List of CIA station chiefs

The station chief, also called chief of station (COS), is the top U.S. Central Intelligence Agency official stationed in a foreign country, equivalent to a KGB Resident. Often the COS has an office in the American Embassy. The station chief is the senior U.S. intelligence representative with his or her respective foreign government.[1]

Those who have been known to be station chiefs include, in alphabetical order:

Name Location Years Notes
Frank Anderson Beirut[2] until 1994[3] Chief of Near East and South Asia Division[4]
Edgar Applewhite Beirut c. 1959[5]
Francis Archibald Islamabad c. 2007
Daniel C. Arnold Vientiane beginning in May 1973;[6] Taipei, assumed in 1968;[7]: 117  Bangkok, left June 30, 1979[8][9]
Jonathan Bank Islamabad c. 2010[10]
Milton Bearden Pakistan; Nigeria; Sudan; Germany c. 1986–1995[11]
John D. Bennett Islamabad 2008–2009[12][13][14] N'Djamena; Nairobi c. 2002
Cofer Black Cape Town c. 1985; Khartoum Sudan 1993–1995
Douglas Blaufarb Vientiane, Laos 1964–1966[15][16]
David Blee Pretoria; Islamabad; New Delhi 1965[17]
Janine Brookner Kingston, Jamaica 1989–1991[18]
William Buckley Beirut 1983–1985
Jim Campbell Venezuela c. 1989[19]
Jeffrey Castelli Rome 2003 Indicted for involvement in the Imam rapito affair
Ray S. Cline Taipei 1958–1962;[20][7]: 90, 105  Bonn 1966–1969[21]
Charles Cogan Paris 1984–1989
William Colby Rome 1953–1958 Saigon 1960–1962; Head of the Far Eastern Division 1963–1967; DCI 1973–1976[22][23]
Michael D’Andrea Cairo[24][25] c. 2002-2004 Chief of Counter Terrorist Center 2006-2015
Peer de Silva Vienna 1956–1959 Seoul 1959–1962; Hong Kong 1962–1963; Saigon 1963–1965; Bangkok 1966–1968; Canberra 1971–1972[26][27]
Jack Devine London 1995-1998[28] Rome c. 1980s,[29] Chief of Latin America Division 1992-1994
Larry Devlin Congo 1960-61 Vientiane, Laos[30][31]
Jack G. Downing Moscow 1986-1989 Beijing c. 1991
William Duggan Taipei 1954-1958 under the title of: Chief of U.S. Naval Auxiliary Communications Center (NACC)[7]: 86, 90 
Wm. H. Dunbar Bangui (Central African Republic) 1968–1969[32]
Ron Estes Prague 1965-1967[33] Madrid 1979
Desmond Fitzgerald Manila 1955–1956[34]
Harold P. Ford Taipei 1965-1968[7]: 111  NACC Taipei reorganized as U.S. Army Technical Group[7]: 111, 117 
David Forden Athens 1984-1986
Barry Kelly Moscow ca 1977? Subsequently moved to the Directorate of Science and Technology as head of the Office of SIGINT Operations. Negotiated a merger of NSA and CIA covert signals intelligence operations into the Special Collection Service.
Graham Fuller Kabul c. 1980-1981
Robert Fulton Moscow 1975–1977[35]
Clair George Athens c. 1976-1979
Burton Gerber Moscow 1980–1982[36]
Robert L. Grenier Algiers c. 1990; Islamabad 1999–2001[12]
Jerry "Jay" Gruner Paris 1989–1993
Howard Hart Islamabad 1981–1984 Tehran 1978; Germany
John L. Hart Saigon c. 1965,[37] c. 1966[38]
Gina Haspel Azerbaijan c. 1996–1998 London c. 2008–2011, 2014–2017
Gardner Hathaway Moscow 1977–1980[39]
Paul B. Henze Ankara; Addis Ababa[40] 1960s or 1970s
Dick Holm Paris 1992-1995 Brussels 1985-1988
Stephen Holmes (aka Steven Hall) Moscow 2013 Revealed by FSB in retaliation for Ryan Fogle's activities[41][42][43]
Robert Jantzen Bangkok c. 1959–1966[44][45]
Gordon L. Jorgensen Laos c. 1960 Saigon 1966–c. 1968[46]
George Kalaris Brazil c. 1972
Stephen Kappes Moscow 1996–1999 New Delhi; Frankfurt[47]
Robert Kandra Baghdad[48] c. 2006
