[NYTr] Top clandestine official comes out of the shadows -- to retire

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

sent by marcus (activ-l) - aug 13, 2007

AP - Aug 8, 2007


Top clandestine official comes out of the shadows -- to retire 

Jose Rodriguez, one of the CIA's top spooks has come out of the
shadows. With little fanfare, Rodriguez, who heads the National
Clandestine Service, had his cover lifted about a month ago. He's also
retiring later this year after more than three decades with the agency. 

By Katherine Shrader
Associated Press 

With little fanfare, Jose Rodriguez, who heads the National Clandestine
Service, had his cover lifted about a month ago. CIA spokesman Mark
Mansfield said the driving factor was his interest in publicly
participating in minority recruitment events. He's also retiring later
this year after more than three decades with the agency.

Rodriguez is the most important man in the U.S. spy game whose name you
probably never knew. When he was mentioned publicly before now, he was
referred to only as Jose.

Rodriguez became head of the CIA's clandestine service in November
2004. With the creation of the National Clandestine Service the
following year as part of an intelligence reorganization, Rodriguez
rose to be chief of human intelligence operations, overseeing the
classic spycraft that takes place at a variety of U.S. spy agencies.

Unlike his recent predecessors, Rodriguez elected to stay undercover as
he ordered some of the CIA's most sensitive cloak-and-dagger operations
that get little if any public oversight. He believed the head of the
clandestine service shouldn't have a high profile.

In national security circles, however, Rodriguez's identity wasn't a
well-kept secret. Wikipedia users even created an entry about him last
year, although the page contains inaccuracies.

This much is known: Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico, spent much of
his career in Latin America, including in Mexico.

Some officials, who spoke on condition that they not be identified while
discussing Rodriguez's past, have said he got into trouble during the
1990s while trying to help a friend who was arrested for narcotics in
the Dominican Republic. The Justice Department looked into Rodriguez's
actions, but never brought charges.

Although the incident led to his removal as head of the CIA's Latin
America Division, his espionage career continued. He served overseas
and took over as head of the CIA's counterterror center less than a
year after Sept. 11, 2001.

Jose built a reputation for leadership in the field and here at
headquarters, and he guided some of the agency's greatest counterterror
victories, CIA Director Michael Hayden said in a statement.

He has done much to protect our country by strengthening its Clandestine
Service, Hayden added.

Next week, Rodriguez will make his first public appearance when he
speaks about diversity at a border security conference in El Paso,
Texas -- the hometown of the gathering's Democratic host, House
Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes.

Rodriguez has not set a firm date for his retirement, and a replacement
has not yet been announced.