Ralph McGehee

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Ralph W. McGehee (b. 1928) is a former officer of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He worked for the CIA from 1952 to 1977 yet went on to be a critic of the agency.

McGehee was born in Moline, Illinois. He was an All-American football player at Notre Dame when they won three national championships in 1946-1949. McGehee received a B.S. in Business Administration (cum laude). Upon graduation, he failed the try-out for the Green Bay Packers and spent a year as a line coach at University of Dayton.

After moving to Chicago and taking a job as a management trainee at Montgomery Ward, he was recruited by the CIA. Upon completion of training, he was stationed in numerous field offices as well as at CIA headquarters.

Since leaving the CIA, he has been highly critical of the organization. His 1983 book, Deadly Deceits: My 25 Years in the CIA outlines his experiences there. Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair hailed it as "one of the outstanding books written by former CIA agents".

McGehee has written articles on CIA activities for the Washington Post, The Nation, The Progressive, Harper's Magazine and Gannet News Service among others. He has also developed CIABASE, a computer database of CIA figures and programs compiled from available public information.