For nearly 60 years, 19 DCIs served 10 presidents and served through:

• scores of major and minor wars, civil wars, military incursions, and other armed conflicts
• two energy crises
• a global recession
• the specter of nuclear holocaust and the pursuit of arms control
• the raising of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Iron Curtain
• the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and
• the arrival of international terrorism on the shores of America and the war against it overseas.

These men participated in or oversaw vital contributions that intelligence made to US national security.

When President George W. Bush signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act in December 2004, the Intelligence Community was restructured. The Act created the positions of Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which oversees the Intelligence Community, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA). The Act abolished the position of DCI.

Here are the men – the Directors of Central Intelligence – who led the Central Intelligence Agency and the Intelligence Community for nearly six decades:

Sidney William Souers, Rear Admiral, US Naval Reserve

January 23-June 10, 1946

• Appointed by President Harry S. Truman on January 23, 1946
• Sworn in on January 23

Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg, Lieutenant General, US Army (Army Air Forces)

June 10, 1946–May 1, 1947

• Appointed by President Harry S. Truman on June 7, 1946
• Sworn in on June 10

Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter, Rear Admiral, US Navy

May 1, 1947–October 7, 1950

• Appointed by President Harry S. Truman on April 30, 1947
• Sworn in on May 1

Walter Bedell Smith, General, US Army

October 7, 1950–February 9, 1953

• Appointed by President Harry S. Truman on August 21, 1950
• Confirmed by the Senate on August 28
• Sworn in on October 7

Allen Welsh Dulles

February 26, 1953–November 29, 1961

• Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 9, 1953
• Confirmed by the Senate on February 23
• Sworn in on February 26

John Alex McCone

November 29, 1961–April 28, 1965

• Appointed by President John F. Kennedy on September 27, 1961
• Sworn in as recess appointee on November 29
• Confirmed by the Senate on January 31, 1962
• Sworn in on February 13

William Francis Raborn, Jr., Vice Admiral, US Navy (Retired)

April 28, 1965–June 30, 1966

• Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1965
• Confirmed by the Senate on April 22
• Sworn in on April 28

Richard McGarrah Helms

June 30, 1966–February 2, 1973

• Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on June 18, 1966
• Confirmed by the Senate on June 28
• Sworn in on June 30

James Rodney Schlesinger

February 2, 1973–July 2, 1973

• Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon on December 21, 1972
• Confirmed by the Senate on January 23, 1973
• Sworn in on February 2

William Egan Colby

September 4, 1973–January 30, 1976

• Appointed by President Richard M. Nixon on May 10, 1973
• Confirmed by the Senate on August 1
• Sworn in on September 4

George Herbert Walker Bush

January 30, 1976–January 20, 1977

• Appointed by President Gerald R. Ford on November 3, 1975
• Confirmed by the Senate on January 27, 1976
• Sworn in on January 30

Stansfield Turner, Admiral, US Navy (retired in December 1978)

March 9, 1977–January 20, 1981

• Appointed by President Jimmy Carter on February 8, 1977
• Confirmed by the Senate on February 24
• Sworn in on March 9

William Joseph Casey

January 28, 1981–January 29, 1987

• Appointed by President Ronald Reagan on January 20, 1981
• Confirmed by the Senate on January 27
• Sworn in on January 28

William Hedgcock Webster

May 26, 1987–August 31, 1991

• Appointed by President Ronald Reagan on March 3, 1987
• Confirmed by the Senate on May 19
• Sworn in on May 26

Robert Michael Gates

November 6, 1991–January 1993

• Appointed by President George Bush on May 14, 1991
• Confirmed by the Senate on November 5
• Sworn in on November 6

R. James Woolsey

February 5, 1993–January 10, 1995

• Appointed by President William J. Clinton on January 21, 1993
• Confirmed by the Senate on February 3
• Sworn in on February 5

John Mark Deutch

May 10, 1995–December 15, 1996

• Appointed by President William J. Clinton on March 19, 1995
• Confirmed by the Senate on May 9
• Sworn in on May 10

George John Tenet

July 11, 1997–July 11, 2004

• Appointed by President William J. Clinton on March 19, 1997
• Confirmed by the Senate on July 10
• Sworn in on July 11

Porter Johnston Goss

September 24, 2004–April 21, 2005

• Appointed by President George W. Bush on August 10, 2004
• Confirmed by the Senate on September 22
• Sworn in on September 24
• Goss served as the first Director of Central Intelligence Agency, from April 21, 2005 – May 5, 2006

For more on the Directors of Central Intelligence, visit:

• Directors of Central Intelligence as Leaders of the U.S. Intelligence Community
• Directors and Deputy Directors of Central Intelligence
• Directors of Central Intelligence, 1946–2005

June 15, 2008

The following letter to the editor, published in the June 15 edition of The New York Times, responds to a June 12 editorial:

To the Editor:

Re "Interrogation for Profit":

American law applies to all personnel -- contractors and staff officers alike -- who have served in the C.I.A.'s terrorist detention program.

The C.I.A., like other United States government agencies, employs contractors to acquire needed skills and expertise for set periods of time. You write that using contractors is "a symptom of the administration's ducking accountability under international law." The C.I.A. doesn't use contractors to dodge accountability; to do so would ignore both the law and Congressional oversight of intelligence.

Among those you decry as "mercenaries" and "corporate thugs" are Americans who have died in the line of duty serving with the C.I.A. in places of conflict and combat. Such patriots deserve our respect, not your scorn.

Mark Mansfield
Director of Public Affairs, Central Intelligence Agency
McLean, Va., June 13, 2008

The CIA’s Original Headquarters Building (OHB) was finished and completely occupied in May 1962. Though the goal of OHB was to house all CIA employees under one roof, it never happened. From the start, OHB had been too small for a rapidly growing workforce. But it took nearly two decades before the CIA could begin plans for an additional building on its headquarters campus.

By 1981, the need for an additional building could no longer be ignored: thousands of CIA employees were occupying several buildings in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. There was a great need to centralize and consolidate the Agency. To spearhead the effort, the CIA established the New Building Project Office (NBPO).

NBPO’s first job was to identify, justify, and estimate the cost of new facility requirements; obtain the necessary approvals; and acquire a budget that could get the job done. NBPO collaborated with each CIA directorate; several internal offices, including the Office of Security, Office of Communications, and Office of Data Processing; and several outside agencies such as the Fairfax County (Va.) Government, the National Park Service, the McLean Civic Association, and Congress, to name a few.

As the planning team made headway, it was crucial to determine where the new building would go on the campus. NBPO provided several options. The winner: the new building would be built into a hillside behind OHB, west of the cafeteria, and linked to the OHB in a seamless blend of the two structures.

Designers of the Dirksen Senate Office Building (located in downtown Washington, D.C.) drafted design plans toward the end of 1981. The main entrance to the New Headquarters Building (NHB) is on the fourth floor. Inside the entrance, visitors are greeted by a huge skylight ceiling and, at the end of the entry corridor, a spectacular view of the OHB.

Groundbreaking for NHB took place on May 8, 1984, and the contractors finished construction in March 1991.

Speakers:

Robert M. Gates, Secretary, Department of Defense

and

Michael V. Hayden, Director, Central Intelligence Agency

June 20, 2008

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (left) and CIA Director Michael V. Hayden

SECRETARY ROBERT M. GATES: Members of the Hayden family, friends, distinguished guests, thank you all for being here.

