The Controversial Legacy of James Jesus Angleton: Resignation from the CIA (1974)

James Jesus Angleton was a high-ranking officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who played a key role in the agency's counterintelligence efforts during the Cold War. He is perhaps best known for his controversial tenure as chief of the CIA's Counterintelligence Staff, a position he held from 1954 to 1975.

In 1974, following a series of scandals and controversies, Angleton resigned from his position at the CIA. The exact reasons for his resignation remain the subject of debate, but it is widely believed to have been related to his role in the agency's controversial domestic surveillance programs and his obsessive pursuit of Soviet spies within the CIA.

Angleton's resignation marked the end of a long and distinguished career in the intelligence community, but it also highlighted the ongoing tensions and controversies surrounding the CIA's operations and policies. His legacy continues to be the subject of much discussion and analysis among scholars, policymakers, and the general public, with some seeing him as a dedicated patriot and others as a dangerous and paranoid figure.