Charles Russhon

Charles J. Russhon (March 23, 1911 - June 26, 1982) was an American photographer and Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force who later became noted for his role as a technical adviser and liaison officer on the Sean Connery and Roger Moore James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

He served as a photographer in World War II and was the first American to photograph Hiroshima after the atomic bomb attack. He served in the China-Burma-India Theater of WWII and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Air Forces.

After the war, Russhon became interested in motion pictures and served as a technical adviser to filmmakers. He used his former position in the airforce and expertise most notably on the James Bond films enabling the producer to gain access to previously off boundary locations and equipment. In 1963 he negotiated the use of land in Istanbul from the Turkish authorities during the making of From Russia With Love and gained the rights to use Fort Knox for Goldfinger in 1964 using his position in the Air Force to allow special use in film. The producers acknowledge his help by a sign in the film at Ft Knox that reads "Welcome to Fort Knox - Gen. Russhon".