As I look out and see all the senior officials and VIPs here this morning, I’m reminded of my commissioning ceremony as a Second Lieutenant at Lackland Air Force Base in 1967. Before the ceremony we were all asked if we would have any guests attending in the rank of Colonel or GS-15 or above who would warrant VIP treatment. I suspect Mike Hayden might have had a similar experience. None of us in those days had friends in high or, I would say, even low places. (Laughter.)

We’re here to honor General Hayden as he takes off the uniform of the military he has served for nearly four decades. But unlike most retirement ceremonies I attend, this one does not mark the end of a career. Quite the contrary, Mike will wake up Monday, put on a business suit, and continue working in one of the most critical positions in our government today, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Let me tell you from experience it’s not a job for the faint of heart. As General Hayden himself has noticed – has noted, in the intelligence business when you smell the flowers you look around for the coffin. (Laughter.)

You also have to be on the lookout for some of the harebrained ideas that get tossed around. At one point during my tenure as Deputy DCI, I was briefed on a plan to launch balloons into Libya dropping leaflets telling the people to overthrow the government. I told them to make sure the leaflets specifically said it was Gaddafi who should be overthrown because I could see strong westerly winds carrying the balloons with a generic “overthrow your government” right across Libya into Egypt – (laughter) – And I imagine President Mubarak would have been none too pleased. (Laughter.)

I’ve known General Hayden for many years. When the White House asked me to consider taking the newly created position of Director of National Intelligence in January 2005, one of my first requests was that Mike be my deputy because I knew I would need at my side a man of extraordinary experience, independence, and integrity. Though I did not end up in that position, I was very pleased that Mike was made deputy anyway.

I felt the same way when he was nominated to be the Director of CIA. Then as now I consider him the quintessential intelligence professional in government, a man whose career makes him uniquely qualified at that moment in history, a time in which our national security depends on the effective synthesis of intelligence and military operations. On this, General Hayden is the true expert. He was Director of the Intelligence Directorate at U.S. European Command, Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, Director of the National Security Agency, and as I said, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

For more than 20 years he has been both an intelligence provider and consumer. He knows the entire spectrum of the business. And he knows what policymakers and military planners need to do their jobs. Wherever General Hayden has been in government we have seen within his orbit a shift away from inefficiencies and turf wars that too often plague government intelligence efforts. It’s no secret that I opposed the creation of the current DNI intelligence apparatus, but Mike has proven that even a flawed bureaucratic structure can be made to work if we have the right leaders and the right relationships in place.

When Mike was first nominated to be Director of CIA, there were some questions about whether that position should be held by a man in uniform. Ironically, when I was DCI, we were trying to get the military more involved in CIA. I worked with Colin Powell to appoint a senior military officer as third ranking officer in CIA’s Clandestine Service. And my successors appointed military officers to even more senior positions. It is clear now that whatever questions were raised about the role of military professionals at CIA have been largely settled. We’ve overcome many of the past divisions and discord that existed between the Department of Defense and other parts of the intelligence community. We are all on one team these days and Mike has played a key role in this effort.

In a world where the principal threats are terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, close cooperation between the military and CIA and clandestine and covert operations and intelligence collection is essential. In Iraq and Afghanistan, countless lives – Iraqi, Afghan, American, and coalition – have been saved through intelligence efforts that have led to the killing or capture of terrorist leaders and facilitators. I would argue that there has never been a better fusion of military operations and intelligence in the history of warfare. This is of great importance in the broader War on Terror, a war whose outcome, as Mike has noted, will depend in large measure on American intelligence capabilities.

Mike understands the threats we face, threats he has likened to a swarm of bees: diffuse, numerous, seemingly random, but with underlying purpose and extremely dangerous. And he knows what we must do to confront them. One key task is to train a new generation of career intelligence experts to make up for the losses of the 1990s. Mike has to manage an incredibly complex and secretive organization that spans the globe. It is representative of his character as a leader that he often makes time to go the cafeteria for lunch to meet with staff. He looks for an empty seat, not an empty table. He once sat down at what turned out to be a baby shower. (Laughter.)

He offered a few potential names before he took his leave. (Laughter.)

I might also note that Mike has held a few jobs in his life that have to be firsts for CIA directors: Pittsburgh Steelers ball boy, bellhop, cabby, and my personal favorite, door-to-door hairbrush and comb salesman. (Laughter.) That irony is not lost on any of us. (Laughter.)

General Hayden would be the first to admit that he owes a good measure of his success to his family. I would note that his father, Harry Hayden, Jr., is with us today, and of course, Mike’s wife, Jeanine. Jeanine, your support of Mike and your own service to our country is deeply appreciated.

In a speech earlier this year, General Hayden quoted former CIA Director Richard Helms when he said 40 years ago that “the nation, to a degree, must take it on faith that we [at CIA] are honorable men devoted to her service.” There is no doubt that General Hayden is an honorable man devoted to the service of his country. Though he exchanges his uniform for a suit today, he will continue serving an organization built upon the pillars he upheld throughout his military career: duty, honor, patriotism, and service.

Mr. Director, General, thank you for your ongoing service. I wish you and your family all the best.

(Applause.) 

(Presentation remarks omitted.)

GENERAL MICHAEL V. HAYDEN: Well, good morning, and thanks to all of you for honoring Jeanine and me with your presence here today.

There are so many colleagues and very, very busy people in this room – Steve Hadley and Josh Bolten, General Myers, Chairman, Chairman Reyes, Congresswoman Wilson, Ambassador Richardson, Admiral Fallon, John McLaughlin, many others. Thank you so much for coming. I also see the faces of people who became dear to us – to Jeanine and me and our family during our time on active duty and are now lifelong friends. I see Steve and Penny and Dave and Carolyn and Rod and Kyu Hee, and once again, and many others.

Sir, I’d particularly like to thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your generous remarks. I guess that you and I are striking something of a balance; a former CIA director running the Pentagon, an Air Force guy out at Langley. Now that I’m retiring and leaving the service, are you going to reenlist? (Laughter.)

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden speaks at his Air Force retirement ceremony.

I’ve been in the Air Force for almost 40 years. I also belong to another institution, one that actually predates my active military service: that’s my marriage to Jeanine. That will always remain my greatest treasure, always be the source of my deepest happiness. This has been a team enterprise and none of this would have been possible without her. Jeanine’s work at the Agency these past two years, where she’s working so hard to bring support to our families, simply exemplifies what she had done already many times before. So, I want to just take a moment to thank her for what she has done and especially for who she is. (Applause.)

I also need to thank our daughter Margaret, who is an officer in the Air Force Reserves, our sons Michael and Liam, each Foreign Service officers, for having generously and willingly, most of the time, sharing this journey with us. Jeanine and I actually have some gifts for them and their wonderful spouses and their families that we’ll share later, but they need to know now in this ceremony how proud we are of them.

I also need to recognize other family members here – my dad Harry, a member of the greatest generation – the first Hayden family member to actually pass through Fort Meade. He did it in 1942 en route to North Africa. He will also celebrate his 88th birthday this weekend. Happy birthday, Dad. (Applause.)

My sister Debby and her family. Deb, as you know, you remind me more of Mom everyday. My brother Harry whose friendship means more to me than he can ever realize. Jeanine’s brother Phil who is representing that branch of the family that’s been so supportive of us.

Now, some family members can forever only be here in spirit. That’s Jeanine’s mom and dad, my mom and Aunt Pat. You’ll see in a few minutes that we’ve asked Celtic Aire of the Air Force Band to play for us during the reception. Here’s my reasoning: if my retirement isn’t enough to draw the presence of my mom and aunt, I am convinced that sounds from County Mayo are sure to do it. (Laughter.)

