William E. Colby, who as Director of Central Intelligence chose to disclose some of the nation's darkest secrets to save the spy service he loved, drowned on April 27 in a tributary of the Potomac River in Maryland. Many such land mines existed, but no one knew how many, or how explosive they were. In August 1944, Colby parachuted into France to join a resistance group fighting to link up with advancing U.S. forces. Colby was known as a media-friendly CIA director. This transformation began on April 27, 1973, 12 days before Mr. Colby learned that President Richard M. Nixon, then deeply enmeshed in the Watergate scandal, was about to nominate him as Director of Central Intelligence. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. He was born Oct. 14, 1933 to George and C During this period he also wrote two books, both of which were memoirs of his professional life combined with discussions of history and policy. The Charles County Sheriff's office said Mr. Colby's body was found today, nine days after he set out for a solo canoe trip from his weekend home in Rock Point, Md., not far from where his canoe washed up on the shore of the Wicomico River about a quarter-mile from his house. There were times when, really, I didnt know what role we were playing, Mrs. Colby said in an interview for the film The Man Nobody Knew, a 2011 documentary about her ex-husband and directed by their son Carl Colby. After the war he joined the newly created Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It had plotted to assassinate Fidel Castro and other foreign leaders. "I would have been closer to him. The Colby family is bothered by the films suggestion that Bill killed himself because he felt guilty for not doing more to comfort his eldest daughter, Catherine Colby, Over the next several years, they traveled the world. On May 6, Colby's body was found in a marshy riverbank lying face down not far from where his canoe was found. And even though Shelton-Colby, the spymasters second wife, has been kept at a distance by most of Colbys biological children, their grievances with the film have united them, at least in principle. Carl elaborated on his theory more in the interview, asserting that if his dad suffered a stroke or heart attack while canoeing, he may not have had the will to live. For the Colby family, the movie is yet one more turbulent moment stemming from the career of their patriarch, whose CIA directorship in the 1970s is one of the agency's most controversial. The film concerned a dead man she's still in love with. [21][22] Carl's step-mother and siblings, as well as Colby's biographer Randall Woods, criticized Carl's portrayal of Colby and rejected the allegation that the former CIA director killed himself, saying it was inconsistent with his character. Sally Shelton-Colby needed to watch the documentary with friends, for emotional support. He stopped in Mongolia to advise a mining company. Carl said he felt that the best person to explain his dad was his mother, who was extensively interviewed in the film. Tasked by CIA with supporting the government of Ng nh Dim, Colby established a relationship with President Diem's family and with Ng nh Nhu, the president's brother, with whom Colby became close. Under diplomatic cover, he served at the U.S. embassies in Stockholm and Rome, and became the CIA station chief in Saigon in 1959. Died: April, 1973 (Complications from epilepsy and anorexia) Mini Bio (1) Catherine Colby died in April 1973. In the film, Carl wonders whether his friends were right when they called his dad a murderer for running the notorious Phoenix Program a CIA operation in the Vietnam War sought to ferret out Viet Cong agents in South Vietnam. [4] He was often referred to as "the warriorpriest". william colby daughter death. As Prados was writing a career chronicle, not a It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Press Release: I have come to a hard spent realization: Costco has my number. He returned for some of the worst years of the war there, in the doomed cause of winning the hearts and minds of the people. The Vietnam War played a central role in William Colbys life and work. geogaddi000 He was born September 2, 1946 in Huntington, Utah to Eldwin R. Colby and Zina Loree Marshall. She and other CIA wives modeled their campaign on earlier, more public efforts by former spouses of State Department employees. "The pain and sadness of losing (my father) has now been intensified by my brother Carl's inexplicable and unfounded attempt to debase the reputation and memory of a modest and decent man, a dedicated father, and an exemplary public servant. Mr. Colby's marriage to the former Barbara Heinzen ended in divorce. He feels his father left his wife isolated and eschewed real father-son bonds. In that city, he wrote, the family received its baptism of fire during an unsuccessful 1960 coup mounted against Diem. ", For histories on the CIA's role in Vietnam and on the pacification effort more broadly, see foia.cia.gov, For further information on Colby's leadership of the Intelligence Community, see cia.gov, "William E. Colby, 76, Head of C.I.A. Colby headed the CIAs Far East Division until he was named CIA director in 1973, a position he held until retiring in November of 1976. Only when contacted by a Post reporter did family members vent their frustrations about the film. The film is about the oldest question: Who are your father and mother? Why Was Former CIA Director William Colby Assassinated? Before and during the Vietnam War, Colby served as chief of station in Saigon, chief of the CIA's Far East Division, and head of the Civil Operations and Rural Development effort, as well as overseeing the Phoenix