William Egan Colby (January 4, 1920 – April 27, 1996) spent a career in intelligence for the United States, culminating in holding the post of Director of Central Intelligence from September, 1973, to January, 1976. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Intelligence (also called intellect) is an Umbrella term used to describe a property of the Mind that encompasses many related abilities such as the capacities The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence (DCI was established by U Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

During World War II Colby served with the Office of Strategic Services. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Office of Strategic Services ( OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. After the war he joined the newly created CIA. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Before and during the Vietnam War, Colby served as Chief of Station in Saigon, Chief of CIA's Far East Division, and head of the Civil Operations and Rural Development effort; he was responsible for the Phoenix Program. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Phoenix Program ( Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Phượng Hoàng, a word related to Fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix) was a military After Vietnam, Colby became Director of Central Intelligence and during his tenure revealed a large amount of information about U. S. intelligence activities to the Church Committee. The Church Committee is the common term referring to the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, a Colby served as DCI under President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford and was replaced by future President George H.W. Bush on January 30, 1976. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Central Intelligence Agency Director William Colby discusses the situation in Vietnam with Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller and Deputy Assistant For National Security Affairs Brent Scowcroft during a break in a meeting of the National Security Council. , 04/24/1975

Early life and family

William Egan Colby was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1920. Saint Paul ( abbreviated St Paul) is the capital and second most populous city in the U His father, Elbridge Colby, was a professor of English and an Army officer who served in the Army and in university positions in Tientsin, China; Georgia; Vermont; and Washington, DC. ( Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is the second largest city in northern coastal China. His grandfather, Charles Colby, had been a professor of chemistry at Columbia University but had died prematurely. William Colby attended public high school in Burlington, Vermont and then Princeton University, graduating in 1940 and entering Columbia Law School the following year. Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. Columbia Law School, located in New York City, is one of the professional schools of Columbia University, a member of the Ivy League.

Colby's first job out of law school was as an associate attorney for the New York City firm of Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine, headed by William J. Donovan, the OSS director during World War II. Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine was a white-shoe New York law firm "Wild Bill Donovan" redirects here For the Baseball Pitcher and manager see William Edward Donovan. After about two years, Colby desired experience in government litigation, and accepted an associate position with the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D. The National Labor Relations Board (or NLRB) is an Independent agency of the United States Government charged with conducting C. ^[1]

Colby was for most of his life a staunch Roman Catholic. ^[2] He was often referred to as "the warrior-priest. " He married Barbara Heinzen in 1945 and they had five children. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar In 1984 he divorced her and married Democratic diplomat Sally A. Shelton.

Career

Office of Strategic Services

Colby volunteered for the Army and served with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II, parachuting behind enemy lines twice and earning the Silver Star as well as commendations from Norway, France, and Great Britain. The Office of Strategic Services ( OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. In his first mission he deployed to France as a Jedburgh commanding Team BRUCE, in mid-August 1944, and operated with the Maquis until he joined up with Allied forces later that fall. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In April of 1945, he led the NORSO Group into Norway on a sabotage mission designed to tie down German forces in Norway from reinforcing the final defense of Germany. After the war, Colby graduated from Columbia Law School and then briefly practiced law in William Joseph Donovan's New York firm. "Wild Bill Donovan" redirects here For the Baseball Pitcher and manager see William Edward Donovan. Bored by the practice of law and inspired by his liberal beliefs, he moved to Washington to work for the National Labor Relations Board. The National Labor Relations Board (or NLRB) is an Independent agency of the United States Government charged with conducting

Central Intelligence Agency

Shortly thereafter, an OSS friend offered him a job at the CIA, and Colby accepted. Colby spent the next twelve years in the field, first in Stockholm, Sweden. ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. There, he helped set up the stay-behind networks of Gladio, a covert paramilitary organization organized by the CIA to make any Soviet occupation more difficult, as he later described in his memoirs. In a stay-behind operation a country places secret operatives or organisations in its own territory for use in the event that the territory is overrun by an enemy Gladio ( Italian, from Latin Gladius, meaning Sword) is a code name denoting the clandestine NATO " Stay-behind ^[3]

Colby then spent much of the 1950s based in Rome, where he led the Agency's covert political operations campaign to support anti-Communist parties in their electoral contests against left wing, Soviet Union-associated parties. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Christian Democrat and allied parties won several key elections in the 1950s, preventing a takeover by the Communist Party. The Italian Communist Party (Italian Partito Comunista Italiano, or PCI emerged as the Communist Party of Italy ( Partito Comunista d'Italia)