When I jumped – and mind you, jumped, not stepped – when I jumped on a nail when I was seven years old besides giving me some pretty good medical care, my mother and aunt put the offending nail into a potato to speed my recovery. (Laughter.) Thirteen centuries of Catholicism coexisting with druids, banshees and – (laughter).

It’s going to be hard to hang up this uniform. I’ve been proud to be part of some truly remarkable organizations during the course of my career. Those organizations will always be part of who I am, but fundamentally I was an airman first. I joined our Air Force ROTC at Duquesne in 1963. The saying goes if you can remember the late ’60s, you probably weren’t there. (Laughter.) Well, whoever dreamed that one up actually never went to Duquesne. My most notable foray into anything that was mind-bending was trying to draft a thesis on the Marshall Plan.

There are very practical reasons I joined Air Force ROTC at Duquesne – it was mandatory. (Laughter.)

As the Secretary mentioned, during college and graduate school I moonlighted by driving a cab. I did sell Fuller brush products door-to-door. My sister helped me with a delivery. I saw her nod when you mentioned it. (Laughter.)

I worked as a bellhop and I actually coached a junior high school football team. And I took that team, St. Peter’s Grade School on the North Side, to a division title, in fact. I was not, however, noticed by the Steelers, so I sealed the deal with the Air Force and came on active duty. (Laughter.)

It struck me as a great way to serve my country and to see parts of the world that I’d only read about. To make sure the record’s straight, I mean everyone knows where Pittsburgh is, right? It’s in that southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. Debby lives in Steubenville, which is a suburb. You’ve actually got to cross two state lines to get from Pittsburgh to Steubenville. I was 16 years old before I left the state of Pennsylvania. I was one year short of college before I boarded my first airplane. And so joining the Air Force was kind of a conscious choice to go see some things that I would not otherwise be able to see.

Intelligence seemed to be a good fit for a history major, so I put that down on my dream sheet. And in 1969, I went to intel school as my first assignment. I came in at a time that allowed me to be part of an historic transition in America’s Air Force, and I see so many of my Air Force friends here today. The shift from a theory of airpower that was a product of the industrial age to a theory of airpower that’s reflecting the information age, and that’s a transition that is still underway in America’s Air Force.

In 1972, I was with the 8th Air Force on Guam helping plan massive B-52 runs over Vietnam. When I was at EUCOM in the mid ’90s, the hallmark of the Balkans campaign was pinpoint strikes on key facilities. And most recently from the current vantage point in the intelligence community, I see our pilots cap off joint counterterrorism missions by targeting individuals, not even structures. That great arc, a doctrinal leap from mass to precision, is what defines America’s Air Force.

And those of us who wear the intel badge have felt the impact of that trend as much as anyone else in America’s service, and it’s because of a very simply corollary: the need for precision intelligence has risen in direct relationship to the need for precision operations. I actually have a personal experience about that. I felt that principle acutely on the second of June 1995, the day Scott O’Grady was shot down over Bosnia. I was a J2 at EUCOM at the time and I got a call from Jim Clapper, who was Director of DIA. Jim helped me put things into perspective. Mike, he said, they’re beating the drums back here already about what happened. I think you know how it works. There are only two kinds of activities that America’s military undertakes. There are operational successes and there are intelligence failures. (Laughter.)

All right, Jim may have overstated it a bit, but he captured in a very real way the challenge that’s facing men and women in uniform who have chosen intelligence as their vocation. Captain O’Grady’s ordeal brought home to me how information had become absolutely critical to how we operate and it will become a decisive determinant of success.

Now, I’ve been blessed with great mentors in the intelligence profession. I’ve already mentioned Jim, who when he was Director of DIA took a new EUCOM J2 under his wing. Rich O’Lear, also here today, has given me consistently wise counsel and his friendship. Major General Chuck Link, who was the DO of the 51st Fighter Wing in Korea at Osan, would sit and talk with me and expand the horizons of his DOI. That was me.

CIA Director Michael V. Hayden

I think many of you know my entire career has not been in intelligence. When I commanded the Air Intelligence Agency back in 1997, I got a call from a good friend, General John Casciano, and he was the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence on the Air Staff, and he says to me in a cold phone call, we’ve just talked to the chief and we’re sending you to Korea. I said, okay. I hung up the phone and called someone else and said, they’re sending me to Korea. Was I just fired? As it turns out I wasn’t. General Ron Fogleman, who was then Air Force chief of staff, was trying to cross-feed specialists, like intelligence specialists, into other fields. I was going to Korea. I was going to be the Deputy Chief of Staff. But I wasn’t going to be the Deputy Chief of Staff for intelligence. I was going to be the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Command for U.S. Forces-Korea.

Nine months later because of that opportunity, I was leading the United Nations side in face-to-face talks with the North Koreans at Panmunjom. Not a bad experience for an intel guy. And when I was sitting at that big table at Panmunjom, I actually thought – it was conscious and I still remember the moment – I thought about my earliest memory of television which was grainy, black and white newsreel of the Korean War. And I remember watching a report on the Korean War with my grandfather, and sensing his concern – as it turned out, his concern was for my uncle who was one of the Marines cut off by the Chinese at the Changjin or Chosin Reservoir. By the way, that Marine, my uncle, was 17 years old, and we’ve forever referred to as Brother Mike.

Now, my granddad, also a Michael, was Big Mike, or occasionally – I’m telling you more than you want to know here – (laughter) – or occasionally – “Chew Tobacco” Mike. Never ever drink out of that beer bottle he keeps beside his big chair. With all those Mikes, that left it to me to be called Mikey, a name that has happily fallen out of usage – (laughter) – until recently resurrected in the Oval Office. I’m wondering what other sources of intelligence the President actually has. (Laughter.)

Another opportunity outside of intelligence came when General Chuck Boyd, who was Air Force director of plans at the time, sent me over to the NSC for a two-year rotation. I had the privilege of writing the national security strategy for the first President Bush under Arnie Kanter. The day the new strategy was to be unveiled, and I was aboard Air Force One on the phone working with the office of the head speechwriter, Tony Snow, making last minute revisions because 14 hours earlier Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait.

George Tenet gave me my first shot at a national-level office when he hired me to be the director of NSA back in 1999. We’ve become very good friends. And when he was at the Agency and I was at the Fort, the hotline on my desk would ring just about everyday – Mike, here’s what I need or Mike, what do your guys think about this? It was that kind of relationship. And George, as all of you know, is a standup guy who never had anything but the interest of the republic as his goal, seven-by-twenty-four.

The six years I served at Fort Meade mean a lot to me. In terms of talent, skill, devotion of its people, its unmatched technical capacity, the essential value of its mission, NSA is a national treasure and I’m so gratified that many folks from that agency are actually here today. Bill Jack, an institution out at the Fort, is with us today and reminds me of the times we had there. He reminds me also of the close attachment I had to the men and women of NSA, as well as an intense responsibility I had then part and parcel of being entrusted with such an irreplaceable national treasure.

You know, as bad as things were on the morning of September 11, 2001, I find inspiration that day, it was actually that evening, when I went to visit NSA’s counterterrorism group. Now, our CT officers they dedicate their lives to preventing the kind of attack that just took place, so they were clearly shaken up. When I got to their office, workmen were tacking up blackout curtains on their window. Think of that-- blackout curtains, twenty-first century, eastern Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.

But the sheer determination in that room to get back into the fight, to put the full weight of signals intelligence into the hunt, well, that’s something I’ll never forget. And from that day on, America’s intelligence officers have played a leading role in the War on Terror. We’ve maintained a wartime ops tempo while learning some hard lessons like working better as a team and sharing what we know, and we’ve come a long way towards building that greater cohesion and integration.

As Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, I had a glimpse of how tough it was to do the job that Ambassador John Negroponte and now Admiral Mike McConnell have done so well. In my time there, Ambassador Negroponte took the lead as senior intelligence adviser to the president and I covered the daily functions of the community. And even after all those years in NSA, during that time at DNI I learned an awful lot about how things work and sometimes don’t work in a community of 16 separate organizations. And it was there, when I was at the DNI’s office, that I realized that there’s an agency out there that had more connective tissue to all the other agencies than anyone else. It had departmental independence, deep expertise that cut across disciplines, and handled all sorts of global issues.

Now, at this point in my remarks I can stop using past tense and start using present and future tense because CIA takes over paying my salary on the first of July. (Laughter.) A big question is whether the workforce will still respect me when they see my selection of suits. (Laughter.)

I arrived at Langley a little over two years ago and I found a culture that wasn’t quite military, but it was expeditionary and it was very can-do, something that any airman would easily recognize. I’ve seen the finest expression of patriotism and the hard work of our men and women in war zones, not just collectors – important work they do – but analysts, technical experts, support specialists, all serving alongside our military colleagues and our community colleagues in Iraq and Afghanistan, forward bases, big cities, places in between. As my wonderful deputy at the agency, Steve Kappes, is fond of saying, from Bangladesh to Marrakech, and all the places in between and beyond, too.

These people give far more than they get. They deserve far better than they usually receive. And when they succeed in their work and help their countrymen feel safe again, they still stay in the shadows, continue their work, and discipline themselves to ignore sometimes shrill and uninformed voices of criticism. After all, if we could delay all-important game decisions in the NFL to the calm light of Monday morning, we’d all be going to Canton and be enshrined there. I’m honored to be on the field playing in real time on the CIA team.

So, when this ceremony is over, I’m happy that my job at Langley won’t be over. I’ll still have the privilege to work with an extraordinarily talented group of officers in a post that I think Secretary Gates and Director Tenet will agree is challenging and rewarding in ways like any other. But I will also be forever grateful to this organization that took me and brought me so far, gave me the chance to hear Mass in almost countless languages – Gaelic, French, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Croatian, Greek, and I’m sure I’m leaving some out – and above all allowed me the honor of serving my country.

There will not be, there could not be adequate time or words for me to acknowledge all of the Air Force men and women who have meant so much to Jeanine and me over the years, but in a special way because of what they’ve done for today’s events I need to thank Lieutenant Colonel Arnie Nash, and Paula, Cleveland, and Tracy. You, like all of the airmen we have met and their families, will always be in our hearts. And before the Air Force – before the Air Force gave me my calling and showed me the world, there was the family back in the ward, as we called our neighborhood, on the north side of Pittsburgh who gave me their love, their wisdom, and memories of a place that continues to shape who I am more than anything else. So, to the Heffley family, boyhood friends, and to the Zeaks, high school and college companions, thank you for being here, for reminding me who I am and where I’m from.

I left Pittsburgh 39 years ago, but the city has never left me and I hope, I hope that I’ve lived up to the ethic that the immortal war correspondent Ernie Pyle identified with the city in the months just before World War II. Having just visited Pittsburgh, he wrote an article about it, and he summed up the city’s culture, I think, quite accurately and quite succinctly: “This place just goes to work.”

To all you family, dear friends here in the room, around the world, thank you very much. God bless you all.

(Tribute, benediction, Air Force song, and party departure follows.)

(END)

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (left) and CIA Director Michael V. Hayden

“There is no doubt that General Hayden is an honorable man devoted to the service of his country. Though he exchanges his uniform for a suit today, he will continue serving an organization built upon the pillars he upheld throughout his military career: duty, honor, patriotism, and service,” said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at D/CIA Michael Hayden’s Air Force retirement ceremony at Bolling Air Force Base on June 20.

Secretary Gates, a former Director of Central Intelligence, called D/CIA Hayden the quintessential intelligence professional. “He’s a man whose career makes him uniquely qualified at a time in which our national security depends on the effective synthesis of intelligence and military operations.” During a 39 year career, D/CIA Hayden served as Director of the Intelligence Directorate at U.S. European Command, Commander of the Air Intelligence Agency, Director of the Joint Command and Control Warfare Center, Director of the National Security Agency, and Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

However, said Gates, “I might also note that Mike has held a few jobs in his life that have to be firsts for CIA directors.” These include: Pittsburgh Steelers ball boy, bellhop, and cabby, among others. During college, D/CIA Hayden also coached a junior high school football team, taking them to a division title.

Gates retired D/CIA Hayden from the Air Force, effective July 1, in front of hundreds of family, friends, and close colleagues in the ballroom of Bolling’s Officers Club. He presented the Director with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, and also presented Mrs. Jeanine Hayden with a special commendation for all of her work for military families, and the support that she has provided throughout the Director’s nearly four decades of service. The Haydens’ daughter then joined Mrs. Hayden on stage to present the Director with a flag that has flown over every station in the world at which he has served.

Moving to the podium, D/CIA Hayden first took a moment to speak about an even greater institution which he has served longer than the Air Force: his marriage to Jeanine. “That will always remain my greatest treasure, always be the source of my deepest happiness. This has been a team enterprise and none of this would have been possible without her,” said D/CIA Hayden. “Jeanine’s work at the Agency these past two years, where she’s working so hard to bring support to our families, simply exemplifies what she had done already many times before.” The Director presented her with a bouquet of flowers before delving into his speech, which focused on his career, his family, and the city he will always call home.

“Before the Air Force gave me my calling and showed me the world, there was the family back in the ward, as we called our neighborhood, on the north side of Pittsburgh who gave me their love, their wisdom, and memories of a place that continues to shape who I am more than anything else,” said D/CIA Hayden, whose family filled the first two rows.

D/CIA Hayden was 16 years old the first time he left the state of Pennsylvania, and one year short of college when he boarded his first airplane. For him, joining the Air Force was a conscious choice; he wanted to see the world beyond the Mid-Atlantic. “It’s going to be hard to hang up this uniform. I’ve been proud to be part of some truly remarkable organizations during the course of my career,” he said. “Those organizations will always be part of who I am, but fundamentally I was an airman first.” In 1963, the Director joined the Air Force ROTC, which was mandatory at his Alma Mata, Duquesne University.

In 1969, after leaving Duquesne with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in modern American history, D/CIA Hayden enlisted in the Air Force, and his first active duty assignment was to attend the service’s Intel School. An illustrious career followed, including a stint as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Command for U.S. Forces-Korea where he led the United Nations side in face-to-face talks with the North Koreans at Panmunjom, and a two-year rotation with the National Security Council, where he wrote the national security strategy for the first President Bush. And this was quite the task because, “The day the new strategy was to be unveiled, I was aboard Air Force One on the phone working with the office of the head speechwriter, Tony Snow, making last minute revisions because 14 hours earlier Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait.”

And in 1999 DCI George Tenet gave him his first national level opportunity as the Director of the NSA. “The six years I served at Fort Meade mean a lot to me,” said D/CIA Hayden. “In terms of talent, skill, devotion of its people, its unmatched technical capacity, the essential value of its mission, NSA is a national treasure.”

Later, as Principal Deputy Director for the DNI, D/CIA Hayden would learn how tough it was to run the community in which the NSA exists. “During that time at DNI I learned an awful lot about how things work and sometimes don’t work in a community of 16 separate organizations,” said the Director. “It was there, when I was at the DNI’s office, that I realized that there’s an agency out there that had more connective tissue to all the other agencies than anyone else.”

