vault backup: 2026-09-21 22:39:08

10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/James McCord.md

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ created: 2026-09-21
 updated: 2026-09-21
 ---
 
-James Walter McCord Jr. was born at [[Waurika, Oklahoma]], on January 26, 1924, and finished high school at [[Electra, Texas]], in 1940. He kept books at the Electra State Bank, joined the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in March 1942 as a radio technician, served as a bombardier in the Army Air Corps from November 1943 to November 1945, took a business degree at the [[University of Texas]] in 1948, and was an FBI special agent in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], [[San Diego]], and [[San Francisco]] from October 1948 to February 1951. He joined the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] on August 22, 1951, and served in the [[CIA Office of Security|Office of Security]] until August 31, 1970. The agency's summary of his service records two years as an investigator, seven years "engaged in research and report writing," appointment in May 1957 as deputy chief "of a research staff of some six professional and clerical personnel," two years abroad as "Chief of a regional staff of some ten professional and clerical personnel providing a full spectrum of security support," a year at the [[Air War College]] from August 1964, command of the technical security division from 1965 to 1968, "some 40 professional and clerical personnel," and from October 1968 command of the physical security division of about 70, which "produced for the Agency a physical security posture of pre-eminent quality within the US Government." A personnel form of July 2, 1970, records his separation as "Retirement (Involuntary) Under CIA Retirement and Disability System," at grade GS-15, step 8, salary 24,228 dollars, "pursuant to a request from the Head of the Security Career Service." [[Richard Helms]] wrote to him at Rockville on August 19: "Your faithful and loyal support has measured up to the high ideals and traditions of the Federal service."[^1] On an [[Atomic Energy Commission]] security questionnaire of May 1962 he reported official trips to Britain and the Continent every year from 1955 to 1961.[^2] An agency cable after his arrest shows it had been "concerned with McCord's emotional stability prior to his retirement."[^3]
+James Walter McCord Jr. was born at [[Waurika, Oklahoma]], on January 26, 1924, and finished high school at [[Electra, Texas]], in 1940. He kept books at the Electra State Bank, joined the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] in March 1942 as a radio technician, served as a bombardier in the Army Air Corps from November 1943 to November 1945, took a business degree at the [[University of Texas]] in 1948, and was an FBI special agent in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], [[San Diego]], and [[San Francisco]] from October 1948 to February 1951. He joined the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] on August 22, 1951, and served in the [[CIA Office of Security|Office of Security]] until August 31, 1970. The agency's summary of his service records two years as an investigator, seven years "engaged in research and report writing," appointment in May 1957 as deputy chief "of a research staff of some six professional and clerical personnel," two years abroad as "Chief of a regional staff of some ten professional and clerical personnel providing a full spectrum of security support," a year at the [[Air War College]] from August 1964, command of the technical security division from 1965 to 1968, "some 40 professional and clerical personnel," and from October 1968 command of the physical security division of about 70, which "produced for the Agency a physical security posture of pre-eminent quality within the US Government." A personnel form of July 2, 1970, records his separation as "Retirement (Involuntary) Under CIA Retirement and Disability System," at grade GS-15, step 8, salary 24,228 dollars, "pursuant to a request from the Head of the Security Career Service." [[Richard Helms]] wrote to him at Rockville on August 19: "Your faithful and loyal support has measured up to the high ideals and traditions of the Federal service."[^1] His security file holds the office's report of November 1958 on the [[1958 C-118 shootdown over Azerbaijan|C-118 forced down in Soviet Azerbaijan]] that June while carrying cargo for the agency, to whose debriefing the office sent two of its men. On an [[Atomic Energy Commission]] security questionnaire of May 1962 he reported official trips to Britain and the Continent every year from 1955 to 1961.[^2] An agency cable after his arrest shows it had been "concerned with McCord's emotional stability prior to his retirement."[^3]
 
 From June 1962 to June 1964 he was chief of the agency's Regional Security Support Staff in [[Frankfurt]]. The director of security told the inspector general in 1975, answering a question from the [[Church Committee]], that "neither Mr. Hunt nor Mr. McCord were in charge of Mexican operations at the time of the Kennedy assassination."[^4]