 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Richard Helms | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait c. 1966–72 | |
| United States Ambassador to Iran | |
| In office April 5, 1973 – December 27, 1976 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Joseph S. Farland |
| Succeeded by | William H. Sullivan |
| 8th Director of Central Intelligence | |
| In office June 30, 1966 – February 2, 1973 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Deputy | Rufus Taylor Robert E. Cushman Jr. Vernon A. Walters |
| Preceded by | William Raborn |
| Succeeded by | James R. Schlesinger |
| 7th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence | |
| In office April 28, 1965 – June 30, 1966 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Marshall Carter |
| Succeeded by | Rufus Taylor |
| Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for Plans | |
| In office February 17, 1962 – April 28, 1965 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Richard M. Bissell Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Desmond Fitzgerald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard McGarrah Helms March 30, 1913 St. Davids, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 23, 2002 (aged 89) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Relations | Gates W. McGarrah (grandfather) |
| Education | Williams College (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 – October 23, 2002) was an American government official and diplomat who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1966 to 1973. Helms began intelligence work with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Following the 1947 creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), he rose in its ranks during the presidencies of Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. Helms then was DCI under Presidents Johnson and Nixon,[1] yielding to James R. Schlesinger in early 1973.
While working as the DCI, Helms managed the agency following the lead of his predecessor John McCone. In 1977, as a result of earlier covert operations in Chile, Helms became the only DCI convicted of misleading Congress. Helms's last post in government service was Ambassador to Iran from April 1973 to December 1976. Besides this Helms was a key witness before the Senate during its investigation of the CIA by the Church Committee in the mid-1970s, 1975 being called the "Year of Intelligence".[2][full citation needed] This investigation was hampered severely by Helms having ordered the destruction of all files related to the CIA's mind control program in 1973.[3]
- ^ "Richard Helms: The Intelligence Professional Personified". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007.
- ^ See relevant text below for the references.
- ^ "An Interview with Richard Helms". Central Intelligence Agency. 2007-05-08. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved 2008-03-16.