Wippl Reviews A State of Mind: Faith and the CIA
Joseph Wippl, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence reviewing Rolf Mowratt-Larssen’s A State of Mind: Faith and the CIA.
In the article, titled “HUMINT with Spiritual Awareness,” he explores the work of Rolf Mowratt-Larssen (RML) – former Chief of the Europe Division in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – and his memoir, which details the moral challenges to his faith faced during his time in the intelligence community. Wippl discusses the obstacles that RML faced as a leading within the Directorate of Operations, citing examples of how he felt officers lacked integrity. Wippl outlines RML’s career projection from the Cold War to 9/11 and how, ultimately, he felt the need to resign from the CIA as he was unable “unwilling to deal with corruption.”
An excerpt:
The interspersed description of RML’s conversion within the story of his CIA career may not appeal to every reader. Many will doubt, others will mock, and still others will respect the author for laying out his beliefs and how he came to these beliefs…Be that as it may, RML makes a credible case for piety and love in his relationships with others and the divine.
The full article can be read here.
Joseph Wippl is a former CIA officer. He spent a 30 year career as an operations officer in the National Clandestine Service (NCS). On assignments in CIA headquarters, he served as the Deputy Chief of Human Resources, as the Senior NCS representative to the Aldrich Ames Damage Assessment Team, as Chief of Europe Division and as the CIA’s Director of Congressional Affairs. Prior to his arrival at Boston University, he occupied the Richard Helms Chair for Intelligence Collection in the NCS training program. Wippl has taught at BU since 2006, and speaks and writes widely on issues regarding intelligence. Read more about him here.