Photo of the Station Chief as a Young Man

One of the people this blog focuses on is Richard Blee (timeline of activities here), who was part of–and appears to have headed–a group of CIA officers and others who, in the run-up to 9/11, withheld information from the FBI, in particular the agents investigating the USS Cole bombing.

During my various googlings, I have found a picture of him. Here it is:

(warning: this is a big graphic)

Future CIA Alec Station chief Richard Blee at school in Delhi, India, in 1966-67.

Blee is the one standing up at the back and reading to the teacher. The caption for the picture reads: “When you write the story yourself, you just can’t help reading it… over and over and over. Perusing these special stories are, seated, Kim Baiser, Malcolm Garg, Amanda Lewis, Jerry Helffrich, and Jeffery Manderscheid. Standing: teacher Mrs. Judith Warren listens with interest as Richard Blee reads.”

The picture was found in a yearbook for the American International School in Delhi, India, and appears to date from the 1966-67 school year.  Blee’s father David was chief of the CIA’s station in Delhi at this time, and came to fame within the agency when he arranged the defection of Stalin’s daughter to the west via India.