When he took over as D/CIA in May 2006, he did so in his Air Force blues, but on July 1, when his retirement is official, all of that will change. “A big question is whether the workforce will still respect me when they see my selection of suits,” he joked. But the four-star general also had serious words of praise for the Agency he now leads.

“These people give far more than they get. They deserve far better than they usually receive. And when they succeed in their work and help their countrymen feel safe again, they still stay in the shadows, continue their work, and discipline themselves to ignore sometimes shrill and uninformed voices of criticism,” he told the crowd. “So, when this ceremony is over, I’m happy that my job at Langley won’t be over.”

Volume 52, Number 2

In concert with their bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Tokyo launched military forces into southern Thailand. These deployments were critical to securing Japanese bases for planned invasions of British Malaya and Burma. In a secret agreement, Thailand’s ambitious leader, Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram, agreed to allow the Japanese free passage.

But the Japanese were soon pressing for a greater presence and access to Thai facilities. Soon, Phibun joined in a formal alliance with Tokyo. He was convinced he could benefit from Japan’s expansion while maintaining Thailand’s independence. On January 25, 1942, Bangkok declared war on Britain and the United States. Japanese imperial forces were quickly deployed throughout the kingdom.

But Thailand’s senior diplomat in the United States, M.R. Seni Pramoj, opposed the alliance with Japan. He refused to endorse his government’s position. In fact, Seni began to actively build a network of overseas Thais who would work to support the Allies.

Under Seni’s guiding hand, and the leadership of Gen. William Donovan’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the “Free Thai” movement was born. Seni brought young Thai student volunteers from universities across the United States together into a Free Thai command, which was to serve under Donovan’s OSS.

The Free Thai agents were among Thailand’s best and brightest. They set aside promising academic programs at Harvard, Cornell, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and elsewhere in favor of difficult military training and uncertain futures.   

Following training by the OSS, many volunteers undertook lengthy and dangerous treks from China and Indochina to make contact with supporters opposed to the Japanese presence. For months, the Free Thai forces worked to infiltrate their homeland. Many were captured, killed, or simply went missing.

Finally, on October 5, 1944, the OSS Detachment in Szemao, China, received a radio message from Free Thai agents in a Bangkok safehouse. Thereafter, other agents were dispatched into Thailand by submarine, seaplane, and airdrop.

The heroism and ingenuity of the Free Thai forces, working hand-in-hand with the OSS, set the stage for important intelligence collection. The agents provided critical support to Allied military operations in Southeast Asia and ensured Thailand’s post-war independence.

July 6, 2008

A column in the July 6, 2008 edition of The New York Times by Clark Hoyt, the newspaper’s public editor, makes reference to a May 29, 2008 letter sent by the CIA to The Times, asking that the newspaper not put at risk a former CIA officer involved in the Agency’s detention and interrogation program by publishing his name. Here is the text of the letter.

29 May 2008

Mr. Dean Baquet
Bureau Chief and Assistant Managing Editor
The New York Times
[Address Omitted]

Dear Mr. Baquet:

As you know, Scott Shane has advised us that he is working on an in-depth look at Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, before and after capture.  Mr. Shane asked the CIA to cooperate on the project, describing his goal as a more nuanced picture of both Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and our terrorist detention and interrogation program. We respectfully declined, noting that such cooperation would be inappropriate given the ongoing legal proceedings against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed at the Guantanamo Naval Base. In addition, while the outlines of CIA’s interrogation initiative have been made public, many of the details of this valuable effort remain classified, another obvious bar to collaboration with your newspaper.

We had every expectation that Mr. Shane and The Times would continue to pursue this story. That is certainly your prerogative. What concerns us, though, are the attempts Mr. Shane is making—presumably as part of this project—to profile a former CIA officer who was involved in the Agency’s interrogation program. Mr. Shane has tried, in some cases repeatedly, to contact members of this individual’s family, high school classmates, and others, seeking personal information about him. This former officer has grave concerns about being identified publicly, and the CIA shares his concerns.

I called Mr. Shane on Thursday morning, 22 May 2008, and expressed the Agency’s strong opposition to publishing the name of this individual. We are convinced that it would be reckless and irresponsible to do so, as it could endanger the lives of this American and his family. At a minimum, Al-Qaeda and its sympathizers would consider them targets. The terrorists recognize that the interrogation program has been an effective tool in the global campaign against them. And they do not, to our knowledge, have the names of the officers responsible for that success. It is not clear to us why your newspaper would give them that information.

But there is another risk to consider. The CIA’s interrogation program has been conducted in accord with US law, employing only methods specifically approved by the Department of Justice. Despite that, some elements of the media and of our society loudly, routinely, and wrongly decry it as “torture.” In that poisoned atmosphere, identifying someone as a CIA interrogator makes him vulnerable to any misguided person who believes they need to confront “torture” directly.

The consequences that could flow from publication of this individual’s name are clear. I ask again that The Times not place at risk an innocent American patriot and his family. Mr. Shane said it was important for me to make my views known to you. I can assure you that the CIA does not make such appeals lightly.

Mark Mansfield
Director of Public Affairs

CC:  Scott Shane

Statement to Employees by Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Hayden on the Associate Director for Military Affairs

July 10, 2008

Major General John T. Brennan, our Associate Director for Military Affairs, has announced his intention to retire from the Air Force after 32 years of distinguished service. He will conclude his assignment at CIA on 1 August.

For the past two and a half years, John has led one of our defining missions: to provide accurate, insightful, and actionable intelligence to military commanders and warfighters. He has been our Agency’s principal bridge to DoD. John deserves great credit for the advances we have made in supporting the troops on the ground and integrating our powerful capabilities with those of the military. Secretary Gates said recently that “there has never been a better fusion of military operations and intelligence in the history of warfare.” John helped get us there while building a strong new ADMA organization during his tenure. Please join me in thanking him for his important contributions to America’s security, both through his work at CIA and in his previous posts of duty.

On 2 August, Major General Mark A. Welsh III, USAF, will become our new ADMA. Mark comes to CIA after serving as Vice Commander, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, and, before that, as Deputy Commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance for U.S. Strategic Command. Mark entered the Air Force in 1976 as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, where he would later serve as Commandant of Cadets. He is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours and has held a wide variety of operational, command, and staff positions.

CIA has been fortunate to have talented officers guiding our relationship with the United States Armed Forces. When he arrives, Mark will find a very sound foundation on which to build. Our collaboration with the military will be in very good hands as we continue to strengthen this vital partnership.

Mike Hayden

Paintings or sculptures often convey the drama of an event more powerfully and immediately than the written word. Works of art can bring to life history that may be unknown to new employees or has been lost in time among veterans. The artworks comprising the CIA’s Intelligence Art Collection are inspired by significant events in Agency history and were donated to the CIA as gifts to the US government.

'Untouchable' is just one of the paintings in the CIA's Intelligence Art Collection. It depicts the first operational flight of the A-12 on May 31, 1967.

The presentation of these works of art to CIA’s workforce unites veterans who participated in the events with today’s officers eager to learn about CIA’s operational past. Family members share with pride the accomplishments of their loved ones and see that hardship and sacrifice is not forgotten.

Recent additions to the Agency’s historical holdings include intelligence-themed paintings and sculpture that record the experiences of intelligence officers in peace and war.

