Draft:Ellis M. Zacharias

• Comment: Insufficiently referenced. There are unsupported statements, and some sources don't appear to verify the statements against which they are cited.
  Contains plenty of peacocky expressions such as "instant bestseller", "groundbreaking", "lasting impact". DoubleGrazing (talk) 11:23, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

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Ellis M. Zacharias (January 1, 1890 – June 27, 1961) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy who served during both World War I and World War II. Over a 34-year career, he held various roles, including naval attaché to Japan and deputy director of U.S. Naval Intelligence. After retiring in 1946 due to health reasons, Zacharias became a public figure through his work as a narrator for the radio series Secret Missions and the television docudrama Behind Closed Doors.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Zacharias graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1912. His early assignments included service aboard the USS Arkansas (BB-33), which escorted President William Howard Taft to inspect the Panama Canal, and the USS Virginia (BB-13).

In the 1920s, Zacharias was stationed as a naval attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, where he gained experience in Japanese culture, politics, and military strategy. This knowledge informed his work during World War II. From 1940 to 1942, he commanded the USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), which was part of the force that escorted Lieutenant General James H. Doolittle during the 1942 bombing raid over Japan. During the war, he conducted radio broadcasts aimed at undermining Japanese morale, an early example of psychological warfare.

Zacharias retired in 1946. Post-retirement, he authored books and narrated media projects based on his naval experiences. His television series, Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series), explored Cold War espionage and naval intelligence, drawing on his wartime files.

He died on June 27, 1961, at his home in West Springfield, New Hampshire, at the age of 71. Zacharias was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.