Richard Helms

“The clandestine service is the heart and soul of the CIA.”

“The clandestine service is the heart and soul of the Central Intelligence Agency.”

“We do not target American citizens. We target foreign nationals.”

“There are no friends, only interests.”

“There is no question that we have been guilty of some excesses.”

“I think every DCI has the same experience, and that is that the president doesn't want any bad news.”

“Mr. President, the facts are that the CIA has a damn poor record of predicting events.”

“I'm a public servant, and I'm not going to complain about my lot.”

“The real problem is that we are a secret agency in an open society.”

“I had to do what I did. I had to mislead the Congress.”

“There are some secrets that should be kept.”

“You have to be a bit of a bastard to be a good spy.”

“The nation must to a degree take it on faith that we who lead the intelligence community are honorable men, devoted to the nation's service.”

“You have to be a bit of a bastard to be a good spy.”

“The nation must to a degree take it on faith that we too are honorable men devoted to her service.”