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EspañolWILLIAM J. CASEY
'William Joseph Casey' (March 13, 1913 – May 6, 1987) was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity he oversaw the entire US Intelligence Community and personally directed the Central Intelligence Agency.
A native of Queens, New York, Casey graduated from Fordham University in 1934 and earned a law degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1937. During World War II, he worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) — the predecessor to the CIA — and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement. After practicing corporate law in New York, he served in the Nixon Administration as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1971 to 1973.[1]
Casey headed up the successful presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and served on the transition team following the election. After Reagan took office, he named Casey to the post of Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[2] During his tenure at the CIA, Casey played a large part in the shaping of Reagan's foreign policy, particularly its approach to Soviet international activity. Casey oversaw the re-expansion of the Intelligence Community, in particular the CIA, to funding and human resource levels greater than those before resource cuts during the Carter Administration. During his tenure restrictions were lifted on the use of the CIA to directly, covertly influence the internal and foreign affairs of countries relevant to American policy.
This period of the Cold War saw an increase of the Agency's anti-Soviet activities around the world. Casey was the principal architect of the arms-for-hostages deal that became known as the Iran-Contra affair. He also oversaw covert assistance to the mujahadeen resistance in Afghanistan by working closely with Akhtar Abdur Rahman (the Director General of ISI in Pakistan), the Solidarity movement in Poland, and a number of coups and attempted coups in South- and Central America.
Hours before Casey was scheduled to testify before Congress about his knowledge of Iran-Contra, he was reported to have been rendered incapable of speech, and was later hospitalized. In his 1987 book, ''Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987,'' ''Washington Post'' reporter Bob Woodward, who had interviewed Casey on numerous occasions, said that he had gained entry to Casey's hospital room for a final, four-minute long encounter — a claim that was met with disbelief in many quarters, and adamant denial by Casey's wife, Sofia. According to Woodward, when he asked Casey if he knew about the diversion of funds to the Nicaraguan ''Contras'', "His head jerked up hard. He stared, and finally nodded yes."[3]
Casey died of brain cancer in 1987 at the age of 74. He is buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York. He was survived by his wife, the former Sophia McDaid, and his daughter, Bernadette Smith.
In his 1991 book, ''October Surprise,'' former NSC staffer Gary Sick alleged that Casey had orchestrated a deal with Iran in 1980 to refrain from releasing the hostages until after the November presidential elections, in order to deny President Carter credit for their possible release. This came to be known as the "October Surprise." Congress investigated in 1992, but Casey's role was never thoroughly ascertained since he did not testify, as he had died in 1987.
Some people also believe that Casey may have been involved in illegal CIA operations in Central and South America, including alleged drug trafficking operations to provide the required funds. An unofficial copy of a censored document [4] includes a three-page document on that topic purported to be an affidavit of William Casey witnessed by Richard Nixon, executed on December 9, 1986 in McLean, Virginia. The authenticity of the document, however, is called into question by odd typographical errors ("American's" instead of "Americans"), a narrative that rambles between several topics, a writing style that varies between formal and informal over the course of only three pages, and the largest question, "What was the purpose of the affidavit in the first place?".
★ List of notable brain tumor patients
★ Gary Webb
1. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC00136875
2. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC07312471
3. "Did A Dead Man Tell No Tales?" by Richard Zoglin, ''Time'', October 12, 1987
4.
★ Joseph E. Persico. ''Casey: The Lives and Secrets of William J. Casey-From the Oss to the CIA'' (1991)
★ Casey was featured prominently in Bob Woodward's book ''Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA'' (ISBN 0-671-60117-2).
★ Casey's role in the Afghanistan War in Steve Coll's book ''Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (ISBN 1-59420-007-6).
