New CIA chief Gina Haspel is the 'spy's spy'

Ms Gina Haspel told the Senate hearing she excelled in acquiring secret information "in brush passes, dead drops, or in meetings in dusty alleys of Third World capitals".
Ms Gina Haspel told the Senate hearing she excelled in acquiring secret information "in brush passes, dead drops, or in meetings in dusty alleys of Third World capitals". PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Nirmal Ghosh US Bureau Chief In Washington
Updated
May 21, 2018, 06:50 AM
Published
May 21, 2018, 05:00 AM
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She met her first informer on a dark night in Africa in 1987. Now, Gina Haspel is the first woman to lead the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The more uncomfortable parts of the new CIA chief's Senate confirmation hearing would have taken place behind closed doors - fitting for a person who has spent most of her career in the shadows.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 21, 2018, with the headline New CIA chief Gina Haspel is the 'spy's spy'. Subscribe

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