Program. Through her sons, Barbara, 90, who lives in a Washington retirement community, also declined to be interviewed. When Bill's body was found, his wallet contained a photo of Catherine, Carl says. In "The Man Nobody Knew," Carl, the narrator, traces his father's career as an intelligence operative in World War II to his tenure as CIA director. Though a career officer, Elbridge Colby's professional pursuits focused less on strictly military activities and more on intellectual and scholarly contributions to military and literary subjects. Colby participated in the National Security Council meetings that responded to apparent Soviet intentions to intervene in the war by raising the alert level of U.S. forces to DEFCON 3 and defusing the crisis. The Colby family is bothered by the films suggestion that Bill killed himself because he felt guilty for not doing more to comfort his eldest daughter, Catherine Colby, before her death in 1973 from epilepsy and anorexia. He then attended Princeton University and graduated with an A.B. That assignment led to one in which he parachuted behind enemy lines in Norway to blow up a Nazi rail line. That year, Bill and Shelton-Colby got married in Italy. Colby was dismissed as CIA director 20 years ago, after 3 1/2 years, by President Ford. Colby served as DCI under President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford until January 30, 1976; he was succeeded at the CIA by George H. W. Bush. WhyWasFormerCiaDirectorWilliamColbyAssassinated, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, StevenGreerTellsArtBellAboutWilliamColbysDeath2008-08-08.ogg, Steven Greer tells Art Bell about William Colby's Death 2008-08-08, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). [1] [2] [3] [4] Early life [ edit] It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. There, he helped set up the stay-behind networks of Operation Gladio, a covert paramilitary organization organized by the CIA to make any Soviet occupation more difficult, as he later described in his memoirs.[8]. He was CIA station chief in Saigon from 1959-62, was deputy director of the CORDS program in 1968, andmost famously (or infamously)ran the controversial Phoenix program in 1969. Both Colby and Kalugin played themselves in the game. He made tough decisions when necessary _ and he was always guided by the core values of the country he loved., CIA Director John Deutch said, ``He faced up to severe challenges with openness and integrity., Colby was perfectly cast as a spy: colorless, soft-spoken, precise and thin. By demanding that understanding, Mr. Colby was "playing a very heavy card, trumping the White House by bringing the American people into the secret world," John Ranelagh wrote in his history of the intelligence service, "The Agency" (Simon & Schuster, 1986). Carl elaborated on his theory more in the interview, asserting that if his dad suffered a stroke or heart attack while canoeing, "he may not have had the will to live. Soon, she began courting him. Bill was working with newly Democratic elected parliaments in Eastern Europe to help them figure out how to assert authorities over spy agencies, Shelton-Colby said. The following is a transcript of the part of the interview that is available here as a streaming mp3 file: I don't understand why more people don't know about this. WebSally Angela Shelton-Colby (born August 29, 1944) is an American diplomat. In his first mission he deployed to France as a Jedburgh commanding Team BRUCE, in mid-August 1944, and operated with the Maquis until he joined up with Allied forces later that fall. I think Carl portrayed his father in the way he did to sell his film. In Rome, where William Colby was posted from 1953 to 1958, Mrs. Colby immersed herself in the countrys language and religious and artistic heritage while her husband helped lead efforts to prevent a Communist victory in Italian elections. Bill was initially reluctant, but he soon joined in the relationship. "[9] In 1962 he returned to Washington to become the deputy and then chief of CIA's Far East Division, succeeding Desmond Fitzgerald, who had been tapped to lead the Agency's efforts against Fidel Castro's Cuba. But Colby was fired on Nov. 2, 1975, as head of the CIA after being accused of talking too much. But as the nation's chief spy, he helped reveal the Central Intelligence Agency's hidden history and confessed to its sins. As American involvement grew in Vietnam, Colby helped develop an unsuccessful strategic hamlet program and directed the organization of Montagnard tribesmen for service in the U.S. special forces. He was not the cold, insensitive, unfeeling person that Carl portrayed in that film.. Colby also lent his expertise and knowledge, along with Oleg Kalugin, to the Activision game Spycraft: The Great Game, which was released shortly before his death. I preferred the old dad, not the new, he said. web pages They are especially upset with the films suggestion that the former spymaster spent his retirement in deep regret and killed himself on a canoeing trip in the mid-1990s. Carl didnt know his father. He was born Seated in a Washington movie theater in October, she flipped open a notepad and, as the movie played, jotted down her thoughts. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Christian Democrats and allied parties won several key elections in the 1950s, preventing a takeover by the Communist Party. Shes just a coda.. Mr. Colby cooperated, and the skeletons began tumbling out of the closet. