Barbara Robbins: A Slain CIA Secretary’s Life And Death

The Washington Post:

The CIA director revealed only a few details about the 21-year-old woman, a secretary among spies. In the agency’s annual memorial service for employees killed on the job, then-director Leon Panetta announced that a new name had been inscribed with calligraphy inside the CIA’s Book of Honor: Barbara Annette Robbins, who had volunteered to go to Saigon during the Vietnam War and died in a 1965 car bombing at the U.S. Embassy.

Read the whole story: The Washington Post

Comments

[monilove42]

11:16 AM on 05/07/2012

What I could read of the story was interesting...the Washington Post after Pg 2 one has to subscribe to the paper.

[parisnoire]

09:58 AM on 05/07/2012

Sad that none of the comments thus far have much to do with the story above. Since we have no idea of her duties, it is dangerous to speculate as to her role during wartime. But I am happy for Babara Robbins' family that she is finally (and publicly) acknowledged as having made one of the ultimate sacrifices for her country.

[dtmfman]

10:36 AM on 05/07/2012

pure speculation....and/or misdirection....it has been said that the agency NEVER acknowledges names....they just add an "anonymous" star to the "wall".....

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

11:58 AM on 05/07/2012

So much you know. Once a person's objective, mission or cover has been declassified they change the star to a name.

[Einstein Was Right]

08:43 AM on 05/07/2012

In '65 a lot of 'no names' died in Nam.

RIP all of you, forever forgotten.

[0x00000000]

08:20 AM on 05/07/2012

It's rather sad how the fear of the spread of an economic/political system (i.e., "Communism") motivated America, and the CIA in particular, to do awful things around the globe.

The death toll of those misguided anti-Communist efforts is staggering. And, needless to say, all of the various coups, assassinations, covert wars, and consequent full-scale wars, have hurt America's image as a force of positive change, honesty, and justice in the world.

Studying the history of the CIA activity is a study of horrifying violence and unintended consequences.

But the CIA is an agency in the Executive branch of our government, and the President is ultimately responsible for directing their actions. So, apart from rogue activity, any insane or horrifying activity of the CIA reflects a sentiment of the President, and the administration, and possibly a sizable fraction of the American public.

1953 coup in Iran, 1954 coup in Guatemala, 1963 coup in Vietnam, 1973 coup in Chile, 1986 Iran-Contra affair... The CIA enabled Noriega, and arguably *created* Al Qaeda (with billions of dollars, weapons, training). Almost entirely to "protect the world" from Communism.

To be sure, there is a lot of injustice in the world, and the President and the CIA are faced with challenging problems. I just wish overthrowing democratically elected governments, selling drugs, selling weapons, assassinations, disinformation, and spying, etc, weren't aspects of the CIA "solutions".

[mgpayne]

07:57 AM on 05/07/2012

This is not about who sent her anywhere it is about the person. The regular women and men who put their lives on the line for all of us no matter what we believe. I salute you Ms Robbins and thank you and your family for your service. May you RIP.

[Citizen13]

08:46 PM on 05/06/2012

Seance anyone?

[WhatDaBleep]

07:22 PM on 05/06/2012

Give me a break that in this day and age that this is the first woman to sacrifice herself for America in the CIA!

Plus, cheney gave up Valarie Plame and her reputation! He should be tried for TREASON for that!

[Giggie]

08:55 PM on 05/06/2012

Plambe didn't die but some of her contacts in her overseas assignments may have been imprisoned, tortured...who knows. What do those so-called patriots care.

[June25]

10:33 PM on 05/06/2012

It was Richard Armitage .

[CASSIE60]

06:31 PM on 05/06/2012

If Dick Cheney could have had his way Valerie Plame would have been CIA woman number 2...

[marinemomof3]

07:08 PM on 05/06/2012

You read my mind.

Outing a CIA agent is treasonous !

[Omar The Tentmaker]

09:27 PM on 05/06/2012

Not if you're Republican.

[George Picard]

09:47 PM on 05/06/2012

But it wasnt Cheney, it was Richard Armitage.

And She was hardly Jane Bond.