Hayes Adlai Ashby Clarke Kroner (October 20, 1891 – November 27, 1975) was an American soldier, diplomat, General, and Christian minister.

[1] He is a co-founder of "The Pond," intelligence agency, and also worked closely with the British in London around the time of the development of M.A.G.I.C., where he met Sir John Dill.

[5] On 6 July 1915, Kroner was ordered to Tientsin, China, with the 15th Infantry Regiment, to serve in his first appointment as a Military Attache.

[7] Every single possession the couple owned was lost in the flames; family photographs, wedding presents, letters from friends, and especially many items they had brought with them from Tientzen.

His responsibilities there involved coordinating American efforts in Britain with the British Chiefs of Staff, and "had made the highest contacts short of Prime Minister Churchill.

"[1] Kroner at this time visited Bletchley Park to observe the codebreaking efforts of Alan Turing and his staff, in an attempt to gain for America intelligences from the British unit there.

[12] When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Kroner was relieved as Chief of the Branch and assigned Deputy to General Lee.

[13] While in this position, he hired John V. Grombach to run an entirely new secret section of intelligence that would eventually come to be called "The Pond."

In September 1944, Kroner was brought before the Pentagon investigation into the intelligence failures leading up to the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

While he was performing his duties at the War Department during the 1940's, Kroner would host Bible study and prayer groups on Tuesday evenings.

[3][18] In 1943, Kroner, Gordon Nichol, and Mr. Irwin H. Linton created the Officers’ Christian Union of the United States of America.