Richard M. Bissell Jr.
Richard M. Bissell Jr. | |
|---|---|
| First Co-Director of the National Reconnaissance Office | |
| In office September 1961 – February 1962 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Joseph V. Charyk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. September 18, 1909 Hartford, Connecticut, United States |
| Died | February 7, 1994 (aged 84) Farmington, Connecticut, United States |
| Spouse |
Ann Cornelia Bushnell
(m. 1940) |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Yale University London School of Economics |
| Profession | Central Intelligence Agency officer |
Richard Mervin Bissell Jr. (September 18, 1909 – February 7, 1994) was an American Central Intelligence Agency officer responsible for major projects such as the U-2 spy plane and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The journalist Annie Jacobsen said he was referred to by many as "the mayor of Area 51" due to his close involvement in turning that Nevada salt flat into a top-secret U-2 testing facility.