Vietnam

In 1959, Colby became the CIA's Deputy Chief and then Chief of Station in Saigon, Vietnam, where he served until 1962. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially In 1962 he returned to Washington to become the Deputy and then Chief of CIA's Far East Division. During these years he was deeply involved in Washington's policies in East Asia, particularly with respect to Vietnam, as well as Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and China. He was deeply critical of the Kennedy Administration's decision to abandon support for Republic of Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem, and believed this played a material part in the weakening of the South Vietnamese position in the years following. In 1968, despite preparing to take up the post of Chief of Station Moscow, President Johnson sent Colby back to Vietnam as Deputy to Robert Komer, who had been charged with streamlining the civilian side of the American efforts against the Communists. Shortly after arriving Colby succeeded Komer as head of the U. S. /South Vietnamese rural pacification effort. This was an attempt to quell the Communist insurgency in South Vietnam. Part of the effort was the controversial Phoenix Program, an initiative designed to identify and attack the "Viet Cong Infrastructure". The Phoenix Program ( Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Phượng Hoàng, a word related to Fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix) was a military There is considerable debate about the merits of the program, which has been alleged to have involved assassination and torture. AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally Along with Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker and MACV Commander General Creighton Abrams, Colby was part of a leadership group that worked to apply a new approach to the war. Some, including Colby later in life, argue that this approach succeeded in quelling the Communist insurgency in South Vietnam, but that South Vietnam, abandoned by the United States after the 1973 peace accords, was ultimately overwhelmed by a conventional North Vietnamese assault.

William Colby, Director of Central Intelligence, briefs President Ford and his senior advisors on the deteriorating situation in Vietnam, April 28, 1975. (clockwise, left to right) Colby; Robert S. Ingersoll, Deputy Secretary of State; Henry Kissinger; President Ford;James Schlesinger, Defense Secretary; William Clements, Deputy Secretary of Defense; Vice President Rockefeller; and General George S. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

CIA Director

Colby returned to Washington in 1971 and became Executive Director of CIA. After long-time DCI Richard Helms was dismissed by President Nixon in 1973, James Schlesinger assumed the helm at the Agency. Richard McGarrah Helms ( March 30, 1913 &ndash October 23, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI from 1966 to 1973 A strong believer in reform of the CIA and the Intelligence Community more broadly, Schlesinger had written a 1971 Bureau of the Budget report outlining his views on the subject. Colby, despite a career spent in the DDP, agreed with Schlesinger's reformist approach and Schlesinger appointed him head of the clandestine branch in early 1973. When Nixon reshuffled his agency heads and made Schlesinger Secretary of Defense, Colby emerged as a natural candidate for DCI--apparently based on the recommendation that he was a professional who would not make waves.

Colby's tenure as DCI, which lasted two and a half tumultuous years, was overshadowed by the Church and Pike congressional investigations into alleged U. S. intelligence malfeasance over the preceding twenty-five years, including 1975, the so-called "Year of Intelligence. " Colby cooperated, not out of a desire for major reforms, but in the belief that the actual scope of such misdeeds — encapsulated in the so-called "Family Jewels" — was not great enough to cause lasting damage to the CIA's reputation. The Family Jewels is the informal name used to refer to a set of reports that detail activities conducted by the United States Central Intelligence Agency. He believed that cooperating with Congress was the only way to save the Agency from dissolution. Colby also believed that the CIA had a moral obligation to cooperate with the Congress and demonstrate that the CIA was accountable to the Constitution. This caused a major rift within the CIA ranks, with many old-line officers such as former DCI Richard Helms believing that the CIA should have resisted congressional intrusion.

Colby's time as DCI was also eventful on the world stage. Shortly after he assumed leadership, the Yom Kippur War broke out, an event that surprised not only the American intelligence agencies but also the Israelis. The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War (מלחמת יום הכיפורים transliterated: Milkhemet Yom HaKipurim or מלחמת יום This intelligence surprise reportedly affected Colby's credibility with the Nixon Administration. Meanwhile, after many years of involvement, South Vietnam fell to Communist forces in April 1975, a particularly difficult blow for Colby, who had dedicated so much of his life and career to the American effort there. Events in the arms control field, Angola, the Middle East, and elsewhere also demanded attention.