★ William Casey's Gravesite
★ Article on William Casey at the NNDB
| Contents |
| Biography |
| Director of Central Intelligence Agency |
| Death |
| Accusations |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
Biography
A native of Queens, New York, Casey graduated from Fordham University in 1934 and earned a law degree from St. John's University School of Law in 1937. During World War II, he worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) — the predecessor to the CIA — and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievement. After practicing corporate law in New York, he served in the Nixon Administration as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1971 to 1973.[1]
Director of Central Intelligence Agency
Casey headed up the successful presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980, and served on the transition team following the election. After Reagan took office, he named Casey to the post of Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.[2] During his tenure at the CIA, Casey played a large part in the shaping of Reagan's foreign policy, particularly its approach to Soviet international activity. Casey oversaw the re-expansion of the Intelligence Community, in particular the CIA, to funding and human resource levels greater than those before resource cuts during the Carter Administration. During his tenure restrictions were lifted on the use of the CIA to directly, covertly influence the internal and foreign affairs of countries relevant to American policy.
This period of the Cold War saw an increase of the Agency's anti-Soviet activities around the world. Casey was the principal architect of the arms-for-hostages deal that became known as the Iran-Contra affair. He also oversaw covert assistance to the mujahadeen resistance in Afghanistan by working closely with Akhtar Abdur Rahman (the Director General of ISI in Pakistan), the Solidarity movement in Poland, and a number of coups and attempted coups in South- and Central America.
Hours before Casey was scheduled to testify before Congress about his knowledge of Iran-Contra, he was reported to have been rendered incapable of speech, and was later hospitalized. In his 1987 book, ''Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987,'' ''Washington Post'' reporter Bob Woodward, who had interviewed Casey on numerous occasions, said that he had gained entry to Casey's hospital room for a final, four-minute long encounter — a claim that was met with disbelief in many quarters, and adamant denial by Casey's wife, Sofia. According to Woodward, when he asked Casey if he knew about the diversion of funds to the Nicaraguan ''Contras'', "His head jerked up hard. He stared, and finally nodded yes."[3]
Death
Casey died of brain cancer in 1987 at the age of 74. He is buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York. He was survived by his wife, the former Sophia McDaid, and his daughter, Bernadette Smith.
Accusations
In his 1991 book, ''October Surprise,'' former NSC staffer Gary Sick alleged that Casey had orchestrated a deal with Iran in 1980 to refrain from releasing the hostages until after the November presidential elections, in order to deny President Carter credit for their possible release. This came to be known as the "October Surprise." Congress investigated in 1992, but Casey's role was never thoroughly ascertained since he did not testify, as he had died in 1987.
"I, William J. Casey, declare: I have found freedom to be a priceless commodity that demands constant vigilance..."
"The trick was to ignore the law and avoid public scrutiny. We were helped in our effort by William J. Clinton and William F. Weld."
"Freedom is a priceless commodity... Executed 9th day of December 1986 in McLean Virginia."
Some people also believe that Casey may have been involved in illegal CIA operations in Central and South America, including alleged drug trafficking operations to provide the required funds. An unofficial copy of a censored document [4] includes a three-page document on that topic purported to be an affidavit of William Casey witnessed by Richard Nixon, executed on December 9, 1986 in McLean, Virginia. The authenticity of the document, however, is called into question by odd typographical errors ("American's" instead of "Americans"), a narrative that rambles between several topics, a writing style that varies between formal and informal over the course of only three pages, and the largest question, "What was the purpose of the affidavit in the first place?".
See also
★ List of notable brain tumor patients
★ Gary Webb
References
1. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC00136875
2. http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC07312471
3. "Did A Dead Man Tell No Tales?" by Richard Zoglin, ''Time'', October 12, 1987
4.
54305.070113173122.djvu
★ Joseph E. Persico. ''Casey: The Lives and Secrets of William J. Casey-From the Oss to the CIA'' (1991)
★ Casey was featured prominently in Bob Woodward's book ''Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA'' (ISBN 0-671-60117-2).
★ Casey's role in the Afghanistan War in Steve Coll's book ''Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001'' (ISBN 1-59420-007-6).
External links
★ William Casey's Gravesite
★ Article on William Casey at the NNDB
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