Key pieces showcased in the Intelligence Art Collection include:

• Les Marguerites Fleuriront ce Soir
• Earthquake’s Final Flight
• Seven Days in the Arctic
• Untouchable
• An Air Combat First
• The Day the Wall Came Down
• Cast of a Few, Courage of a Nation

Learn more in the most recent issue of Studies in Intelligence, Vol. 52, Issue 2.

This is a part of our series about CIA employees who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Here we will look at the lives of the men and women who have died while serving their country.

Currently, there are 89 stars carved into the marble of the CIA Memorial Wall. The wall stands as a silent, simple memorial to those employees “who gave their lives in the service of their country.” The CIA has released the names of 54 employees; the names of the remaining 35 officers must remain secret, even in death.

Dedication. Energy. Enthusiasm. These are just a few words that apply to Rachel Dean. In September 2006, Rachel, an Agency support officer, died in a traffic accident while on temporary duty overseas.

Rachel was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her father was on active duty with the US Navy, so she grew up experiencing life overseas. She attended Randolph Macon Women’s College, majoring in International Studies. During her junior year, Rachel studied abroad for a semester in Athens, Greece. Along with her course work, Rachel was active in several service organizations. And in 2003, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Rachel joined the CIA in January 2005, having earned a place in the Directorate of Support. From the start, Rachel was a hard worker, with a warm and caring personality. Her colleagues described her as the glue that held the team together. She was always eager to volunteer for an extra task.

Even though her time at the CIA was brief, her contributions were significant. Her profound commitment to mission and to colleagues remains a powerful source of inspiration. In November 2006, during a private ceremony, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mike Hayden, presented Rachel’s parents with their daughter’s Exceptional Service Medal, which recognizes an employee’s injury or death resulting from service in a hazardous area.

Afterward, the Dean family joined more than 500 officers at a memorial event for Rachel. During the opening remarks, the mistress of ceremonies said, “During this ceremony you will hear expressions of gratitude and praise for Rachel’s actions, as well as admiration for her boundless energy and enthusiasm … While our words will never fully capture the amazing person that Rachel was, or the immense sorrow that we feel at her passing, we offer these words as part of the debt of remembrance we owe to Rachel.”

The CIA honored Rachel with a star on the Agency’s Memorial Wall in 2006. Her name is also included in the CIA Book of Honor.

Statement to Employees by Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Hayden on Executive Order 12333

July 31, 2008

Yesterday, President Bush signed a revised version of Executive Order 12333, the document that broadly defines the roles and responsibilities of the members of our Intelligence Community. The Order, originally issued in 1981, has been modified over the years. But the changes to our Community since the intelligence reform legislation of 2004 made an updated text a priority for our government.

Put briefly, the new passages formally outline the goals and duties of the Director of National Intelligence, and place a powerful emphasis on inter-agency collaboration. Both of those developments are positive. The DNI manages the Intelligence Community, providing strategic guidance without executing operational tasks. Sound coordination among American agencies is an absolute prerequisite to successful intelligence collection—one in which CIA has both an obvious interest and extensive expertise.

The Executive Order also reaffirms CIA’s statutory authorities and its leadership in fields ranging from human intelligence to covert action abroad. That includes counterintelligence and the conduct and coordination of foreign intelligence relationships. CIA has over decades earned its central place in the Community. The Agency’s raw information and its finished analysis, its technology and its global support—its thinking and its actions—contribute decisively to the security of our nation. The depth and variety of talent, and the way in which one specialty reinforces another in a setting free of departmental influence, make the Agency a unique asset for the United States.

Intelligence is, at its core, a practical calling. Issues such as operational coordination and the management of foreign liaison relationships can indeed be complex. But in our profession, the guiding standard is one of common sense. The best solutions are those that get the job done most effectively. That, by definition, means a strong voice for those on the front lines, those who do the day-to-day substantive work of intelligence. CIA has unique capabilities and an unsurpassed commitment to make our Intelligence Community as successful as it can be.

We have been deeply involved from the start in the redraft of the Order. We will play an equally active role in its implementation. In the meantime, all Agency employees, especially those in the field, should continue to act in accord with current directives, MOUs, MOAs, and so on. We will let you know if and when any adjustments might be needed.

Most important of all, keep in mind that Executive Order 12333 gives us a framework under which we will remain focused on what matters most—our essential work.

Mike Hayden

Statement by CIA Director Mike Hayden on the 10^th Anniversary of the U.S. Embassy Bombings in Africa

August 5, 2008

Ten years ago Thursday, America woke to news that terrorists had attacked our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. More than 200 people were killed, including 12 Americans, and thousands were injured in the nearly simultaneous bombings.

Since well before the Africa embassy bombings, CIA has been in the vanguard against global terrorism. From South Asia and the Middle East, to Africa, Europe, and the Americas, this Agency works tirelessly to defeat al-Qa’ida, its affiliates, and all who seek to spread ideologies of violence, hate, and ignorance. I can think of no better way to honor the memory of those killed in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. Their dedication to building a safer, better world remains an inspiration to all who carry the mission forward.

The CIA is its own community, in part because of the work we do and the nature of our mission. Step onto the campus at the George Bush Center for Intelligence and you can feel the energy and intensity of our work, see the collaboration and coordination, and meet the talented people whose passion is focused on our mission to gather and supply intelligence.

We promote an environment where employees are valued for their individual contributions toward our mission. Careers take shape through our employees’ personal goals, interests, and strengths. Many of our employees see the CIA as a place where new opportunities are always available for challenging, rewarding work.

This community is also a family, employing people from nearly all fields of study and from almost any background imaginable. These employees are united in their work and their service to the country.

Core values propel our people forward in their work. These same values have been embraced since CIA’s founding in 1947. Yet they continue to serve us well and define who we are and how we work for the nation:

Integrity

We are each responsible for maintaining the highest ethical standards in our work and life. We believe in honoring our promises and treating everyone with respect. 

Teamwork

We recognize our strength lies in our people. We are each gifted, but together, the sum is greater than the whole.

Total Participation

We depend on the commitment and effort of every individual on our team. We expect everyone will do their best work every day.

Innovation

Empowered by the need to get the job done, we value innovation, even risk taking.

Adaptation

Our mission hasn't changed, yet the world we live in continues to change. Success depends on the adjustments we make to meet our current needs.

Accountability

We must take responsibility for our actions and decisions. This is part of integrity as a group and as individuals.

Continuous Improvement

Our mission demands that we always strive for more in everything that we do.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about the life at the CIA or the opportunities currently available, visit CIA Careers.

It was Wednesday, July 17, 1996, 8:31:51 p.m.

Capt. David McClaine of Eastwind Airlines, piloting a Boeing 737 commuter flight near the coast of Long Island, had just become the first recorded eyewitness to one of the deadliest and most mysterious commercial air crashes in U.S. aviation history. It would be almost one minute before the Boston air traffic controller with whom McClaine was speaking would realize the importance of what he had reported.

8:31:57: “Stinger Bee five oh seven, I'm sorry. I missed it. Ah, you’re on eighteen. Did you say something else?”

8:32:01: “We just saw an explosion up ahead of us here something [like] about sixteen thousand feet [altitude] or something like that. It just went down—to the water.”

The crash of TWA Flight 800 touched off the most extensive, complex, and costly air disaster investigation in US history. Had the crash been the result of state-sponsored terrorism, it would have been considered an act of war.

Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) almost immediately focused on three possible causes:

• a bomb
• a missile, or
• a mechanical failure.

The missile theory seemed particularly plausible because of reports from dozens of eyewitnesses in the Long Island area who, on the evening of July 17, recalled seeing something resembling a flare or firework ascend and culminate in an explosion.

