Bob Gates
As director of Central Intelligence, Bob Gates headed all foreign
intelligence agencies of the United States and directed the Central
Intelligence Agency. During his nearly 27 years as an intelligence
professional, he served six presidents and spent almost a decade on
the National Security Council. Gates is distinguished as the only person
in the CIA's history to rise from entry-level employee to Director.
He has been awarded the National Security Medal, the Presidential Citizens
Medal and is a three-time recipient of the CIA's highest award, the
Distinguished Intelligence Medal.
Gates' memoirs entitled, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, was published in 1996. He received his Ph.D. in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University and is the current President of Texas A&M University.