Sumner Shapiro

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United States Navy Rear Admiral (1926–2006)

title: "Sumner Shapiro" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1926-births", "2006-deaths", "people-from-nashua,-new-hampshire", "university-of-new-hampshire-alumni", "jewish-american-military-personnel", "united-states-army-air-forces-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "united-states-naval-academy-alumni", "united-states-navy-personnel-of-the-korean-war", "elliott-school-of-international-affairs-alumni", "united-states-navy-admirals", "recipients-of-the-navy-distinguished-service-medal", "recipients-of-the-legion-of-merit", "directors-of-the-office-of-naval-intelligence", "burials-at-the-united-states-naval-academy-cemetery", "members-of-the-jewish-institute-for-national-security-of-america"] description: "United States Navy Rear Admiral (1926–2006)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumner_Shapiro" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary United States Navy Rear Admiral (1926–2006) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox military person"]

FieldValue
nameSumner Shapiro
imageSumner Shapiro.jpg
birth_date
death_date
placeofburial_labelPlace of burial
placeofburialU.S. Naval Academy
birth_placeNashua, New Hampshire, US
death_placeMcLean, Virginia, US
placeofburial_coordinates
nicknameShap{{cite book
titleFall From Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy
publisherTouchstone
author-linkGregory Vistica
access-date2014-04-01
allegianceUnited States
branchUnited States Navy
serviceyears1949–1982
rankRear Admiral
commands{{Plainlist
battlesKorean War
awards{{Plainlist
*United Nations Medal}}<ref nameAllHands/{{cite web
publisherFlorida Atlantic University Libraries
seriesJewish Generals and Admirals in America's Military
titleRear Admiral Sumner Shapiro: Director of Naval Intelligence
firstSeymour "Sy"
access-date2014-04-01
spouseEleanor Hymen "Jimmie" Shapiro
laterworkVice President, BDM
::

| name = Sumner Shapiro | image = Sumner Shapiro.jpg | caption = | birth_date = | death_date = | placeofburial_label = Place of burial | placeofburial = U.S. Naval Academy | birth_place = Nashua, New Hampshire, US | death_place = McLean, Virginia, US | placeofburial_coordinates = | nickname = Shap{{cite book |title=Fall From Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy |page=42 |publisher=Touchstone |location=New York |year=1997 |lccn=97146777 |isbn=0684832267 |author-link=Gregory Vistica |first=Gregory L. |last=Vistica |access-date=2014-04-01 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ky-3B5ARy2sC&q=sumner+shapiro+navy&pg=PA42}} | allegiance = United States | branch = United States Navy | serviceyears = 1949–1982 | rank = Rear Admiral | unit = | commands ={{Plainlist|

Early life and education

Shapiro was born on January 13, 1926 in Nashua, New Hampshire. He attended the University of New Hampshire before serving in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1949 and was a veteran of the Korean War. He earned a Master's degree in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Military career

Throughout the 1950s, Shapiro served in the Office of Naval Intelligence, reporting to Chief of Naval Operations Arleigh Burke, as well as serving stints in Moscow and London. He was a graduate of the Naval War College and the U.S. Army's Institute for Advanced Soviet and Eastern European Studies in Germany. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on September 1, 1976 and served simultaneously as D/DNI and commander of Naval Intelligence Command. From 1978 to 1982, he served as the 51st Director of Naval Intelligence.{{cite news |newspaper=All Hands |date=June 1981 |pages=2–7 |publisher=U.S. Navy |number=773 |location=Alexandria, Virginia |title=Interview with Director, Naval Intelligence: The Soviet Naval Threat |access-date=2014-04-01 |url=http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah198106.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407065257/http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/archpdf/ah198106.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 7, 2014}}

During his career, Shapiro received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Shapiro had a strong influence on United States Cold War naval strategy.

Jonathan Pollard

Shortly into his career as an intelligence analyst, convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard had his security clearance reduced by Shapiro after presenting a plan to garner intelligence from South Africa. According to The Washington Post, Sumner dismissed Pollard as a "kook". "I wish the hell I'd fired him," Shapiro would later opine.

Shapiro, who was himself Jewish, stated that he was troubled by the support of Jewish organizations for Pollard: "We work so hard to establish ourselves and to get where we are, and to have somebody screw it up... and then to have Jewish organizations line up behind this guy and try to make him out a hero of the Jewish people, it bothers the hell out of me".

Shapiro was among four former directors of Naval intelligence (alongside William Studeman, John Butts and Thomas Brooks) who wrote a livid response to Israeli negotiations to free Pollard, which was published in the Washington Post:

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Personal life

Shapiro and his wife Eleanor Hymen "Jimmie" Shapiro are buried at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.

Memorials

The National Intelligence Professionals society offers a scholarship named for RADM Sumner Shapiro.{{cite web |title=RADM Sumner Shapiro Scholarship Program for Academic Year 2014-2015 |work=Naval Intelligence Professionals |date=February 8, 2014 |access-date=2014-04-01 |url=http://navintpro.net/?p=3744}}

References

References

  1. (November 3, 2016). "Directors of Naval Intelligence". Naval History and Heritage Command.
  2. Bernstein, Adam. (2006-11-16). "Sumner Shapiro, Long-Serving Director of Naval Intelligence". [[The Washington Post]].
  3. (2006). "[[Capturing Jonathan Pollard". Naval Institute Press.
  4. "Eleanor "Jimmie" Hymen Shapiro".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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