Casey, William Joseph (1913-87) intelligence officer, lawyer, and CIA director (1981-87), born in New York City. During World War II, Casey was the chief of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), overseeing secret intelligence operations for Europe (1944). After serving as Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign manager, Casey was appointed as CIA director and became the longest-serving DCI since Allen Dulles in the 1950s. With the freedoms permitted by the 1980 Intelligence Reform Act, Casey presided over an “unleashed” CIA with an increased budget and an emphasis on clandestine operations, especially in Afghanistan, Angola, and Nicaragua.
Casey's worst embarrassment came in the Iran-Contra Affair (1986); in the hearings that resulted, witnesses claimed that Casey had been involved in the affair; Casey gave false testimony to Congress under oath, but was disabled by a stroke and brain tumor from completing his testimony.See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
