Donald Gregg

Donald Phinney Gregg is an American politician.

Personal history

Gregg worked for the CIA for 31 years, from 1951-1982. After graduating from high school he enlisted in the military and received training as a cryptanalyst. He then attended Williams College, in Williamstown, MA, until 1951. Upon his graduation, he was recruited by the CIA. After serving in the agency for 31 years, Gregg was National Security Advisor to Vice-President George H. W. Bush, United States Ambassador to Korea (1989–1993), and the chairman of the board of the Korea Society, where he has called for greater engagement with North Korea. Beginning in September 2009, Gregg retired to the role of chairman emeritus of The Korea Society. He was replaced as chairman of The Korea Society by Thomas C. Hubbard.

Gregg joined the CIA in 1951. (It is not known if Gregg worked in the Miami JM/WAVE office, as Webster Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin claim,^[1] or if he knew Bush from that time, when the latter was CEO of Zapata Corporation.) Gregg then served in Burma (1964–1966), Japan (1966–1969), Vietnam (1970–1972). He worked on the Phoenix Program, where he reported to Ted Shackley. (In 1976, Shackley became Bush's Associate Deputy Director for Operations, the third-highest post at the CIA.)

A friend of President George H. W. Bush, Sr. Gregg was involved with the Iran-Contra scandal from the inception. On March 17, 1983, Felix Rodriguez met with Gregg at the White House, and presented his five-page proposal for the creation of a "Tactical Task Force" for the "pacification" efforts in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Gregg then recommended Rodriguez' plan to National Security Council adviser Robert McFarlane, with a secret one-page memo on "anti-guerrilla operations in Central America." This marked the beginning of US support for the Nicaraguan contras. In June 1985 Gregg met with Rodriguez and Col. Steele of the Salvador military group working with the Contra supply network. In December 1985 Rodriguez attended Bush's White House Christmas party and was introduced as an old friend of Gregg's. In January 1986 Rodriguez met with Gregg's deputy in Salvador. In May 1986 Rodriguez met with Gregg, Bush, and Oliver North in Bush's office. In August 1986 Gregg met with Rodriguez and Bush. (Gregg soon meets with Alan Friers to support arms purchases from Rodriguez instead of Richard Secord.) John K. Singlaub warned North in September 1986 that too much contact with Rodriguez would be bad for the Administration.

^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

In fiction

• Donald Gregg's role as United States Ambassador to Korea was loosely portrayed as the character Gregory Donald in the 1995 novel Op-Center, part of the Tom Clancy's Op-Center series.

References

1. ^ spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk
2. ^ felix
3. ^ CIA drugs
4. ^ consortiumnews
5. ^ CIA drug

Preceded by James R. Lilley

US Ambassador to Korea 1989–1993

Succeeded by James T. Laney

External links

• Korea Society homepage
• Interview with AsiaSource, January 22, 2006.
• Interview with PBS, February 20, 2003.
• Transcript of testimony before the Committee on Foreign Relations of the US Senate, February 4, 2003.
• Interview with PBS, December 19, 1997.
• Walsh reporting Iran-Contra, Chapter 29 "Donald P. Gregg"

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Name	Gregg, Donald
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