AMES, Iowa -- Tom Twetten, an Iowa State University alumnus and veteran of 34 years in clandestine services for the Central Intelligence Agency, will speak at Iowa State on Monday, Nov. 9. His presentation, "American Intelligence and the Continuing Threat from al-Qaeda: Strategic and Ethical Implications," will be at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Great Hall. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, is part of the university's World Affairs Series, "Can We Save the World?"
Twetten worked under diplomatic cover for the CIA in Libya, Ghana, India and Jordan. He was chief of the CIA's Near East and South Asia Division during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. He worked closely with leaders in Congress, the White House and other governments to forge a united front in support of the Afghan people.
Twetten was promoted to the CIA's deputy director for operations, commanding the agency's worldwide clandestine network for nearly six years. During that time, he directed intelligence resources in support of new democracies in Eastern Europe, supported a coalition of allied forces in the Gulf War, and placed new emphasis on fighting international narcotics trafficking, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. For his development and leadership of new strategies, Twetten was twice awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the CIA's highest honor.
Twetten earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa State and a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University. He retired in 1995 to Vermont where he is a bookbinder and dealer in antiquarian books.
Twetten's talk is cosponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Department of Political Science, the World Affairs series, and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body.