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. He soon joined its successor espionage agency, the CIA, which would take him and his family on covert and often risky missions on several continents. It's been 15 years since Bill Colby vanished on a solo canoe trip near his vacation home in southern Maryland, only to be found dead days later, floating on the banks of the Wicomico River. Colby was divorced in 1984 from the former Barbara Heinzen and married Sally Shelton. Colby spent the next 12 years in the field, first in Stockholm, Sweden. Carl Colby, whose documentary opened in September and is playing in theaters nationwide, declined to discuss his familys reactions to his film. In an interview, Jonathan Colby, who lives in Chevy Chase, said he does not understand why Carl implies that his dad committed suicide. Benning. On April 27, 1996, Colby set out from his weekend home in Rock Point, Maryland, on a solo canoe trip. Even though the movie shows Bill testifying before Congress, saying that he issued an order against assassination, Paul, the youngest brother, said he still believes the film slams their father as a mass assassin. (In his memoir Honorable Men, Bill wrote that the vast majority of Phoenix deaths occurred in combat actions with Vietnamese and American military forces. After she identified the body on Monday, she thanked the searchers and said her husband had left the world a better place. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Colby, who had had a somewhat unorthodox career in the CIA focused on political action and counterinsurgency, agreed with Schlesinger's reformist approach. This intelligence surprise reportedly affected Colby's credibility with the Nixon administration. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The film concerned a dead man shes still in love with. [10] The CORDS model and its approach influenced U.S. strategy and thinking on counterinsurgency in the 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan.[12]. But now, "The Man Nobody Knew" has set off a tense division between Carl, his stepmother and his otherwise low-key siblings: Jonathan Colby, 65, a managing director at the Carlyle Group, an investment firm; Paul Colby, 56, a government attorney; and Christine Colby Giraudo, 51, a public relations consultant. Woods, Distinguished Professor of History at the J. William Fulbright School at the University of Arkansas, published his biography of Colby, titled Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby and the CIA. [7] While in Vietnam, Colby focused intensively on building up Vietnamese capabilities to combat the Viet Cong insurgency in the countryside. She was Ambassador of the United States to Barbados, Grenada and Dominica as well as Minister to St Lucia, and Special Representative to Antigua, St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, and St. Vincent from 1979 to 1981, under Jimmy Carter. They are especially upset with the film's suggestion that the former spymaster spent his retirement in deep regret and killed himself on a canoeing trip in the mid-1990s. In 1984, Bill and Barbara divorced. More broadly, along with Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker and Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) commander General Creighton Abrams, Colby was part of a leadership group that worked to apply a new approach to the war designed to focus more on pacification (winning hearts and minds) and securing the countryside as opposed to the "search and destroy" approach that had characterized General William Westmoreland's tenure as MACV commander. He argued that "the key to the war in Vietnam was the war in the villages. The CIAs 10th director was best known for revealing the family jewels a compilation of the agencys assassination attempts, drug testing on unwitting humans and eavesdropping on war protesters. I would have been closer to him.. In the 1980s, Mrs. Colby helped lead a successful effort to win legislation guaranteeing shares of lifetime benefits, survivor benefits and health insurance for former spouses mainly wives of CIA employees. [7][23] In May 2013, Randall B. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Frederick William Colby Sr on this permanent online memorial. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. He was responsible for all the agency's covert operations in Asia from 1962 to 1967, as the United States went to war in Vietnam. William Colby, Man of Contradictions, Found Dead at 76 HARRY F. ROSENTHAL May 6, 1996 WASHINGTON (AP) _ William E. Colby was a professional spy Even though the movie shows Bill testifying before Congress, saying that he issued an order against assassination, Paul, the youngest brother, said he still believes the film slams their father as a "mass assassin." She drew attention to the particular problems, including high divorce rates, that are shouldered by couples who must contend with the rigors of clandestine life. killed himself on a canoeing trip in the mid-1990s. Norwich University hosts an annual writers symposium named in his honor. As bullets whined through the windows of their home, William Colby recalled, he barricaded his wife and children upstairs. The film is about the oldest question: Who are your father and mother? Posing as a diplomat, Mr. Colby served in Stockholm from 1951 to 1953; in Rome from 1953 to 1958; and, fatefully, as the C.I.A. He was deeply critical of the decision to abandon support for Diem, and he believed this played a material part in the weakening of the South Vietnamese position in the years following.[10]. She filled out several pages. When Nixon reshuffled his agency heads and made Schlesinger secretary of defense, Colby emerged as a natural candidate for DCIapparently on the basis of the recommendation that he was a professional who would not make waves. 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