Mark Kelton Islamabad 2010–2011[10]
Paul Kolbe Moscow[49] c. 2004-2006 Chief of Central Eurasian Division 2007–2009;
Andrew Kim Seoul[50]
John Lapham Saigon c. 1966[51]
Rolf Mowatt-Larssen Moscow c.1994, 2000[52]
James Lawler Zurich c. 1991-1994[53]
Jennifer Matthews Khost 2009 Killed in the Camp Chapman attack[12] (Chief of Base, not COS)
Stuart Methven Kinsasha 1975[54]
Hendrik Van Der Meulen Amman c. 2002[55]
Cord Meyer London 1973–1976[56]
William Lyle Moseby C.A.R. (Bangui)[57] c. 1980
David Murphy Berlin 1959 Paris 1967[58]
Bill Murray Paris 2001–2004[59]
Herbert W. Natzke Philippines c. 1979[31]
William Nelson Taipei 1962-1965 [7]: 105, 108 
William Ross Newland III Buenos Aires c. 2000-2001[60]
Duyane Norman Brazil 2017[61][62][63]
Birch O'Neill Guatemala 1953
Craig P. Osth Rio de Janeiro c. 1999 Islamabad c. 2013
Eloise Page Athens[64] 1970s [65] First female station chief
Richard L. Palmer[66] Moscow 1992–1994[67]
James Pavitt Luxembourg 1983–1986
David Atlee Phillips Santo Domingo 1965–1967 Brasília 1970–1972[68]
Henry Pleasants Bern 1950–1956;[69] Bonn, Germany, 1956–1964[70]
Thomas Polgar Frankfurt 1949 Saigon, 1972–1975[69][71]
Phillip F. Reilly Kabul c. 2003 Manila c. 2008
Robert Richer Amman c. 2000 2002-2004 Chief of the Near East/South Asia Division[72]
Jose Rodriguez Panama, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic[73]
John R. Sano Seoul[74] Chief of East Asia Division 2004–2005;
Winston M. Scott London 1947–1950 Mexico City 1956–1969
Charles Seidel Cairo[75] c. 2000–2002 Baghdad 2002–2003; Amman 2003–2005
Gerry Meyer Baghdad, around August 2003 to January 2004[76]
Theodore Shackley Laos 1966–1968 Saigon 1968–1972[77]
John Sipher Jakarta c. 2010
Stephen Slick Budapest c. 1998–2000
Michael Sulick Moscow 1994-1996 Chief of Central Eurasian Division 1999–2002; Deputy Director of CIA for Operations 2007-2010
John Stockwell Katanga 1968 Burundi 1970
Carleton Swift Baghdad 1956–1957[78]
Hugh Tovar Malaysia and Indonesia 1960s Laos and Thailand 1970s;[79] Vientiane, Laos beginning in May 1973 [6]
Greg Vogle Kabul 2004–2006, 2009–2010[80]
Terry Ward Honduras c. 1987-1989[81]
Andrew Warren Algeria 2007–2008;[82] convicted of rape while in station[83]
Richard Welch Lima 1972 Athens 1975;[84][85] assassinated by Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N)
Terrence L. Williams Taipei c. 2003[86] under the title of Research and Planning Section Chief, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)[86]
Joseph Wippl Berlin c. 2001-2003[87]
Frank Wisner London c. 1959 formerly DDP 1952–1959[88]
Alan D. Wolfe Lahore c. 1969 Kabul; Islamabad formerly chief of Near East and South Asia Division; Rome c. 1980s[29]

Bibliography edit

  • Edward J. Epstein, Deception. the invisible war between the KGB and the CIA (New York: Simon and Schuster 1989).
  • David Hoffman, Billion Dollar Spy. A true story of Cold War espionage and betrayal (New York: Doubleday 2015).
  • Ralph McGehee, Deadly Deceits. My 25 years in the CIA (New York: Sheridan Square 1983).
  • John Prados, William Colby and the CIA. The secret wars of a controversial spymaster (University of Kansas 2003, 2009).
  • W. Thomas Smith, Jr., Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency (New York: Facts on File 2003).
  • Evan Thomas, The Very Best Men. The daring early years of the CIA (New York: Simon and Schuster 1995, 2006).

References edit

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