had been head of the German Military Intelligence Service Fremde Heere Ost (FHO) during WWII. Being specialised in intelligence gathering in Eastern Block countries, Gehlen recruited many former FHO and Abwehr personnel and their agents. As such, the OG played an important role during the early years of the Cold War. After much criticism from the public for hiring former Nazis, the US handed over control of the agency to the German Government on 1 April 1956, after which its name was changed to Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND). Nevertheless, Gehlen stayed on as president of the organisation until his retirement in 1968.
| Types | Organization, Government Body |
| Start date | 1946 |
| Aliases | BND, OG, Organisation Gehlen |