CIA, FBI chief passes away at age 101
(MENAFN) William H. Webster, the only person to have led both the FBI and CIA, passed away on Friday at the age of 101, according to his family. A former judge, Webster was appointed FBI Director in 1978 during a turbulent period marked by corruption and surveillance scandals, serving nearly ten years before heading the CIA from 1987 to 1991 under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
His family remembered him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and patriot. The FBI praised him as a committed public servant with over six decades of service, expressing lasting gratitude for his contributions.
Born on March 6, 1924, in St. Louis, Missouri, Webster served as a Navy lieutenant in both World War II and the Korean War. He earned his law degree from Washington University in 1949 and worked as a federal prosecutor and district judge before leading the FBI. His tenure began amid controversies over illegal surveillance and break-ins; shortly after he took charge, a grand jury indicted former bureau officials for unlawful raids targeting associates of far-left fugitives.
Webster believed that heads of intelligence agencies should be willing to resign if asked to carry out unethical orders.
As CIA Director, Webster managed the agency through the Iran-Contra scandal fallout, where US officials illegally sold arms to Iran and funneled proceeds to Nicaraguan rebels despite congressional bans. He retired in 1991 but continued to serve in various public roles, including advising on homeland security and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Though respected, Webster faced criticism, particularly for failing to uncover Soviet spy Aldrich Ames earlier and for his limited foreign policy expertise. Some also questioned his intelligence judgments during the Gulf War and the Soviet Union’s collapse. In 2002, he briefly led a board on accounting oversight but resigned amid controversy over links to a company accused of fraud. Additionally, his cautious stance on domestic surveillance while at the FBI drew criticism.
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