Richard Helms

Richard McGarrah Helms (1913–2002) was Director of Central Intelligence (1966–1973) who in 1973 ordered the destruction of most MKUltra files before the program could be fully investigated by Congress. Only a partial cache of financial records survived (discovered in 1977), enabling limited exposure through the Church Committee and Rockefeller Commission. Helms was convicted of perjury (1977) for lying to Congress about CIA activities — a conviction that only scratched the surface of the cover-up.

See Also

• MKUltra — the program whose records Helms destroyed
• U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — the agency Helms directed
• Allen Dulles — Helms’s predecessor
• Sidney Gottlieb — the MKUltra chief whose files Helms ordered burned
• Church Committee — the Senate investigation Helms obstructed