James jesus angleton built a formidable reputation. Doing research on someone who has dedicated his personal and professional life to concealment is not easy, yet michael holzman has done an admirable job of reconstructing angleton s story. Project muse james jesus angleton, the cia, and the. Aug 23, 2015 lisa pease on james angleton, counterintelligence chief. Tony bradlee found it and gave it to james angleton.
Angleton, the longtime and controversial head of counterintelligence for the central intelligence agency was guilty of a. In this deeply researched biography, michael holzman uses angleton s story to illuminate the history of the cia from its founding in the late 1940s to the mid1970s. Buckley refused but later went on to write a novel about angleton, spytime. His father was a successful businessman who owned the national cash register franchise in italy. Cia spymaster james jesus angleton was one of the most powerful unelected officials. He will speak about angleton and israel at the miami book fair this coming. The counterintelligence staff, created in 1954, had been headed for 20 years by james jesus angleton, a legendary spy who deployed the techniques.
Tim weiner, national book awardwinning author of legacy of ashesa revelatory new biography of the sinister, powerful, and paranoid man at the heart of the cia for more than three tumultuous decades. Capturing the extent of angletons eccentricity, duplicity and alcoholfueled paranoia would have challenged the writing skills of a le carre or ludlum, and jeff morley has done it with flair. Angleton, according to the author, cut a very shadowy figure in an already shadowy world. He burned the pages that meyer had asked to be burned and put the rest in a safe. The other good books about angleton cold warrior by tom mangold, molehunt by david wise, and wilderness of mirrors by david martin are accounts of angletons mole hunt in the late 1960s. Apart from exploring the expatriate scene in italy, in 1933 he entered malvern college an elite british boarding school and went on to yale university in 1937. He pioneered an illegal informationgathering campaign that spied on americans mail. In memory of a dear friend, james jim angleton but that gave no indication of who angleton was or what he did.
Morley will be talking about angleton and jfk in dallas this friday, november 17th, at 4 pm at the jfk lancer conference. When you look at the full thing there is an oddity where sections of the text that are distinctly lighter in colour than the rest. Angleton was a nut case who should not have been employed by any agency, let alone the cia. Like many of his colleagues in the cia, james angleton learned the craft of espionage during world war ii as an officer in the office of strategic services oss, where he became a. As morley demonstrates in his detailed biography, angleton. He did all the things that someone who was friends with ts eliot should do. James jesus angleton angleton, the cias longtime chief of counterintelligence, was the cias primary highlevel conspirator in the murder of president kennedy and the subsequent coverup. Upon graduation from yale in 1941, angleton moved to harvard law school where he met his future wife cicely dautremont of duluth, minnesota. The best book ever written about the strangest cia chief who ever lived. Angleton, who had been coopted by and was totally loyal to the israeli mossad, played a major role in the effort to frame lee harvey oswald. Project muse james jesus angleton, the cia, and the craft. Virtually untouchable, he operated beyond the view of.
Appointed by cia founder allen dulles a princeton alum, angleton was the founding director of cia counterintelligence. Hugh, as he was known, had grown up in central illinois, working as a schoolteacher until he moved to idaho, where he started out as a candy salesman. Three books dealing with angleton take these matters as their central theme. Oct 19, 2017 soon after legendary spymaster and central intelligence agency counterintelligence chief james jesus angletons intelligence career supposedly ended with his forced retirement in december 1974 due to the exposure of cia wrongdoing, he returned to the agency, where counterintelligence operations reportedly remained under his purview until late 1975. James jesus angleton was born on december 9, 1917, the first of four children of james hugh angleton and his wife, carmen moreno angleton. Jan 01, 2011 james angleton is the closest this country has ever come to the romantic poet warrior figure. He started his intelligence career with the storied office of strategic services and later. Tim weiner, national book awardwinning author of legacy of ashes a revelatory.
