Jose Rodriguez (intelligence)
Encyclopedia
Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr. was the Director of the National Clandestine Service
(D/NCS) of the United States
Central Intelligence Agency
. He was the last CIA Deputy Director for Operations (DDO) before that position was expanded to D/NCS in December 2004. This is the top Human Intelligence operations post in the United States government.
in 1948, Rodriguez attended the University of Florida
, earning both a bachelor's and law degree. He joined the CIA in 1976 and served for 31 years. According to Gen (Retired) Michael Hayden, "Jose built a reputation for leadership in the field and here at headquarters, and he guided some of the agency's greatest counterterror victories." "He has done much to protect our country by strengthening its Clandestine Service," Hayden added. Other colleagues cite him as "one of the best" field operatives in his time at the CIA.
Much of his career was as an officer under the Directorate of Operations in the Latin America division, assigned to work in countries ranging from Peru
to Belize
. Over time he was promoted to Chief of Station in Panama
, Mexico
, and the Dominican Republic
and ultimately Director of the Latin American Division. He served in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina
from 1994 to 1996. He transferred to Mexico City
in 1999 where he again served as a Station Chief, the most senior CIA post in a large and obviously important country in the area. Rodriguez was then appointed Chief of the Latin America Division for the Agency's Directorate of Operations. This progression over 20 years to the top role in the Latin American Division set him apart as a key leader in the operations arena, during a period where the Cold War, counter-narcotics, insurgencies and U.S. invasion of Panama where key drivers of intelligence activity in the region.
Immediately after 9/11, Rodriguez was appointed Chief of Staff of the Counter Terrorism Center (CTC). In May 2002, Rodriguez was promoted to the post of Director CTC. The CTC is one of the premier organizations within the CIA and brings together case officers, operators, analysts, technologists to work the terrorism problem. In the aftermath of 9/11, this was the focal point within the Agency to orchestrate the global campaign against Al Qaeda. In this capacity, Rodriguez was responsible for driving the CIA operations and the targeting analysis necessary to uncover terrorists in the Al Qaeda network. In the time period that Rodriguez stepped in, the CTC grew sharply. The number of analysts quadrupled and the number of operations officers doubled. In 2004 Rodriguez advised the organizers of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, including the chief organizer, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
, on security matters and counterterrorism. “The actions we took in the aftermath of 9/11 were harsh but necessary and effective. These steps were fully sanctioned and carefully followed. The detention and interrogation of top terrorists like Abu Zubaydah, Khalid Sheikh Muhammed and Abu Faraj al-Libbi yielded breakthroughs which have kept this country safe,” Rodriguez said in a press release.
to become the Deputy Director for Operations. Rodriguez continued in his capacity as the head of CIA clandestine operations, now as Director of the National Clandestine Service. In this expanded role, Rodriguez is the chief of all human intelligence gathering (HUMINT
) conducted by the U.S. government, including outside agencies. On February 7, 2006, Rodriguez fired Robert Grenier, his successor as Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center, for not being "aggressive" enough in combating terrorism.
.
, Rodriguez was questioned by the FBI about his role in the scandal after allegations of CIA involvement emerged. No charges or actions were brought against him in connection to Iran-Contra. Much later, in 1997, Rodriguez interceded in the drug-related arrest of a friend in the Dominican Republic, reportedly trying to ensure he was not abused or mis-treated. According to the New York Times, the CIA's inspector general criticized Mr. Rodriguez for a “remarkable lack of judgment.” Few details are public regarding this incident and it clearly did not rise to a level that precluded Rodriguez from being immediately assigned to a sensitive and important follow-on task, namely Station Chief in Mexico.
As of May 2011, Rodriguez is engaged in writing a book, "Hard Measures" which tells the story of the campaign against Al Qaeda.This effort, or the CIA's lead portion of it, concerns the capture of a number of the key operational leaders in Al Qaeda's global network. Rodriguez recently told Time magazine that leads coming from key detainees early in the campaign against Al Qaeda were crucial in ultimately leading to the raid on Usama bin Laden's compound. Rodriguez readily admits the role of other sources and efforts, but argues the impact of the interrogation of senior leaders early on should not be lost. As Time reported directly, "Rodriguez agrees that other events played a role in developing the intelligence on bin Laden's whereabouts. And he says that despite widespread focus on KSM, al Libbi's information was the most important. "Both KSM and al Libbi were held at CIA black sites and subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques," Rodriguez says. "Abu Faraj was not waterboarded, but his information on the courier was key." This will certainly be a viewpoint contested by others, but represents the perspective of the former Director of the CIA's Counter Terrorism Center during this critical period.
