Richard Helms

Richard Helms
Official portrait c. 1966–72
United States Ambassador to Iran
In office
April 5, 1973 – December 27, 1976
PresidentRichard Nixon
Gerald Ford
Preceded byJoseph S. Farland
Succeeded byWilliam H. Sullivan
8th Director of Central Intelligence
In office
June 30, 1966 – February 2, 1973
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
DeputyRufus Taylor
Robert E. Cushman Jr.
Vernon A. Walters
Preceded byWilliam Raborn
Succeeded byJames R. Schlesinger
7th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
In office
April 28, 1965 – June 30, 1966
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byMarshall Carter
Succeeded byRufus Taylor
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for Plans
In office
February 17, 1962 – April 28, 1965
PresidentJohn F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byRichard M. Bissell Jr.
Succeeded byDesmond Fitzgerald
Personal details
Born
Richard McGarrah Helms

(1913-03-30)March 30, 1913
St. Davids, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 23, 2002(2002-10-23) (aged 89)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
RelationsGates W. McGarrah (grandfather)
EducationWilliams College (BA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1942–1946
Battles/warsWorld 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]

  1. ^ "Richard Helms: The Intelligence Professional Personified". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007.
  2. ^ See relevant text below for the references.
  3. ^ "An Interview with Richard Helms". Central Intelligence Agency. 2007-05-08. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved 2008-03-16.