Profile of John Stockwell on Famous Like Me

This page is about the CIA agent; for the actor, see John Stockwell (actor).

John R. Stockwell is a former CIA agent who became a critic of United States government policies after serving in the Agency for 12 years serving seven tours of duty. As Station Chief of the Angola Task Force, he is the highest-ranking CIA agent to ever leave the agency and go public.

Born to a Texan Engineer in Zaire in 1937, Stockwell attended a Presbyterian school in Lubondai before going on to study at the University of Texas. Fluent in both Tshiluba and Swahili, he was sent to help quell Lumumba's uprising in the Congo shortly after joining the United States Marine Corps.

Beginning his career in 1964, Stockwell spent six years in Africa before being transferred to Vietnam to oversee Tay Ninh. By 1975 he was overseeing covert operations inside Angola where he was awarded the CIA Medal of Merit.

In December of 1976 he resigned his post, citing contempt for the methods employed by the CIA in targetting the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola. Two years later he wrote the expose In Search of Enemies, and began giving speeches denouncing the government's use of torture.

John is a founding member of ARDIS (the Association for Responsible Dissent), an organization of former CIA and Government officials who object to the CIA's activities.

Quotes

"It is the function of the CIA to keep the world unstable, and to propagandize and teach the American people to hate, so we will let the Establishment spend any amount of money on arms." -John Stockwell

"Enemies are necessary for the wheels of the U.S. military machine to turn." -John Stockwell

"Short, successful military adventures are as effective as the Super Bowl in diverting people's attention from unpleasant truths." -John Stockwell

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