." The interrogations of two of the key leaders were videotaped.
In 2005, while head of the Clandestine Service, Rodriguez ordered that video tape recordings of two 2002 CIA interrogations be destroyed. CIA officials initially stated that the recordings were destroyed to protect the identity of the interrogators, after they were no longer of intelligence value to any investigations. "He would always say, 'I'm not going to let my people get nailed for something they were ordered to do,' " said Robert Richer, Rodriguez's deputy recalling conversations with his boss about the tapes. It was later revealed that the deputy to Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, then Executive Director of the CIA, wrote in an e-mail that Rodriguez thought "the heat from destroying is nothing compared to what it would be if the tapes ever got into public domain -- he said that out of context they would make us look terrible; it would be 'devastating' to us."
The tapes reportedly showed two men held in CIA custody, Abu Zubaida and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
, being subjected to a program of 'enhanced' interrogation techniques
which included a procedure called "waterboarding
". Critics allege these methods amount to torture
and the tapes were evidence both protected by court order and the 9/11 Commission
. Although Rodriguez's record has come under scrutiny after it was reported that the destruction of the videotapes was allegedly in defiance of orders from then-CIA Director Porter Goss. .
Summoned by congressional subpoena, he was excused from a January 16, 2008 House Intelligence Committee hearing on a request from his lawyer Robert S. Bennett
. Rodriguez has requested immunity in exchange for his testimony on the tape recordings. Larry C. Johnson
, a former CIA analyst familiar with Rodriguez and the tapes, commented in a December 23, 2007 Sunday Times story that "it looks increasingly as though the decision was made by the White House." He also alleged it is "highly likely" that President George W. Bush
saw one of the videos.
After an exhaustive three-year investigation into the destruction of the video tapes of the interrogations (including pictures of the interrogators), the Justice Department announced in November 2010 it would not pursue any charges against Jose Rodriguez. As the Washington Post reported, "Robert S. Bennett, an attorney for Rodriguez, said he is "pleased that the Justice Department has decided not to go forward against Mr. Rodriguez. This is the right decision because of the facts and the law.
Rodriguez continues to work in the private sector and recently provided interviews to Time Magazine in the aftermath of the killing of Usama Bin Laden.
Director of the National Clandestine Service
The Director of the National Clandestine Service is a senior United States government official in the U.S...
(D/NCS) of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. He was the last CIA Deputy Director for Operations (DDO) before that position was expanded to D/NCS in December 2004. This is the top Human Intelligence operations post in the United States government.
Service with CIA
Born in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
in 1948, Rodriguez attended the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, earning both a bachelor's and law degree. He joined the CIA in 1976 and served for 31 years. According to Gen (Retired) Michael Hayden, "Jose built a reputation for leadership in the field and here at headquarters, and he guided some of the agency's greatest counterterror victories." "He has done much to protect our country by strengthening its Clandestine Service," Hayden added. Other colleagues cite him as "one of the best" field operatives in his time at the CIA.
Much of his career was as an officer under the Directorate of Operations in the Latin America division, assigned to work in countries ranging from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
to Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. Over time he was promoted to Chief of Station in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and ultimately Director of the Latin American Division. He served in the U.S. Embassy in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 1994 to 1996. He transferred to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1999 where he again served as a Station Chief, the most senior CIA post in a large and obviously important country in the area. Rodriguez was then appointed Chief of the Latin America Division for the Agency's Directorate of Operations. This progression over 20 years to the top role in the Latin American Division set him apart as a key leader in the operations arena, during a period where the Cold War, counter-narcotics, insurgencies and U.S. invasion of Panama where key drivers of intelligence activity in the region.