Because of the possibility that international terrorists may have been involved, the FBI requested assistance from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The CIA responded to the FBI’s request within 24 hours of the crash. This support consisted primarily of help from the Counterterrorist Center in the Directorate of Operations and from a small group of analysts in the Office of Weapons, Technology and Proliferation in the Directorate of Intelligence.

The sources of information CIA analysts used to fully review the events of the crash included:

• FBI summaries of statements from 244 eyewitnesses
• DeLorme Version 4.0 Street Atlas USA commercial mapping software
• Two sets of radar tracking data
• Meteorological data
• Infrared data from a U.S. military satellite
• The precise times at which the cockpit voiced recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) ceased operating
• The aircraft’s location, altitude, speed, and heading at the moment the CVR and FDR ceased operating
• The NTSB observation that an abrupt sound was recorded just before the CVR stopped operating
• The NTSB observation that no other unusual activity was recorded on either the CVR or FDR.

After eight months of work, the analysts concluded with confidence and full substantiation that the eyewitnesses had not seen a missile. To reach this conclusion, the analysts scrutinized the eyewitness reports in painstaking detail, a process that took over a year and entailed more than 2,000 man-hours of work.

On March 28, 1997, CIA’s Deputy Director for Intelligence sent a memorandum to FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom summarizing the results:

Our analysis demonstrates that the eyewitness sightings of greatest concern to us – the ones originally interpreted to be of a possible missile attack – took place after the first of several explosions aboard the aircraft … combined with the total absence of physical evidence of a missile attack, [this] leads CIA analysts to conclude that no such attack occurred.

The work of CIA analysts helped many better understand the eyewitnesses’ observations and also helped unravel the Flight 800 mystery.

For the entire story on the crash of TWA Flight 800, visit the recently released article.

On the night of August 20-21, 1968, Czechoslovakia was invaded from the north, east and south by 20 Soviet and Warsaw Pact divisions totaling some 250,000 men.¹ At the same time, the positions vacated by these units were backfilled by 10 Soviet divisions coming from positions in Hungary, Poland and East Germany. Once strategic points in Czechoslovakia were occupied, most of these forces redeployed into western Czechoslovakia, where they took up positions opposite West Germany and neutral Austria.

With this military operation, Moscow put an end to the “Prague Spring,” the brief flowering of political and economic democracy that began the previous January with the appointment of Alexander Dubcek to the post of First Secretary of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party. Initially backed by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, Dubcek had replaced the Stalinist Antonin Novotny in December 1967.

Dubcek moved quickly to supplant the existing repressive regime with a much more pluralist one — “Communism with a Human Face.” Aware of the suspicion this was likely to evoke from Moscow and the rest of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe, Dubcek was careful to maintain Czechoslovakia’s position as a loyal ally of the Soviet Union and member of the Warsaw Pact, insisting only on Prague’s right to internal self-determination.

The Intelligence Community Watches

In Washington, the Intelligence Community watched these developments with a mixture of astonishment and growing unease. Previous liberalization efforts in Poland, East Germany and Hungary had been brutally repressed. But those had been rebellions against the Warsaw Pact and Soviet dominion in Eastern Europe, which the Czech leadership was taking great pains to avoid. Moreover, it had been apparent even to the Kremlin that Czechoslovakia was in need of some kind of economic reform. Czechoslovakia, which was once a small industrial powerhouse, was now, after 20 years of communist rule, a basket case.

The Prague Spring thus could be viewed as actually strengthening the communist regime and, by extension, the alliance itself.

The CIA was cautiously optimistic. “If the new leadership in Prague proceeds carefully and step-by-step, good progress can be made ... [I]n view of its political, economic and military importance to the USSR and the Soviet bloc, [Czechoslovakia] cannot start an anti-socialist or anti-Soviet policy. The USSR would not allow this ... [but] there [is] no anti-socialist or anti-Soviet movement involved in the new political evolution of [Czechoslovakia] … only a strong movement for democratization and liberalization of the system.” Consequently, Moscow “…did not consider Dubcek as someone willing to start an anti-Soviet line.”²

Over the spring and summer of 1968, however, Soviet patience with Prague wore thin and tensions rose. Even if Moscow was willing to tolerate a more liberal regime in Prague, Eastern European communist governments — many as Stalinist as Czechoslovakia’s had been — could not accept such a deviation from communist orthodoxy.

Optimism Fades

Preparations for military action quietly went ahead: a series of Warsaw Pact military exercises over June and July brought Soviet, East German, Polish and Hungarian troops into Czechoslovakia. They were in a position for a rapid takeover. They eventually departed Czech soil, but hovered just outside the borders of the country.

CIA’s optimism faded: Although Dubcek was reported to be in “an uneasy truce” with Moscow, time clearly was running out.³ Dubcek now was reported to be playing for time, hoping that he could implement enough reforms quickly to present the Kremlin leadership with a fait accompli.

Nevertheless, “At some stage in the game,” the Agency reported, “the Soviets will … become aware that their earlier hopes for a return to anything like the status quo ante in Czechoslovakia were without foundation. It is the Czech hope that this realization will have come too late and the Soviets’ reactions will be minimal.”⁴

It was now clear to CIA analysts that the Soviet POLITBURO viewed developments in Czechoslovakia with growing dissatisfaction.⁵ The only thing preventing the Soviet Union from intervening militarily was concern over the impact of yet another violent repression of an Eastern European bid for autonomy.⁶

On July 17, the Office of National Estimates warned the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI): “We know of no way of foretelling the precise event in Czechoslovakia which might trigger … extreme Soviet reaction, or of foreseeing the precise circumstances which might produce within the Soviet leadership an agreement to move with force.”⁷

Two Warsaw Pact summits at Bratislava and Cierna nad Tisou seemed to dampen tensions, but Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces remained encamped just outside the Czech border.

Soviet Invasion Renews the Cold War Chill

When, just over one month later, these forces invaded Czechoslovakia, events moved with dramatic swiftness. Within 12 hours, the brief flowering of Czechoslovakian independence was over.

The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia brought a renewed chill to the Cold War. Soviet control over Eastern Europe was reinforced. Détente was deferred and nascent arms control negotiations were cancelled.

Most affected were the people of Czechoslovakia, who saw an end to their hopes for a more open society.

There was no summer that year. The Prague Spring was followed by a Stalinist winter that lasted another 23 years.

Read more

The CIA has released numerous documents on the Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The following is but a small sampling of what is available online at CIA’s FOIA Reading Room, http://www.foia.cia.gov/.

• CIA Intelligence Information Cable, Political Events and Personnel Changes in Czechoslovakia, 27 March 1968; Doc No. 242352.
• CIA Intelligence Memorandum, The Soviet Decision to Invade in Czechoslovakia, 21 August 1968; Doc. No. 326291.
• ONE Memorandum for the Director, Subject: The Czechoslovak Crisis, 17 July 1968; Doc No. 242346.
• ONE Special Memorandum 12-68, Subject: Czechoslovakia: the Dubcek Pause, 13 June 1968; Doc. No. 95035.

The following three documents present an interesting perspective drawn up for the White House one month after the invasion.

• Letter, DCI Richard Helms to Walt W. Rostow, 20 September 1968; Doc. No. 126871.
• CIA Intelligence Memorandum, Military Costs of the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia, 19 September 1968; Doc No. 126872.
• CIA Intelligence Memorandum, Costs to Czechoslovakia, and to the Warsaw Pact Powers, of Actions Taken Against the Czechoslovak Economy, 19 September 1968; Doc No. 126873.

