William J. Casey

William Joseph Casey (March 13, 1913 – May 6, 1987) was the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1981 to 1987.

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A native of Queens, New York, Casey graduated from Fordham University (1934) and St. John's University School of Law (1937). Casey directed the successful presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan in 1980. After Reagan was elected president, he named Casey to the post of Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During his tenure at the CIA, Casey played a large part in the shaping of Reagan's foreign-policy, particularly its approach to Soviet expansionism.

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This period of the Cold War saw a ramping up of the Agency's anti-Soviet activities around the world. Casey was the principal architect of the arms-for-hostages deal that became known as the Iran-Contra affair. He also oversaw covert assistance to the mujahadeen resistance in Afghanistan by working closely with Akhtar Abdur Rahman The Director General of ISI in Pakistan, the Solidarity movement in Poland, and a number of coups and attempted coups in South- and Central America.

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In 1985, Casey authorized the assasination of Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, a prominent anti-American Hezbollah cleric, in Beirut.http://www.theassassinatedpress.com/brazzi2.htm The operation was accredited by then president of the United States Ronald Reagan. The venture was however a failure of dramatic proportions as the Ayatollah escaped unharmed while the car bomb, placed outside a mosque in proximity to the home of the intended target, exploded during rush hour, killing at least 85 civilians while injuring at least 175.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/8/newsid_2516000/2516407.stm

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Prior to heading the CIA, in the 1960s, Casey served as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In World War II, he was a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

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William Casey died of brain cancer in 1987 at the age of 74. He is buried in the Cemetary of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York.

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He was survived by his wife, the former Sophia McDaid, and his daughter, Bernadette Smith.

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Many people feel that Casey's death was convenient, as he avoided testifying at an investigatory committee to be held just days later, the purpose of which was to look into CIA involvement in Iran Contra scandal. His brain cancer was very sudden and killed him just in time.

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