That same year, as I was sitting in here in Elkins, the news was filled with stories about the Iranian revolution: Bill graduated with his doctorate in government, and started working at the CIA in January 1979. He had flown more than 75 missions over Vietnam and Laos, but for the five years before joining the Agency, he was right down the road from us, earning his Ph.D at Claremont. He had served eight years in the Marine Corps. Bill was probably a dozen years older than me. One of the first people I met at the Agency was a man named Bill. From war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq to risky covert operations in denied areas, the dedication of the people I worked with was inspiring. Later, I would be at the ceremony when their stars were etched into the Memorial Wall in the lobby of CIA headquarters. Colleagues I would never get to know had died in an instant.
The front of the Embassy had collapsed, killing many in the CIA station. The lead story was that a bomb had destroyed the US Embassy in Beirut. The first night I stopped at a hotel in Gallup, New Mexico and turned on the evening news. I loaded up my car and started driving across country. Clearly, I was not focused on having a “Plan B.” When I got the job offer, I was working at the mall in Thousand Oaks and living in Malibu Canyon Village. A year after getting my Masters - and after an incredibly intense vetting process by the Agency - I was offered a job as a GS-9 analyst in CIA’s Office of Global Issues. I hurried to apply to graduate schools of international relations. I don’t think Professor Caldwell knew he was ultimately directing me into the arms of the CIA, but he did. One day, Professor Caldwell asked me if I really wanted to do that? He suggested that if what I really loved was the international part, then why would I go in through the back door of law school when I could just go for it directly? I took the LSATs, applied to 5 or 6 schools, and waited for my acceptances to roll in. I planned to go to law school and to specialize in international law. Along the way, I decided to become a double major in economics. I started at Pepperdine as a political science major. We weren’t there to be liked or disliked.Īs I sat here in Elkins Auditorium - my go-to-spot was right over there, on the aisle, about halfway up - I had no idea that I would go into public service. My job was to convey our best intelligence and analytic judgments to the President and his national security team. In my time, I served 5 Presidents - 3 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Our duty was to serve the President regardless of who was sitting at that desk. I am not a Republican, nor am I a Democrat.Īs a CIA officer, I was not a policymaker, and I was not a political appointee. And, as I make my comments here today, let me be very clear on a couple of critical points: For me, it was serving as an intelligence officer. But, next time you hear someone belittling the quality of those “bureaucrats” in Washington, remember that the federal workforce has included 69 Nobel laureates.Ĭlearly, public service can take many forms. Too often, I think that the American people see “politics” and think “government.” Or, they think in terms of “bureaucrats” - and have the notion that the government is filled with people who have second-class minds who couldn’t get a job in the private sector. Today, only one-half of Americans trust their government to do the right thing, and even fewer are satisfied with the way democracy is working. I think this is a particularly important topic in these politically divisive times. I want to focus my remarks on the enduring need for public service.
I thank Dan for that kind introduction, and I thank you all for welcoming me back.
I don’t know why that is, but it is true. I have briefed Presidents, I have negotiated with Afghan warlords, but there is something weirdly intimidating about coming back to speak at one’s alma mater.
Thank you for that kind introduction and for giving me the opportunity to visit Seaver College again. Before entering the private sector, Miscik had a distinguished twenty-two year career in intelligence, ultimately serving as the Central Intelligence Agency's deputy director for intelligence.
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