page_title: Moe Berg
section_title: Legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Moe Berg / Legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of Moe Berg's Medal of Freedom on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame
context_page_description: Morris Berg was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball, who later served as a spy for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Although he played 15 seasons in the major leagues, almost entirely for four American League teams, Berg was never more than an average player - albeit an average professional player. He was better known for being "the brainiest guy in baseball." Casey Stengel once described Berg as "the strangest man ever to play baseball".
  A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School, Berg spoke several languages and regularly read 10 newspapers a day. His reputation was fueled by his successful appearances as a contestant on the radio quiz show Information, Please, in which he answered questions about the etymology of words and names from Greek and Latin, historical events in Europe and the Far East, and ongoing international conferences.
  As a spy working for the government of the United States, Berg traveled to Yugoslavia to gather intelligence on resistance groups which the U.S. government was considering supporting.
context_section_description: After the war, the OSS was disbanded. Berg was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to civilians during wartime, from President Harry S. Truman for his service. He declined to accept it without any public explanation.  The citation read:
  “Mr. Morris Berg, United States Civilian, rendered exceptionally meritorious service of high value to the war effort from April 1944 to January 1946. In a position of responsibility in the European Theater, he exhibited analytical abilities and a keen planning mind. He inspired both respect and constant high level of endeavor on the part of his subordinates which enabled his section to produce studies and analysis vital to the mounting of American operations.”
  After his death, his sister, Ethel, requested and accepted the award on his behalf, later donating it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  In 1996 Berg was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
  In 2000 he was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals.
  His is the only baseball card on display at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.
caption: Berg turned down the Medal of Freedom during his lifetime; it was awarded after his death, with his sister accepting on his behalf.
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