By far the largest depository of declassified CIA documents is CREST (CIA Records Search Tool), a database residing in the library of the College Park, Maryland facility of the US National Archives (Archives II). CREST is searchable by title, data and text content. The hundreds of thousands of pages stored in CREST include

• finished intelligence analysis;
• Directorate of Operations reports on the role of intelligence in the post World War II period;
• material on the creation, organization and role of CIA within the US Government;
• a collection of foreign scientific articles, ground photographs and associated reference materials; and
• the CIA’s first release of motion picture film.

CREST is not accessible online, but is well worth a visit. The following documents were found in CREST:

• Memorandum for Deputy Director of Intelligence, SUBJECT: Indications of Soviet Intent to Invade Czechoslovakia, 22 August 1968; CIA-RDP79B00972A00010024004-1.
• Memorandum to Mr. Smith, Subject: DDCI Memo on Handling of Indications Traffic, 23 August [19]68; CIA-RDP79B00972A000100240003-2.

Top of Page

¹ CIA Intelligence Memorandum, Military Intervention in Czechoslovakia, 20 August 1968; Doc No. 1132788

² CIA Intelligence Information Cable, Political Events and Personnel Changes in Czechoslovakia, 27 March 1968; Doc No. 242352, pp. 7-8.

³ ONE Special Memorandum 12-68, Subject: Czechoslovakia: the Dubcek Pause, 13 June 1968, p. 1; Doc. No. 95035.

⁴ Ibid., pp. 16-18.

⁵ Ibid., p. 4.

⁶ Ibid., p. 9.

⁷ ONE Memorandum for the Director, Subject: The Czechoslovak Crisis, 17 July 1968, p. 7; Doc No. 242346.

The DI’s flagship product is its daily publication, the World Intelligence Review (WIRe). The DI also contributes to the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), an Intelligence Community daily product, coordinated by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) staff. Because information in these two publications is extremely sensitive, they are highly classified and are provided only to a restricted readership. Both the WIRe and the PDB offer analysis that helps policy and security officials work through the core issues in the broader US policy agenda.

• The WIRe is an electronic publication aimed at senior policy and security officials throughout the US Government and is produced exclusively by the DI. Many items from the WIRe are available to major US military commands.
• The PDB compiles the Intelligence Community’s highest level intelligence analysis targeted at the key national security issues and concerns of the President. The PDB is given only to the President, the Vice President, and a very select group of Cabinet-level officials designated by the President.

In addition to preparing articles for the WIRe and the PDB, DI analysts frequently draft memos to respond to the specific questions of individual policymakers or to support upcoming meetings on key policy issues. Analysts also research their areas of specialty to anticipate future challenges, problems, and opportunities for US security interests, sharing their findings through classified publications and oral briefings.

The DI publishes unclassified reference aids that are available to the public. The annual World Factbook is a comprehensive compendium of profiles on more than 260 countries and other entities. Information on geographic, political, demographic, economic, and military issues is included. Chiefs of State and Cabinet Ministers of Foreign Governments is a directory of foreign government officials.

What’s the first image that pops into your head when you think about the CIA? Do you envision cutting-edge, Hollywood-esque gadgetry? Do you see men and women, cloaked in black, sneaking into buildings and using their superhuman strength and swiftness to take down the enemy? Do scenes from your favorite movies flash before your eyes? If you said yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone.

But, what’s real? And what’s not? What’s fact? What’s fiction? There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the Agency. We’re going to take a look at – and debunk – some of these myths.

When we ran our original “Dubunking Some Myths,” article, we looked at some glamorous and outrageous assumptions people have about the Agency:

• If you work for the CIA, you get to drive a fancy sports car with machine guns in the tailpipes.
• To get a job at the Agency, you have to be superhuman.
• Our employees get to attend parties with billionaires and show off their tango skills.

Although we wish some of these were true (sports car, please!), these myths are just that … myths. (Read more to learn the truth behind these myths.)

But what about the myths that are a little harder to figure out? Do you have to speak a foreign language to work at the CIA? Do you have any chance of getting through the background check? And, what about your family … if you work for the CIA, will they ever know where you are?

Myth: Interested in a job with the Agency? Forget about it. Hardly anyone ever makes it through the background check.

Because of our national security role, CIA applicants must meet specific qualifications — but, don’t worry. Getting caught smoking in high school isn’t enough to disqualify you. Your intellect, skills, experience and desire to serve the nation are most important to us.

Myth: If you don’t speak a foreign language, you don’t have a chance at getting a job.

We’ve all seen the movies where CIA officers speak fluent Farsi or Mandarin (and several other languages, too!) to do their jobs. Speaking a foreign language is definitely a plus, but it’s not a requirement to work for the CIA. And, if you ever have to learn a foreign language for your job, we’ll teach it to you.

Myth: Your family will never know where you are.

Whether you’re living in the US near our headquarters, or on assignment in another country, your family will know where you are. If you’re on a highly classified assignment, of course, you’ll have to contact them through a US Government intermediary.

Myth: You’ll get to use lots of secret gadgets.

Spy movies like to show off all kinds of high-tech gear, but real CIA officers don’t necessarily use them. An analyst wouldn’t need a sneaky device to write a report. But our scientists and engineers do work on technology so advanced, it’s classified.

Myth: You can only get a job here if you come from a family that’s lived in America for generations.

Yes, it’s true that US citizenship is required for employment. But, we are fully committed to building a diverse workforce. We believe that Americans who have lived in or visited foreign cultures have an invaluable understanding of the world from outside our nation.

Are you an experienced machinist with the ability to fabricate high-quality practical solutions, mentor others, and troubleshoot complex problems? The CIA is looking for enthusiastic officers who can work effectively as part of a technical team to design and fabricate devices needed to address challenges driven by operational needs. As part of the Technical Operations Officer cadre, applicant will work in direct support of CIA operations against issues of critical importance to US policymakers. The metal specialist will be responsible for fabricating, and assembling all forms of complex mechanical devices, working from initial prototype to final deployable product.  Applicant must also modify and customize commercial products in support of specific technical requirements. Applicant will be required to maintain accurate design and fabrication records and will prepare final documentation such as operating instructions for the end user. This position provides the individual with an excellent opportunity to develop their design skills and further advance their mechanical hands skills while being directly involved with current, high priority field operations.

As a metal specialist, applicant will be approached for modifications to, and fabrication of, finished products using manual machines as well as CNC driven equipment. CNC programming and set-up experience is required. Familiarization with CAD design software is desired. A background in welding and/or sheet metal fabrication is also a desired qualification. Applicant will be required to perform domestic and foreign travel to include temporary assignments as well as permanent relocation for a period of 2-3 years.

Minimum qualifications include:

• Graduate of a machining program offered by an established vocational institute or equivalent 3-4 years experience as a machinist (prototype, tool and die, and or model maker
• CNC programming and set-up experience
• Must have working knowledge of metals and their characteristics
• Must enjoy hands-on work
• Ability to think analytically and logically in troubleshooting technical problems
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Ability to effectively interact with customers
• Effective written and oral communication skills are a necessity

• CAM software experience
• Experience with sheet metal fabrication
• Experience with welding processes
• CAD design experience (SolidWorks, etc.)
• Computer user skills

All applicants must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview and an extensive background investigation. US citizenship is required.

To be considered suitable for Agency employment, applicants must generally not have used illegal drugs within the last twelve months. The issue of illegal drug use prior to twelve months ago is carefully evaluated during the medical and security processing.

Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.

To Apply:

An equal opportunity employer and a drug-free work force.