Theodore Shackley

Theodore George Shackley, Jr.
Birth nameTheodore George Shackley, Jr.
Born(1927-07-16)July 16, 1927
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
DiedDecember 9, 2002(2002-12-09) (aged 75)
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Central Intelligence Agency
Years of service1945–1953 (Army)
1953–1979 (CIA)
Rank Second Lieutenant (Army)
Paramilitary Operations Officer (CIA)
UnitU.S. Army

Central Intelligence Agency

Battles / warsVietnam War
Alma materUniversity of Maryland

Theodore George "Ted" Shackley, Jr. (July 16, 1927 – December 9, 2002) was an American CIA officer involved in many important and controversial CIA operations during the 1960s and 1970s. He is one of the most decorated CIA officers. Due to his "light hair and mysterious ways", Shackley was known to his colleagues as "the Blond Ghost".[1]

In the early 1960s, Shackley's work included being station chief in Miami, during the period of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as the Cuban Project (also known as Operation Mongoose), which he directed. He was also said to be the director of the "Phoenix Program" during the Vietnam War, as well as the CIA station chief in Laos between 1966 and 1968, and Saigon station chief from 1968 through February 1972. In 1976, he was appointed Associate Deputy Director for Operations, second in charge of CIA covert operations.[2]

  1. ^ Stout, David (December 14, 2002). "Theodore Shackley, Enigmatic C.I.A. Official, Dies at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference miami was invoked but never defined (see the help page).