author
Scott D. Breckinridge
1917–2000
A longtime CIA officer turned author, Scott D. Breckinridge offered an insider’s view of American intelligence during the Cold War. His books draw on more than two decades spent inside the agency, including years in its Inspector General’s office.
1 Audiobook
Sword play, based upon the French school of the foil
by Scott Dudley Breckinridge, Scott D. Breckinridge
About the author
Scott D. Breckinridge (1917–2000) joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1953 and served there for twenty-six years, working both overseas and in Washington. He began as a briefing officer and soon became the White House staff briefing officer, later serving as a liaison with Australian intelligence and as a representative before congressional investigating committees.
Breckinridge spent his final sixteen years at the CIA’s Inspector General’s office, including six years as Deputy Inspector General. He received the agency’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal twice, its highest award, before retiring in 1979.
After leaving the CIA, he taught at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. He wrote The CIA and the U.S. Intelligence System and The CIA and the Cold War: A Memoir, works that combine institutional history with his firsthand perspective on intelligence work.