Henry A. Crumpton

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Henry A. Crumpton
Hank Crumpton in 2005
Coordinator for Counterterrorism
In office
August 2, 2005 – February 2, 2007
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byCofer Black
Succeeded byDell L. Dailey
Personal details
Born
Henry Alva Crumpton[1]

1957 (age 66–67)
Athens, Georgia, U.S.[2]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of New Mexico (BA)
Johns Hopkins SAIS, (MA)

Henry "Hank" A. Crumpton (born 1957)[3] is a retired Central Intelligence Agency operations officer, in his 24 year career he was appointed deputy director of the Counterterrorism Center and head the CIA's National Resources Division,[4] which focuses on operations in the United States.[5] He played an instrumental role in the early days of the invasion of Afghanistan, leading CTC Special Operations paramilitary forces as some of the first people with boots on the ground in pursuit of the Taliban and al-Qaeda just weeks after 9/11.[6] Gary Schroen's seven man Northern Alliance Liaison Team (NALT) forged alliances and established camp in the mountains, while Crumpton crafted a plan for a larger incursion alongside others like Greg Vogle and Chris Wood. He went on to be appointed by President George W. Bush as Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State with the rank of Ambassador-at-large on August 2, 2005.[2][7] He is an author and co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of the business intelligence and political risk firm Crumpton Global LLC.[8][9][10][11][12]

Early life and education[edit]

Crumpton grew up in rural Georgia. At age 16 he left home for Alabama, where he worked nights in a carpet factory while studying for his high school diploma during the day. He attended St. John's in Santa Fe, New Mexico, then transferred to the University of New Mexico where he earned a BA in political science in 1978.[13] After graduating he traveled in Asia, the Soviet Union and Western Europe.[14] He has a master's in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, where he graduated with honors in 2003.[15][16]

Counterterrorism career[edit]

In 1981,[3] at the age of 23,[citation needed] Crumpton became the youngest trainee in his class at the CIA. He began his career at the CIA in the Africa division in Liberia[17] in the 1980s.[18] In 1998-99 he served as deputy chief in the FBI’s International Terrorism Operations Section, while on loan from CIA.[19] In 1998 he investigated the al Qaeda bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 attack of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen.[17] On the day of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Crumpton had just taken over as CIA station chief in Canberra.[20] He was recalled to become chief of Counterterrorism Center/Special Operations (CTC/SO) in the CIA, in charge of day-to-day running of the war in Afghanistan. involved with Afghanistan until 2002 when he moved on to calmer assignments.[21] He was the deputy director of the Counter-Terrorism Center from 1999 to 2001,[22] and head of one of the agency's most secret divisions, the National Resources Division, from 2003 to 2005.[23] As head of the National Resources Division he hired future CIA Director Gina Haspel as his deputy.[24] He also was the head of the US covert response in Afghanistan to the September 11, 2001 attack,[5] masterminding the 90-day overthrow of the Taliban.[25] He worked for the CIA for a total of 24 years,[26] served as State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of ambassador-at-large,[17] and retired from government service in 2007.[27]

Post-government career[edit]

In 2008 Crumpton founded [15] and is the CEO of the international advisory and business development firm Crumpton Group LLC. He is also the CEO of Crumpton Ventures, an investment group specializing in telecommunications, cyber-security, unmanned aerial systems, and more.[15] In 2020, he and former Hill+Knowlton Strategies Chairman Jack Martin formed Martin+Crumpton Group LLC, an intelligence and public strategy consultancy, serving as co-Chairmen and co-CEOs.[28] In 2022, he renamed the company Crumpton Global LLC.

