WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Stansfield Turner, who headed the CIA in the 1970s and was credited as a ground-breaking tech pioneer, has died at the age of 94.
The current CIA boss, Mike Pompeo, praised the retired Navy admiral as “a devoted patriot and public servant who led our agency through a turbulent period of history, including both the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution.”
Turner’s death in Seattle on Thursday was announced by his secretary, Pat Moynihan, who did not state the cause of death, US media said.
Turner, a Rhodes scholar, was named to the top CIA post in 1977 by then-president Jimmy Carter.
He broke ground by emphasizing the use of satellite images, electronic intercepts and eavesdropping, the Washington Post said.
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