CIA Director Quotes

George H.W. Bush had perhaps the greatest resume in American history. Director of the CIA, ambassador to the U.N., envoy to China, vice president of the United States and then, of course, president. It's staggering to contemplate one person achieving so much.

I think soon after I became director of the CIA - President Obama pulled me into the Oval Office and said: 'Look, I just want you to know that your top priority is to go after Osama bin Laden.'

As I look back on my first year as Director, I am more in awe of the men and women at CIA than ever before.

You know, as director of the CIA, I got an awful lot of intelligence about all the horrible things that could go on across the world.

My literal responsibility as director of the CIA with regard to covert action was to inform the Congress - not to seek their approval; to inform.

As director of CIA, I was responsible for everything done in the agency's name, and it didn't matter whether that was done by an agency employee, a government contractor, a liaison service on our behalf, or a source on our behalf.

President George H.W. Bush was a patriot who served our country in World War II, lead the CIA, an Ambassador to the United Nations, was the Vice President and the Commander and Chief who oversaw the end of the Cold War and successfully led our troops through the Gulf War.

Having the career of the beloved CIA Director and the commanding general in Afghanistan instantly destroyed due to highly invasive and unwarranted electronic surveillance is almost enough to make one believe not only that there is a god, but that he is an ardent civil libertarian.

We need to make is to strengthen the position of the director of the CIA.

You've got David Petraeus and whatever the pushback might be against [Donald Trump].

The standard rumor at the time was that Rumsfeld, as chief of staff, had persuaded President Ford to appoint George H.W. Bush as director of Central Intelligence, assuming that that got rid of a potential competitor for the presidency.

When asked if I miss being in government, I usually try to lighten the moment by responding that I awake most days, read the paper, and then observe that, 'It's yet another great day to be the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency.'

For some of us who have seen the other side of Allen Dulles, we don’t see too many Christian traits. I personally consider him a ruthless, ambitious, and utterly incompetent government administrator.

Before he played CIA Director Saul Berenson on 'Homeland,' a much younger Mandy Patinkin gained some fame as Inigo Montoya, a legendary swordsman, in 'The Princess Bride.'

I'm really happy for [David Petraeus]. He's exceptionally talented.

You've got David Petraeus who, yes, did, you know, something for which he pleaded guilty.

A musical is only as good as its director. The same can also be said for the CIA.

I note your refusal to give us answers to our questions. Your insistence is extremely revealing. It would seem that the last man in the world who would try to protect and hide the facts about one of his top officer's [William Bundy] association with, and contributions to, a convicted traitor [Alger Hiss] would be the head of the CIA.... That the matter cannot and will not rest here is, of course, obvious.