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.

[3] 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.

[1] 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 also conducted radio broadcasts aimed at undermining Japanese morale, an early example of modern psychological warfare.

He would host a television series from 1958 to 1959, Behind Closed Doors, which explored Cold War espionage and naval intelligence, drawing on his own expertise.