Sunday, January 11, 2009

What a Life He Lived

This is the obituary of James M. Potts, former director of CIA clandestine operations in Africa. WWII Navy, Yale, Episcopal church member, station chief in Paris and Athens, head of all spook ops Africa...what a LIFE this man must have had! Life in the CIA in Africa in the 50's, 60's and 70's must have been an amazing thing....I have this "Our Man in Havana" sense of what it must have been like, nudging up next to the Soviets in Mombasa, Mozambique, and Kampala.

I am also struck by the obituaries I read in the Post citing CIA experience--there is a statistically significant representation of the Ivy League in their backgrounds. Would that today's Ivy League students had that much patriotism in their bones....

1 comment:

  1. DEVLIN LAWRENCE R. Lawrence Raymond "Larry" Devlin, 86, of Locust Grove, VA. passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 6, 2008 at his residence in the arms of his wife, Mary. He was born in Concord, New Hampshire. Larry was a veteran of the US Army, serving in World War II as a captain. He was a legendary CIA officer from 1949-1974, and was also the author of Chief of Station Congo

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