Richard Helms

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Richard Helms
Official portrait c. 1966–72
United States Ambassador to Iran
In office April 5, 1973 – December 27, 1976
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Joseph S. Farland
Succeeded by	William H. Sullivan
8th Director of Central Intelligence
In office June 30, 1966 – February 2, 1973
President	Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
Deputy	Rufus Taylor Robert E. Cushman Jr. Vernon A. Walters
Preceded by	William Raborn
Succeeded by	James R. Schlesinger
7th Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
In office April 28, 1965 – June 30, 1966
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Marshall Carter
Succeeded by	Rufus Taylor
Deputy Director of Central Intelligence for Plans
In office February 17, 1962 – April 28, 1965
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Richard M. Bissell Jr.
Succeeded by	Desmond Fitzgerald
Personal details
Born	Richard McGarrah Helms (1913-03-30)March 30, 1913 St. Davids, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 23, 2002(2002-10-23) (aged 89) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Relations	Gates W. McGarrah (grandfather)
Education	Williams College (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 – October 23, 2002) was an American government official and diplomat who served as Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1966 to 1973. Helms began intelligence work with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Following the 1947 creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), he rose in its ranks during the presidencies of Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy. Helms then was DCI under Presidents Johnson and Nixon,^[1] yielding to James R. Schlesinger in early 1973.

While working as the DCI, Helms managed the agency following the lead of his predecessor John McCone. In 1977, as a result of earlier covert operations in Chile, Helms became the only DCI convicted of misleading Congress. Helms's last post in government service was Ambassador to Iran from April 1973 to December 1976. Besides this Helms was a key witness before the Senate during its investigation of the CIA by the Church Committee in the mid-1970s, 1975 being called the "Year of Intelligence".^{[2][full citation needed]} This investigation was hampered severely by Helms having ordered the destruction of all files related to the CIA's mind control program in 1973.^[3]