'PROFESSIONAL SPOOK'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00161R000400210133-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 21, 2014
• Sequence Number: 133
• Publication Date: June 28, 1966
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Declassified and Approved For Release @50-Yr 2014/02/21 : CIA-RDP84-00161R000400210133-0
Richard?McGar rah ? Helms
. . ,
Special M The New. yokk Times
'WASHINGTON, June
Before leaving 'Williainst'
College hi 1935, Richard Mc-
Garrah Helms had.. been
chosen the junior who ,best
exemplified, the traditions . of
the school, permanent presi-
dent of his class, president'
of the senior honor society,
editor of the school paper,
. editor of . the -sen-
' Man I ior year, ,book; a.(
In the member ' of Phi ?
Beta Kappa, 'and, ?
Ncws?, in tbe opinion of;
' his classmates, the
most, likely to succeed, the .,
most respected, the one who'
. had done the, most' for the
college, the best . politician, ,
the . second Most r versatile.
and the third rook : popular; .
Now, at . the age of 53; Mr.
Helms could 'probably. win
comparable honors' and ? ku,`,i
dos in any part of the Gov-
eminent,' especially on the
. .
Virginia; campus of 'the Cen,
tral Intelligence Agency,. to
which he hai? devoted :his
career.
The Senate unanimously .,
approved his appointment to-
day as Director of Gentral
Intelligence. ' '
'
Although the first "pro,.
fessional spook" to head the,
C.I.A., there is nothing
spookish about Mr. Helms. He
The New
seems to have no obsession ,-? er York Times (by George Tames)
with romantic adventure, but 4 pleasant, gentle spy
rather is serene and gentle.
The emphasis in conversa- in 1946 to the Central Intent-
ton about him is on "pro- gence Agency.
fessional." He Is described as . He has been an assistant'.
a practical and decisive man, 'or deputy director of the
? the kind who could get him- 'agency throughout its his-
self an interview with Adolf tory, but three times in recent
? Hitler .? as a .,young ''United years he had to sit by while;
Press correspondent in Ger- other men moved ahead of
many. but .Ftoss.,over all the him. ?
exeitement on the eve of He was the second in corn- .
World War II to manage ad..'? ''mand of covert operations,'
vertising for The Indianapolis ? when, in 1958, Allen Dulles
Times'to support his family. passed him up for promotion
Mr. Helms is almost uni- in favor of the more flam-
versally respected, although boyant Richard M. Bissell Jr.,
very .few 'know what he has. In 1962, after both Mr. Dillies
really 'done and how well, and Mr. Bissell had' come to
The few who know will talk'' grief over ?the Bay of Pigs
? only in generalities. . invasion of Cuba?which Mr:
. ? Mr. Helms was born March Helms reportedly opposed?he
30, 1913 in St. David's, Pa. , ? Was chosen to head the
He was reared In Sotuh. Or- ' euphemistically named
ange, N. J., and spent two .1 "plans" division, only .to find
high school years. in Switzer- ' Lyman Kirkpatrick as 'exec-
land and Germany, His father, ' utive director of the - C.I.A.,'
Herman, was a sales executive a position that downgraded
for Alcoa -unitl he retired to Mr. Hellos one notch in the
take his family to Europe. agency.
He is. fluent , German A year ago,' John A. McCone,
and French, makes, decisions campaigned to have Mr.
promptly and speaks crisply Helms succeed him as director,
and to the paint. ,He likes to . but President 'Johnson in-
leave his office in late after-., stead chose Vice Adm. Wil-
noon' with the in-basket , liam F. Raborn. Mr. Helms
? empty, and, is that rare C.I.A. . .was expected to sppervise.the
man who has endeared him- professional work at.' the
self to the Pentagon for not agency as the admiral's def.',
waging ." jurisdictional 'war- .uty.
fare.,, " Mr. Helms Is not. known as
- dafk. 'complex-, n student of history,' and is.
boned, Mr, Relini,keeps in ex- ' said to have deferred to CIAt -
cellent -"shape by professional analysts for long-
playing tennis. He is pleasant .range judgments. His politics
even in disagreement; and a . have been defined, negative,'
number of associates say they ly?as neither "bleeding lib-
have never seen hiari lose his eral" nor "F.B.I.-style anti-
terriper ' Communist."
. , .
It is , this patience corn- "Dick , is 'so ' undoetrinaire,",
bined with. professionalism says one associate, "that he
that finally brought' Mr. insists there are pros and
Helnis to the top of. the in- cons in everything." ? ' .
telligence community. His ea- Mr. Helms Married' Julia
reer began in World' War II, . Bretzinan' Shields of Indian-
when he was assigned by the apolis, a, sculptor, in 1939.'
Navy to the Office of Stra- . Their son, Dermis, 24, is at the
tegic Services, to ply his no, University of Virginia Law
guistie .talents in the Euro, , School. There also are a son.
peen theater... 'and daughter from Mrs.
He stayed In intelligence Helms's previous marriage--
after the war, with the Joint James R. Shields of Charlotte,
Strategic Services of the War N.C., and Mrs. Jean-LOup
Department, which gave way Guerin of Denver. '
'3
ii
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Declassified and Approved For Release @50-Yr 2014/02/21 : CIA-RDP84-00161R000400210133-0