Immediately after 9/11, Rodriguez was appointed Chief of Staff of the Counter Terrorism Center (CTC). In May 2002, Rodriguez was promoted to the post of Director CTC. The CTC is one of the premier organizations within the CIA and brings together case officers, operators, analysts, technologists to work the terrorism problem. In the aftermath of 9/11, this was the focal point within the Agency to orchestrate the global campaign against Al Qaeda. In this capacity, Rodriguez was responsible for driving the CIA operations and the targeting analysis necessary to uncover terrorists in the Al Qaeda network. In the time period that Rodriguez stepped in, the CTC grew sharply. The number of analysts quadrupled and the number of operations officers doubled. In 2004 Rodriguez advised the organizers of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, including the chief organizer, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki
Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki is a Greek business woman. She is best known for being the president of the bidding and organizing committee for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece...
, on security matters and counterterrorism. “The actions we took in the aftermath of 9/11 were harsh but necessary and effective. These steps were fully sanctioned and carefully followed. The detention and interrogation of top terrorists like Abu Zubaydah, Khalid Sheikh Muhammed and Abu Faraj al-Libbi yielded breakthroughs which have kept this country safe,” Rodriguez said in a press release.
CIA/Deputy Director for Operations and head of NCS
On November 16, 2004, Rodriguez succeeded Stephen KappesStephen Kappes
Stephen R. Kappes was the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency , until his resignation on April 14, 2010. He had served in the CIA since 1981, with a two-year hiatus. A career clandestine operations professional, Mr...
to become the Deputy Director for Operations. Rodriguez continued in his capacity as the head of CIA clandestine operations, now as Director of the National Clandestine Service. In this expanded role, Rodriguez is the chief of all human intelligence gathering (HUMINT
HUMINT
HUMINT, a syllabic abbreviation of the words HUMan INTelligence, refers to intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and MASINT...
) conducted by the U.S. government, including outside agencies. On February 7, 2006, Rodriguez fired Robert Grenier, his successor as Director of the CIA Counterterrorism Center, for not being "aggressive" enough in combating terrorism.
Retirement
After 31 years, Rodiguez retired on September 30, 2007; he was replaced by Michael SulickMichael Sulick
Michael J. Sulick is an American intelligence officer and served as Director of the U.S. National Clandestine Service from 2007-2010....
.
Issues in CIA career
Like many officers in the Latin American Division, during the Iran-Contra AffairIran-Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...
, Rodriguez was questioned by the FBI about his role in the scandal after allegations of CIA involvement emerged. No charges or actions were brought against him in connection to Iran-Contra. Much later, in 1997, Rodriguez interceded in the drug-related arrest of a friend in the Dominican Republic, reportedly trying to ensure he was not abused or mis-treated. According to the New York Times, the CIA's inspector general criticized Mr. Rodriguez for a “remarkable lack of judgment.” Few details are public regarding this incident and it clearly did not rise to a level that precluded Rodriguez from being immediately assigned to a sensitive and important follow-on task, namely Station Chief in Mexico.
Career after CIA
After reportedly being heavily recruited to join the international security firm, Blackwater, Rodriguez instead joined the privately owned National Interest Security Company in Fairfax, Virginia, which combined several formerly independent companies. In NISC, Rodriguez was made a Senior Vice President in Edge Consulting, an intelligence assessment and strategy consulting group. Edge Consulting (now apart of IBM) was founded by Chris Whitlock and Frank Strickland to assess intelligence performance with special emphasis on Iraq and Afghanistan, while also working issues in the broader intelligence community. NISC was purchased by IBM in March of 2010. Rodriguez appeared in some press around the acquisition by IBM as part of the rationale for the big firm's purchase of NISC with its specialization in the intelligence and defense communities.As of May 2011, Rodriguez is engaged in writing a book, "Hard Measures" which tells the story of the campaign against Al Qaeda.This effort, or the CIA's lead portion of it, concerns the capture of a number of the key operational leaders in Al Qaeda's global network. Rodriguez recently told Time magazine that leads coming from key detainees early in the campaign against Al Qaeda were crucial in ultimately leading to the raid on Usama bin Laden's compound. Rodriguez readily admits the role of other sources and efforts, but argues the impact of the interrogation of senior leaders early on should not be lost. As Time reported directly, "Rodriguez agrees that other events played a role in developing the intelligence on bin Laden's whereabouts. And he says that despite widespread focus on KSM, al Libbi's information was the most important. "Both KSM and al Libbi were held at CIA black sites and subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques," Rodriguez says. "Abu Faraj was not waterboarded, but his information on the courier was key." This will certainly be a viewpoint contested by others, but represents the perspective of the former Director of the CIA's Counter Terrorism Center during this critical period.
