Haviland Smith

Haviland Smith (August 25, 1929 – June 20, 2024) was an American CIA station chief who worked in Prague, Berlin, Langley, Beirut, and Tehran, primarily on issues related to the Soviet Union. He also served as chief of the counterrorism staff and as executive assistant to the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Frank Carlucci.

Early life and education

Smith was a graduate of Exeter, Dartmouth College, and the University of London. He served in the U.S. Army at the United States Army Security Agency before joining the CIA.

USS Liberty incident

Smith was stationed in Beirut, Lebanon during the 1967 Six-Day War. After the Israeli Defense Forces attacked the USS Liberty, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dwight J. Porter revealed that he had listened to radio transcripts that showed the Israelis knew they were attacking an American ship.[1] Smith said that although he never saw the transcripts, he had “heard on a number of occasions exactly the story that you just told me about what that transcript contained. [I was later told] that ultimately all of the transcripts were deep-sixed. I was told that they were deep-sixed because the administration did not wish to embarrass the Israelis.”[2][3]

Special techniques

He was the creator of espionage techniques used by the CIA during the Cold War in the Soviet Union and East Europe, including the brush contact and the creation and manipulation of the "gap".

Post CIA career

Since his retirement, Smith contributed Op-eds to local New England papers as well as The Boston Globe, the Hartford Courant, The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post. He also wrote regularly for Nieman Watchdog and American Diplomacy and lectured around the Eastern U.S. on Russia, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, Terrorism and the intelligence process.

Smith died at his home in Monroe Township, New Jersey, on June 25, 2024, at the age of 94, following a battle with COVID-19 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[4]

References
  1. "The Liberty Incident: Interview of Ambassador Dwight J. Porter".
  2. "New revelations in attack on American spy ship". Chicago Tribune.
  3. "New revelations in attack on American spy ship".
  4. Smith, Harrison. "Haviland Smith, who helped CIA officers avoid detection, dies at 94". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2024.

Sources
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