James Jesus Angleton

Who was James Jesus Angleton?

James Jesus Angleton was chief of the CIA's Counterintelligence Staff from 1954 to 1975. His official position within the organization was "Associate Deputy Director of Operations for Counterintelligence".

According to one-time Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms: "In his day, Jim was recognized as the dominant counterintelligence figure in the non-communist world." Investigative journalist Edward Jay Epstein agrees with the high regards given to Angleton by his colleagues in the intelligence business, and adds that Angleton earned the "trust ... of six CIA directors—including Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, Allen W. Dulles and Richard Helms. They kept Angleton in key positions and valued his work."