Oct 20, 2017 at the height of the cold war, arguably no one in the cia exercised more power than james jesus angleton, head of counterintelligence. James jesus angleton was a legend in his own time, and his legend lives on. Edward jay epstein tells angletons story in this little book, laying out in simple form the cause and reasonability of angletons alarm. The ghost is the compulsively readable, often bizarre truelife story of american spymaster james jesus angleton. The angleton children tell their side the washington post. Jefferson morley legendary head of the cia james jesus angleton was one of the most powerful unelected government officials in american history. Tim weiner, national book awardwinning author of legacy of. Michael holzman, james jesus angleton, the cia, and the craft of intelligence 28 holzman is an independent scholar with a doctorate in literature who, he says, set out to write a study of an interpretive school of literary thought called the new criticism that was prominent at yale when angleton attended, and then decided to use it as a way to divine the meaning of angletons approach to counterintelligence.
Jan 09, 2018 as head of cia counterintelligence between 1954 and 1975, james jesus angleton operated in a shadowy realm of secrets, spies, and plots. Angleton is survived by his wife, cicely dautremont. Tim weiner, national book awardwinning author of legacy of ashes. The life and strange career of a mole hunter the new york times. Jan 01, 2018 the counterintelligence staff, created in 1954, had been headed for 20 years by james jesus angleton, a legendary spy who deployed the techniques of literary criticism learned at yale to find deep.
Hugh, as he was known, had grown up in central illinois, working as a schoolteacher until he moved to idaho, where he started out as a. Doing research on someone who has dedicated his personal and professional life to concealment is not easy, yet michael holzman has done an admirable job of reconstructing angletons story. Evidently, this little book is identical to the opening chapters of the authors book, deception. A thin man with a sallow complexion, james jesus angleton graduated from yale. But angleton thought the public trial transcripts would show they were part of a sovietdirected plot. James jesus angleton was a poet, a student of the new criticism at yale, and the son of a wealthy father and a mexican mother. The central role of james angleton, cia counterintelligence chief in obstructing the jfk investigation is highly suspicious. James angleton deserves better than this the washington times. James jesus angleton, 19171987 his fathers work meant james angleton enjoyed a cosmopolitan lifestyle. From kim philby to israel to jfks assassination to watergate, his invisible hand shaped world events. A smart and engaging discussion of james jesus angleton and his role as a central figure in the cia from its origin until the mid1970s. Lisa is currently finishing her book on the latter subject, the product of more than two decades of research.
Oct 15, 2000 she has written a number of groundbreaking essays on the connections between freeport sulphur, the eastern establishment and the cia, on james angleton, and on sirhan and the rfk assassination. Jun 30, 1991 james jesus angleton, the most interesting figure in the history of american intelligence and one of the most powerful, was also the most destructive. Mike doughty released a song entitled james jesus angleton on apple music in december 2017. The secret life of cia spymaster james jesus angleton. There they dedicated a memorial stone that read, in english, hebrew and arabic. Only one of those books, james jesus angleton and the craft of counterintelligence by michael holzman is a true biography.
James angleton is the closest this country has ever come to the romantic poet warrior figure. Initially he corrects my idea of what a spy ought to be. James jesus angleton, the cia, and the craft of counterintelligence michael holzman on. Israels central role in jfk assassination, whos who in. Soon after legendary spymaster and central intelligence agency counterintelligence chief james jesus angletons intelligence career supposedly ended with his forced retirement in december 1974 due to the exposure of cia wrongdoing, he returned to the agency, where counterintelligence operations reportedly remained under his purview until late 1975.
The ghost the secret life of cia spymaster james jesus angleton. He bred orchids, wore a black homburg, and drank heavily. This book attempts to trace and describe the damage done to the cia and other intelligence agencies by the cold war obsessions of james jesus angleton, who ran the counterintelligence department from the 1950s to the 1970s. Angleton was the legendary head of cia counterintelligence during most of the cold war in may 1987, in one of his last phone calls, he told dick cheney, who was then a member of the house intelligence committee, that he needed to tell him in person something of vital importance. Although perhaps best known for leading the agencys notorious molehuntthe search for a soviet spy believed to have infiltrated the upper levels of the american governmentangleton also played a key role in the u. Books by jefferson morley books by jefferson morley. Cia spymaster james jesus angleton was one of the most powerful unelected officials in the united states government in the mid20th century, a ghost of american power. In his book wedge the secret war between the fbi and cia knopf, 1994, mark riebling stated that of 194 predictions made in new lies for old, 9 had been fulfilled by 1993, 9 seemed clearly wrong, and the other 46 were. Secretive and suspicious, james jesus angleton had a compulsive approach to anything he took on whether hunting spies, raising orchids, or catching trout. The undoing of james jesus angleton is a fictionalized treatment of angleton s career, a storyline being placed upon, between and within actual historic facts and events. He died on may 11, 1987 in washington, district of columbia, usa.