Colby also focused on internal reforms within the CIA and the Intelligence Community. He attempted to modernize what he believed to be some out-of-date structures and practices, including by disbanding the Board of National Estimates and replacing it with the National Intelligence Council. ^[4]

President Ford, advised by Henry Kissinger and others concerned by Colby's controversial openness to Congress and distance from the White House, replaced Colby late in 1975 with George H. Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German -born American bureaucrat diplomat and 1973 W. Bush during the so called "Halloween Massacre" in which Secretary of Defense Schlesinger was also replaced (by Donald Rumsfeld). The "Halloween Massacre" is the term associated with the major reorganization of U Colby was offered the position of U. S. Permanent Representative to NATO but turned it down.

William Colby, outgoing Director of Central Intelligence, with President Ford and incoming DCI George Bush, 1975.

Post-CIA career

In later life, and in consonance with his long-held liberal views, Colby became a supporter of the nuclear freeze and of reductions in military spending. He practiced law and advised various bodies on intelligence matters. He also wrote two books, one of memoirs entitled Honorable Men, the other on Vietnam, called Lost Victory. In the latter, Colby argued that the U. S. -RVN counterinsurgency campaign in Vietnam had succeeded by the early 1970s and that South Vietnam could have survived had the U. S. continued to provide support after the Paris Accords. Though the topic remains open and controversial, some recent scholarship, including by Lewis "Bob" Sorley, supports Colby's arguments.

Colby also lent his expertise and knowledge, along with Oleg Kalugin, to the Activision game Spycraft: The Great Game, which was released shortly before his death. Oleg Danilovich Kalugin (Олег Данилович Калугин (born September 6, 1934) is a former KGB General. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. Spycraft (also known by its full title Spycraft The Great Game) is an adventure CD-ROM game published by Activision Both Colby and Kalugin played themselves in the game.

Colby assisted author, attorney and former CIA aide John DeCamp in his investigation of the Franklin child abuse allegations. John W DeCamp (born July 6, 1941) a Republican, is a former member of the Nebraska Legislature and author of the book The Franklin

Death

On April 27, 1996, Colby died in an apparent boating accident near his home in Rock Point, Maryland, although his body was actually found, underwater, on May 6, 1996. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) The subsequent inquest found that he died from drowning and hypothermia after collapsing from a heart attack or stroke and falling out of his canoe, and there was no further investigation.

Theories about death

Although the inquest into Colby's death found he had died of natural causes, there were some suspicious circumstances: he rarely went canoeing at night; he had not spoken to his wife of any plans to go canoeing; his house was unlocked, with the radio and computer on and the remains of a meal on the table; there was no sign of the life-jacket his friends said he usually wore; and his body was found approximately 20 yards from the canoe (itself found 100 yards from the house) after the area had been thoroughly searched several times. Some allegations that Colby was murdered have been made:

• Dr. Deko Dekov asserts that the former FBI Director Louis Freeh killed Colby. Directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation are appointed by the President of the United States. Louis Joseph Freeh (b January 6 1950 was the 10th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving from September 1993 to June 2001 [1]

• Dr. Steven Greer, alleges that the U. Steven M Greer (June 28 1955 is an American Physician, ufologist, and Conspiracy theorist. S. government killed Colby because of his knowledge of extraterrestrial technology. ^[5]

• Kay Griggs, ex-wife of United States Marine Corps Colonel George Griggs, has alleged that Colby was murdered. ^[6]

• John DeCamp, who claims to have been a close friend of Colby, has stated in his book, The Franklin Coverup, that Colby was murdered because he knew too much about corruption in US politics. John W DeCamp (born July 6, 1941) a Republican, is a former member of the Nebraska Legislature and author of the book The Franklin ^[7]

Quotes

• "South Vietnam faces total defeat, and soon. "
• "We disbanded our intelligence [after both world wars] and then found we needed it. Let's not go through that again. Redirect it, reduce the amount of money spent, but let's not destroy it. Because you don't know 10 years out what you're going to face. "^[8]

References

Additional sources

• Colby, William; James McCargar (1989). Lost Victory: A Firsthand Account of Americas Sixteen-Year Involvement in Vietnam. Chicago: Contemporary Books. ISBN 0809245094. OCLC 20014837. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
• Prados, John (2003). Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of CIA Director William Colby. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195128478. OCLC 49493468. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
• William Colby: Retrospect. Central Intelligence Agency (2007-05-08). near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Retrieved on 2007-09-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Evaluation of his tenure by CIA historian/official.

External links

• William Colby at Find A Grave Retrieved on 2008-02-11
• William Colby: Midnight Canoeist. Find A Grave is a Website allowing its users to access maintain and expand an online Database of Burial records 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Rotten.com. Rottencom is a United States -hosted Shock site with a slogan of "An archive of disturbing illustration" operated by Soylent Communications.