Dan's Papers - June 5, 2009 -

In his long and fascinating life, Peter Sichel has been everything from a wine master to a master spy. He worked for the CIA in Europe and China, and ran his family's famous "Blue Nun" wine business. His spine-tingling journey has taken him from Nazi Germany to East Hampton, and he will recount this exciting trip at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons on June 7.

Born and raised a Jew in Nazi Germany, Sichel, 87, worked in his family's wine business in Bordeaux until the Germans arrived in 1940.

"My parents had moved to Bordeaux, France, and I got apprenticed," said Sichel in a phone interview from California. "We'd been in the wine business for about four generations. Then the war came and the French interned us as enemy aliens. We went into the Pyrenees Mountains until we got American visas in 1941, and my family then came to the U.S."

After working for a short time in New York City, Sichel joined the U.S. Army in 1942, serving in Algeria, Italy, France and Germany. In his 20s, he became a captain in the OSS - a forerunner of the CIA.

"I recruited German prisoners of war and sent them as spies into Germany," he said. "At the end of the war, from 1945-1952, I was sent to Berlin."

Sichel received the U.S. Distinguished Intelligence Medal for his work during the war, and was awarded the Order of Merit first class by the President of Germany for his contribution to the U.S./German relations. From 1946-1959, he worked for the CIA in Berlin, Washington and lastly, as the CIA Chief in Hong Kong.

"I found this very interesting," he recalled. "But I decided to leave the CIA in 1959 and go back into the wine business since my family needed me."

His family created the popular "Blue Nun" wine, and at one time they were the largest importer of white wine. Sichel sold his German wine business in 1995, and then sold his Bordeaux wine business in 2006.

"Wine is a nice business to be in," he said. "The wine industry is very friendly. We all exchanged information and knowledge, even with our competitors, because we all wanted everyone to do well, like one big family."

Sichel plans to discuss his varied life at the lecture. "I'll talk about how long it takes to realize you're growing up in a country that wants to kill you," he said. "I'll also talk about spying, which is a serious business, and I'll talk about the wine business."

Sichel's talk, one of many Summer Institute 2009 programs at the Center in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, is on Sunday, June 7, at 4 p.m., at the Jewish Center of the Hamptons in East Hampton.

The program is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. For more information, go to jcoh.org, or call 631-324-9858.