Oct 24, 2017 the best book ever written about the strangest cia chief who ever lived. James jesus angleton december 9, 1917 may 11, 1987 was chief of cia. A new biography of james jesus angleton by edward jay epstein that asks the question. Jun 25, 2008 james jesus angleton, the cia, and the craft of counterintelligence michael holzman on. James jesus angleton 41, yales second most famous spy the first being nathan hale, is a central figure in this book. The ghost, jefferson morleys shrewd account of angletons career as langleys counterintelligence chief from 1954 to 1975, shows the harm that can be done by an energetic spook who is. Theres no one more interesting and important in the jfk storyand indeed the history of the ciawho. As chief of counterintelligence for the central intelligence agency from the early 1950s to the early 1970s.
James jesus angleton was born on 9 december, 1917, in boise, idaho, to ncr businessman and oss colonel james hugh angleton, and mexican born carmen mercedes moreno. This book focuses on mastercounterspy james jesus angletons obsession with a cia penetration, or with the infamous internal mole hunt instigated by angletons own paranoia. Documents reveal the complex legacy of james angleton, cia. James jesus angleton, the most interesting figure in the history of american intelligence and one of the most powerful, was also the most destructive. Angleton, the longtime and controversial head of counterintelligence for the central intelligence agency was guilty of a medley of sins. A new biography of james jesus angleton by edward jay epstein t. The secret life of cia spymaster james jesus angleton history. James jesus angleton was an enigma, a secretive man whose power was at its peak during the height of the cold war. Lisa pease on james angleton, counterintelligence chief. While some argue that the document is authentic there is room for doubt. Cia spymaster james jesus angleton was one of the most powerful unelected officials in the united states government in. The mystery of disgraced cia spymaster james angletons. Those suspicions, in fact, reached the highest levels of the cia itself.
The missing piece in oswalds career was the nearly two years that he had spent in the soviet union before he returned to the united states and moved to dallas. Kennedys and king james jesus angleton and the kennedy. He started his intelligence career with the storied office of strategic services and later became the cias chief of counterintelligence. The james angleton phenomenon central intelligence agency.
The undoing of james jesus angleton is a fictionalized treatment of angletons career, a storyline being placed upon, between and within actual historic facts and events. Lisa pease on james jesus angleton and the assassination of president kennedy our hidden history interview author and researcher lisa pease discusses cias cold war counterintelligence chief james angleton and his role in the events surrounding the assassination of john f. Dec 19, 2017 jefferson morley sets out to prove that james j. James jesus angletonsuspected a mole in the cia kiyq. Cia spymaster james jesus angleton was one of the most powerful unelected officials in the united. From world war ii to the cold war, angleton operated beyond the view of the public, congress, and even the president. Michael holzman has written a most intriguing biography. Feb 05, 20 michael holzman, james jesus angleton, the cia, and the craft of intelligence 28 holzman is an independent scholar with a doctorate in literature who, he says, set out to write a study of an interpretive school of literary thought called the new criticism that was prominent at yale when angleton attended, and then decided to use it as a way to. At the height of the cold war, arguably no one in the cia exercised more power than james jesus angleton, head of counterintelligence. Angletons paranoia, and the way it left the agencys counterintelligence directorate tied in knots, seems to have been his most important, if not his only, legacy. As head of cia counterintelligence between 1954 and 1975, james jesus angleton operated in a shadowy realm of secrets, spies, and plots. James jesus angleton was born on december 9, 1917 in boise, idaho, usa. Angleton, the longtime and controversial head of counterintelligence for the central intelligence agency was guilty of a medley of sins, including complicity in the murder of president kennedy. The document appears to have been signed by head of cia counterintelligence james jesus angleton.
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