John N. McMahon (born July 3, 1929) is a former senior

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

official of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

Background

John Norman McMahon was born on July 3, 1929, in East Norwalk, Connecticut. His parents were Frederick Francis McMahon and Elizabeth Collins. In 1951, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the

College of Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a Private college, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwi ...

Career

CIA

McMahon joined the CIA in 1951 or 1966. He served as

Deputy Director for Operations The deputy director of the CIA for operations is a senior United States government official in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who serves as head of the Directorate of Operations (CIA), Directorate of Operations. The position was established ...

from January 11, 1978, to April 12, 1981, and later, nominated by US President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, as

Deputy Director of Central Intelligence The deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DD/CIA) is a statutory office () and the second-highest official of the Central Intelligence Agency. The DD/CIA assists the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) and is author ...

under Director

William J. Casey William Joseph Casey (March 13, 1913 – May 6, 1987) was an American lawyer who was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1981 to 1987. In this capacity he oversaw the entire United States Intelligence Community and personally directed the ...

as of April 27, 1982, succeeding

Bobby Ray Inman Bobby Ray Inman (born April 4, 1931) is a retired United States Navy admiral who held several influential positions in the United States Intelligence Community. Early years Inman was born and raised in the community of Rhonesboro, Texas, in the ...

. Questioning McMahon during his nomination included US Senators

Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick Moynihan (; March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and social scientist. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he represented New York (state), New York in the ...

(who guided publication of the

VENONA The Venona project was a United States counterintelligence program initiated during World War II by the United States Army's Signal Intelligence Service and later absorbed by the National Security Agency (NSA), that ran from February 1, 1943, u ...

papers in the mid-1990s). On March 4, 1986, McMahon, age 56, resigned and left office on March 26, succeeded by

Robert M. Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and retained b ...

. "McMahon had clashed with Capitol Hill conservatives who considered him less than zealous in his support of aid to guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan and Nicaragua." President Reagan expressed regret at his resignation.

Lockheed Martin

In August 1986, McMahon joined

Lockheed Martin Corporation The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North Bethesda, Ma ...

as an executive vice president for plans and programs in its Missiles & Space Company. In 1995, McMahon was president and CEO of Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. In 2004, McMahon was registered as a lobbyist for the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Post-career

In May 2015, 20 ex-CIA officials, including McMahon, signed a letter opposing the decision by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

to publish the names of three undercover officers working for the CIA.

Awards

* 1995: Distinguished Public Service Medal from

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Personal life

On April 15, 1952, McMahon married Margaret Joan Hugger, with whom he had four children: Patricia Joy, Christopher John, Timothy Richard, and Peter Collins.

References

External sources

Wilson Center
JOHN N. MCMAHON, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR NATIONAL FOREIGN ASSESSMENT, TO AMBASSADOR RICHARD T. KENNEDY, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR MANAGEMENT, 'SPECIAL NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE ON INDIAN REACTIONS TO NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENTS IN PAKISTAN,' 31-32/81
U.S. Senate
Nomination of John N. McMahon: Hearing Before the Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States Senate, Ninety-seventh Congress, Second Session, on Nomination of John N. McMahon to be Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (May 26, 27, 1982)
US Department of State
Memorandum From the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (McMahon) to the Deputy Director for Intelligence (Gates) (1982)
Central Intelligence Agency
Statement of John N. McMahon, Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (April 13, 1984)
Central Intelligence Agency
An Interview with Former DDCI John N. McMahon (1997-1998) Deputy directors of the Central Intelligence Agency 1929 births Living people {{US-gov-bio-stub