Ray McGovern (b. 1939) is a retired CIA analyst who for 27 years (April 1963 to August 1990), serving seven U.S. presidents. His CIA career began under President John F. Kennedy, and lasted through the presidency of George H. W. Bush. During the Ronald Reagan administration he chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared the President's Daily Brief.
An ardent political analyst, McGovern still publishes articles about international and domestic politics, occasionally making appearances in the news media. McGovern is the founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). McGovern is a regular contributor to Consortium News.
McGovern leads the “Speaking Truth to Power” section of Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington, D.C.. A former co-director of the Servant Leadership School (1998-2004), and taught there for more than 20 years.
Ray McGovern’s B.A. and M.A. degrees – both from Fordham University – are in Russian history, language, and literature, with minors in theology, philosophy, and classics. He has taught Russian as an adjunct at the University of Virginia. McGovern also holds a Certificate in Theological Studies from Georgetown University and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
McGovern is fluent in Russian, German, and Spanish.
While serving as a substitute teacher at George Washington University, McGovern stood silently with his back turned toward then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in silent protest. He was seized and badly beaten by security guards directly in front of Clinton, while she spoke about the need for "freedom of expression" in Iran.[1]