J. C. King

Joseph Caldwell King (October 5, 1900 – January 27, 1977) was the Chief of the Western Hemisphere Division of the CIA in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known by his CIA code name of Oliver G. Galbond and as Colonel J.C. King.

For the 19th-century sculptor, see John Crookshanks King.

Early life and marriage

On October 5, 1900, Joseph Caldwell King was born to Warren Charles King and Jessie Calhoun Caldwell in Brooklyn, New York.[1][2] King would go on to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as part of the Class of 1923 and will be assigned the Cullum Register Number 6992.[2]

Joseph Caldwell King will marry twice. His first marriage was to Cristina Patricia Pernas (March 15, 1907 to April 8, 1989).[3] His second marriage was to Frances Anne Smith (December 13, 1925 to May 2, 1988).[2]

Career

King became a vice-president at Johnson and Johnson in charge of Brazil and Argentina. Then, he joined Nelson Rockefeller's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA).

He was stationed in Argentina from 1941 to 1945, where he was engaged in feeding deceptive information to Japanese agents (see Thaddeus Holt,The Deceivers). For his service in 1943 to 1946 as a military attaché in Argentina, Lt. Col. King was awarded the Legion of Merit.[4]

On December 11, 1959, King advocated that "thorough consideration" be given to the "elimination" of Fidel Castro, by which he may have meant assassination.[5]

King officially retired from the CIA in 1967 but soon came back as a CIA consultant. He was CEO of the Amazon Natural Drug Company, known as a front for the CIA.

Later life

King's health was deteriorating at that time due because of age and Parkinson's disease, and he died on January 27, 1977 in Washington, D.C.. However, King was buried at the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point, New York.[2] His second wife, Frances Anne Smith King Babbitt (1925-1988), remarried on July 1, 1978 but rests beside him.[2]

See also
  • Operation 40
  • Bay of Pigs invasion
  • Cuban Project
  • Allen W. Dulles

References
  1. "Joseph Caldwell King, born 1900 - Ancestry". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  2. "COL Joseph Caldwell King (1900 - 1977) - Find A Grave Memorial". findagrave.com. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  3. "Cristina Patricia Pernas". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  4. "Valor awards for Joseph Caldwell King". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  5. Church Committee (20 November 1975). "Alleged assassination plots involving foreign leaders" (PDF). p. 92.

Further reading
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