Ralph McGehee was one of the most courageous humans I have ever met, as he passed on from this world on May 2, 2020 at age 92 years old. He also happens to be my grandfather, my Papa. It is my deep honor to have had the privilege to interview him about his life serving in the CIA in Southeast Asia, and his disillusionment with what he was being asked to do by the US government. His bravery in sharing the truth, in going public with a book that was widely received by the press and the American public. He was an inspiration to me and I think to many others as well.

Ralph Walter McGehee was an American former officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He worked for the CIA from 1952 to 1977, yet went on to be highly critical of the agency. He was an All-American football player atUniversity of Notre Dame when they won three national championships in 1946-1949. McGehee received a B.S. in Business Administration cum laude). Upon graduation, he spent a year as an offensive line coach at University of Dayton. After moving to Chicago and taking a job as a management trainee at Montgomery Ward, he was recruited by the CIA. Upon completion of training, he was stationed in numerous field offices as well as at CIA headquarters. Since leaving the CIA, he has been highly critical of the organization. In spite of this, in 1977 McGehee was awarded the CIA's Career Intelligence Medal. His 1983 book, Deadly Deceits: My 25 Years in the CIA outlines his experiences there. Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair hailed it as "one of the outstanding books written by former CIA agents". McGehee has written articles on CIA activities for the Washington Post, The Nation, The Progressive, Harper's Magazine and Gannet News Service among others. He has also developed CIABASE, a computer database of CIA figures and programs compiled from available public information.

"The CIA is not now nor has it ever been a central intelligence agency. It is the covert action arm of the President's foreign policy advisers. In that capacity it overthrows or supports foreign governments while reporting "intelligence" justifying those activities. It shapes its intelligence, even in such critical areas as Soviet nuclear weapon capability, to support presidential policy. Disinformation is a large part of its covert action responsibility, and the American people are the primary target audience of its lies." - Ralph McGehee

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