Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story by Jack Devine & Vernon Loeb

Author:Jack Devine & Vernon Loeb [Devine, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781429944175
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: 2014-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

Raising the Bar

Washington, 1994–95

A few days after Anderson and McGaffin resigned, I was surprised to receive in my office mail a formal letter from Woolsey saying I was a candidate for McGaffin’s job and would be interviewed soon. In the past, the director of central intelligence would simply have conferred with his deputy director of operations and selected someone. This time, Woolsey and his deputy DCI, Admiral William O. Studeman, wanted a clear say in the decision. There reportedly were three of us in the running: one senior officer from the Far East and another from the Africa Division, where Somalia was a hot issue. I knew the competition would be intense. The interview took place around the conference table in Woolsey’s office, with just me, Woolsey, and Studeman in the room, and lasted for half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes. It went by quickly. They began with a single, basic question: How would I propose handling the job? I took it and ran with it, setting forth an agenda for change inside the directorate that I had carefully thought through ahead of time. I told them I wanted to increase the emphasis on centers, bringing operators and analysts closer together, as we had done so effectively in the Counter Narcotics Center and the Afghan Task Force. We need to change our “tooth-to-tail” ratio, trimming staff in favor of more operators in the stations. We needed stricter accountability for our operational responsibilities. We needed more emphasis on counterterrorism, and we needed to push hard to upgrade the directorate’s technological capabilities. I thought my enthusiasm came across and helped me win points. It was hard to judge how I had done, but I felt I had handled myself reasonably well, and when I left the room I remained confident that I was still in the running.

I received a call a few days later from Ted Price, the deputy director of operations, who told me the job was mine. He called a senior staff meeting that afternoon in his office to make the announcement. I called Pat to give her the good news and then advised my deputy in the Latin America Division, Marty Roeber. But I did not mention it to anyone else. I did not want it out on the street before the official announcement from Price’s office. When Ted made the announcement to the division and station chiefs that he and Woolsey had selected me for the job, it came as a mild surprise to some, especially the other contenders. I enjoyed the moment, but like many moments in my life, I did not linger long on the good news and the shot of adrenaline that came with it. I moved on quickly, concentrating on how I would handle the job.

The news flew through the directorate instantly. Everyone in the Latin America Division was already aware of the development before I got back to my office. Price sent out a brief cable to all our field stations alerting them of my assignment as ADDO.

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