See: Directors and Deputy Directors of Central Intelligence
William Joesph Donovan, 13 June 1942–1 October 1945. Appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as Director of Strategic Services (OSS, CIA precursor). Major General, U.S. Army. Awarded Medal of Honor in 1923 for bravery in 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
Sidney William Souers, Jan. 23-June 10, 1946. Appointed by Truman. Rear admiral, U.S. Naval Reserve; deputy chief of naval intelligence; executive secretary, National Security Council.
Hoyt Sandberg Vandenberg, June 10, 1946-May 1, 1947. Appointed by Truman. General, U.S. Army Air Corps; vice chief of staff, Air Force; chief of staff, Air Force.
Roscoe Henry Hillenkoetter, May 1, 1947-Oct. 7, 1950. Appointed by Truman. Vice admiral, U.S. Navy; intelligence officer, staff of Pacific commander, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz; inspector general of the Navy.
Walter Bedell Smith, Oct. 7, 1950-Feb. 9, 1953. Appointed by Truman. General, U.S. Army; chief of staff for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower; ambassador to the Soviet Union; commander, First Army; undersecretary of state.
Allen Welsh Dulles, Feb. 26, 1953-Nov. 29, 1961. Appointed by Eisenhower. U.S. Diplomatic Service, 1916-26; Office of Strategic Services; deputy director for plans, CIA; deputy director, CIA.
John Alex McCone, Nov. 29, 1961-April 28, 1965. Appointed by Kennedy. Deputy defense secretary; undersecretary of the Air Force; chairman, Atomic Energy Commission.
William Francis Raborn Jr., April 28, 1965-June 30, 1966. Appointed by Johnson. Vice admiral; director, U.S. Navy Special Projects Office; deputy chief of Naval Operations.
Richard McGarrah Helms, June 30, 1966-Feb. 2, 1973. Appointed by Johnson. Officer U.S. Naval Reserve; served with Office of Strategic Services; CIA officer; deputy director for plans, CIA.
James Rodney Schlesinger, Feb. 3, 1973-July 2, 1973. Appointed by Nixon. Economics professor, University of Virginia; RAND Corp.; assistant director, Office of Management and Budget; chairman, Atomic Energy Commission; defense secretary; energy secretary.
William Egan Colby, Sept. 4, 1973-Jan. 30, 1976. Appointed by Nixon. Officer, U.S. Army; served with Office of Strategic Services; CIA officer; deputy director for operations, CIA.
George Herbert Walker Bush, Jan. 30, 1976-Jan. 20, 1977. Appointed by Ford. Navy pilot; Texas congressman; U.N. ambassador; chairman, Republican National Committee; ambassador to China; vice president; president.
Stansfield Turner, March 9, 1977-Jan. 20, 1981. Appointed by Carter. Admiral, U.S. Navy; director, systems analysis division, Office of Chief of Naval Operations; president, U.S. Naval War College; commander, U.S. Second Fleet; commander in chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe, NATO.
William Joseph Casey, Jan. 28, 1981-Jan. 29, 1987. Appointed by Reagan. Officer, U.S. Naval Reserve; chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission; undersecretary of state for economic affairs; president and chairman, U.S. Export-Import Bank; member, President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board; manager, Reagan presidential campaign.
William Hedgcock Webster, May 26, 1987-Aug. 31, 1991. Appointed by Reagan. Lieutenant, U.S. Navy; U.S. attorney; U.S. district judge; U.S. Court of Appeals judge; director, FBI.
Robert Michael Gates, Nov. 6, 1991-Jan. 20, 1993. Appointed by George H.W. Bush. Intelligence analyst, CIA; National Security Council staff; deputy director of CIA; chairman, National Intelligence Council; deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs; assistant to the president and deputy for national security affairs.
R. James Woolsey, Feb. 5, 1993-Jan. 10, 1995. Appointed by Clinton. Captain, U.S. Army; program analyst, Defense Department; National Security Council staff; general counsel, Senate; undersecretary of the Navy; ambassador and U.S. representative, negotiations on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.
John Mark Deutch, May 10, 1995-Dec. 15, 1996. Appointed by Clinton. Systems analyst, Defense Department; undersecretary of energy; undersecretary of defense; deputy defense secretary.
George John Tenet, July 11, 1997-July 11, 2004. Appointed by Clinton. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence staff member; special assistant to the president and senior director for intelligence programs, National Security Council; deputy director of CIA.
Porter Johnston Goss, Sept. 24, 2004-present. Appointed by George W. Bush. U.S. Army intelligence officer; clandestine service officer with the CIA; Florida congressman.
I make that military 14, civilian 6. Of the miltary DCIs, 9 were appointed by Democrats and 3 by Republicans.
What would Congressman Hoekstra have said to Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson or Carter about the “timing” of a miltary person being in charge of the CIA in wartime?
Why did Goss not stick?Why did Tenet, who was at the helm in what was arguably the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history, get a medal? Who was the guy they drowned down at Solomon’s Island? Was that Helms? Whom did he piss off?A venerable group all.