Controversy over destruction of interrogation videotapes
In the campaign against Al Qaeda, several senior leaders in the organization were captured by the CIA in 2002. They were subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniquesEnhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
." The interrogations of two of the key leaders were videotaped.
In 2005, while head of the Clandestine Service, Rodriguez ordered that video tape recordings of two 2002 CIA interrogations be destroyed. CIA officials initially stated that the recordings were destroyed to protect the identity of the interrogators, after they were no longer of intelligence value to any investigations. "He would always say, 'I'm not going to let my people get nailed for something they were ordered to do,' " said Robert Richer, Rodriguez's deputy recalling conversations with his boss about the tapes. It was later revealed that the deputy to Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, then Executive Director of the CIA, wrote in an e-mail that Rodriguez thought "the heat from destroying is nothing compared to what it would be if the tapes ever got into public domain -- he said that out of context they would make us look terrible; it would be 'devastating' to us."
The tapes reportedly showed two men held in CIA custody, Abu Zubaida and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri is a Saudi Arabian citizen alleged to be the mastermind of the USS Cole bombing and other terrorist attacks, he allegedly headed al-Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf states prior to his capture in November 2002 by the CIA's Special Activities Division.The...
, being subjected to a program of 'enhanced' interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques
Enhanced interrogation techniques or alternative set of procedures are terms adopted by the George W. Bush administration in the United States to describe certain severe interrogation methods, often described as torture...
which included a procedure called "waterboarding
Waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
". Critics allege these methods amount to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and the tapes were evidence both protected by court order and the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
. Although Rodriguez's record has come under scrutiny after it was reported that the destruction of the videotapes was allegedly in defiance of orders from then-CIA Director Porter Goss. .
Summoned by congressional subpoena, he was excused from a January 16, 2008 House Intelligence Committee hearing on a request from his lawyer Robert S. Bennett
Robert S. Bennett
Robert S. Bennett is an American attorney best known for representing President Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal. Bennett is also famous for representing Judith Miller in the Valerie Plame CIA leak grand jury investigation case, Caspar Weinberger, the U.S...
. Rodriguez has requested immunity in exchange for his testimony on the tape recordings. Larry C. Johnson
Larry C. Johnson
Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State...
, a former CIA analyst familiar with Rodriguez and the tapes, commented in a December 23, 2007 Sunday Times story that "it looks increasingly as though the decision was made by the White House." He also alleged it is "highly likely" that President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
saw one of the videos.
After an exhaustive three-year investigation into the destruction of the video tapes of the interrogations (including pictures of the interrogators), the Justice Department announced in November 2010 it would not pursue any charges against Jose Rodriguez. As the Washington Post reported, "Robert S. Bennett, an attorney for Rodriguez, said he is "pleased that the Justice Department has decided not to go forward against Mr. Rodriguez. This is the right decision because of the facts and the law.
Rodriguez continues to work in the private sector and recently provided interviews to Time Magazine in the aftermath of the killing of Usama Bin Laden.
See also
- Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention ActIntelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention ActThe Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 , , is a 236-page Act of Congress, signed by President George W. Bush, that broadly affects US federal terrorism laws. In juxtaposition with the single-subject rule, the act is composed of several separate titles with varying subject...
- National Clandestine ServiceNational Clandestine ServiceThe National Clandestine Service is one of the four main components of the Central Intelligence Agency...
- 2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction2005 CIA interrogation tapes destructionThe CIA interrogation tapes destruction occurred on November 9, 2005. The videotapes were made by the United States Central Intelligence Agency during interrogations of Al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri in 2002 at a CIA black site prison in Thailand.. 90 tapes were made of...
External links
- CIA Top Dirty Spy Dangles Bait Nachrichten Heute