Crumpton is also involved in TV and film production, creating and leading film company Aardwolf Creative LLC.[26] Together with his business partner, former CIA analyst Rodney Faraon, he was an executive producer for NBC's “State of Affairs” starring Katherine Heigl.[29]

Author[edit]

In 2012 Crumpton published a memoir about his 24 years working for the CIA entitled, The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA's Clandestine Service.[30][31] The book is currently being developed as a movie titled Aperture.[32]

He contributed two chapters to the book Transforming US Intelligence, edited by Jennifer E. Sims and former CIA operations officer Burton Gerber, published in 2005.[17]

Books featuring Crumpton[edit]

He is the “Hank” featured in Gary C. Schroen’s book: First In: An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Bush at War by Bob Woodward.[17] Crumpton has also been identified as the “Henry” in the September 11 Commission Report.[33]

Awards and honors[edit]

  • The Intelligence Commendation Medal
  • The George HW Bush Award for excellence in counter-terrorism
  • The Sherman Kent Award
  • The Donovan Award
  • The Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA's highest achievement award[34][better source needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Minutes". University of New Mexico Board of Regents. 14 May 1978. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  2. ^ a b "Biography: Henry A. Crumpton". US Dept of State Archive. 3 August 2005. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  3. ^ a b Wong, Kristina (2 June 2015). "Former CIA Spy: Obama doing 'lousy job' in fight against ISIS". The Hill. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  4. ^ "In Profile". The Washington Post. 2005-09-12. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  5. ^ a b "Hank Crumpton: Life as a spy". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  6. ^ Coll, Steve (2018). Directorate S: The CIA and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. New York: Penguin Press. pp. 11–16. ISBN 9780525557302.
  7. ^ Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs. "Crumpton, Henry A." 2001-2009.state.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  8. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Browne, Malachy (2018-10-10). "Naming Names, Turks Turn Up Heat on Saudis in Consulate Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  9. ^ "A CIA veteran's lessons for CEOs". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  10. ^ "A CIA veteran's lessons for CEOs". Fortune. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  11. ^ "Ambassador Henry Crumpton". AIM13. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  12. ^ "Ambassador Henry A. Crumpton". Crumpton Global. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  13. ^ "Henry Crumpton: "Calling Mark" on Afghanistan". University of New Mexico Alumni Office. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  14. ^ Finn, Peter (25 May 2012). "The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a life in the CIA's clandestine service". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  15. ^ a b c "Former CIA Spy, Ambassador Henry Crumpton, on "Global Complexity: Risk & Opportunity" | Alaska World Affairs Council". Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  16. ^ Two Thousand Three Commencement: Conferring of Degrees at the Close of the 127th Academic Year (PDF). Johns Hopkins University. 22 May 2003. p. 54. Retrieved 2021-01-11.
  17. ^ a b c d e Wright, Robin (12 September 2005). "In From the Cold and Able to Take the Heat". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  18. ^ Green, Miranda (2012-11-15). "CIA's Henry Crumpton on the Heroes You'll Never Know". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  19. ^ Terry, Sue Mi (2012-05-17). "The Agency Goes to War". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  20. ^ Harnden, Toby, "First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. Little, Brown, 2021. p. 57
  21. ^ "The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a life in the CIAs clandestine service". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  22. ^ "Former U.S. counterterrorism coordinator to speak at Virginia Tech campus". www.vtnews.vt.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  23. ^ "The frustrated spy". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  24. ^ "Undercover to Under Scrutiny: Gina Haspel Nominee to Head CIA to Face Senate Grilling". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  25. ^ Ricks, Thomas E. "Crumpton's picks (4): Sometimes you just need a network, not just a hierarchy". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  26. ^ a b McNary, Dave (2016-02-27). "STX Developing Spy Thriller With Former CIA Agent Henry Crumpton". Variety. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  27. ^ "CIA Memoirs Offer Revelations and Settle Scores Among Spies". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  28. ^ "Former CIA heavyweight Hank Crumpton busy in 2020". Intelligence Online. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  29. ^ Shapiro, Ian (24 June 2015). "Ex-Spies infiltrate Hollywood as Espionage TV Shows and Movies Multiply". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  30. ^ Crumpton, Henry A. (2012-05-14). "The First American: Excerpt from Henry Crumpton's "The Art of Intelligence"". Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  31. ^ Stein, Jeff (2012-05-27). "'The Art of Intelligence,' by Henry A. Crumpton". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  32. ^ Wright, Robin (12 September 2005). "In From the Cold and Able to Take the Heat". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  33. ^ Wright, Robin (19 December 2006). "State Dept. Losing a Top Figure In Terror War". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  34. ^ "Tiger 21:Presenter". TIGER 21. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
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