| 30 Mar 1913 |
Richard McGarrah Helms born, St. Davids, PA. |
| 1935 |
Graduates Williams College, Phi Beta Kappa. |
| 1936 |
Interviews Adolf Hitler in Nuremberg as a reporter for UPI, covering the 1936 Olympics. |
| 1937 |
Advertising editor, Indianapolis Times. |
| 1939 |
Marries Julia Bretzman Shields. |
| Jul 1942 |
Commissioned lieutenant in the Naval Reserve, called to active duty. |
| Aug 1943 |
Joins OSS under Allen Dulles (Helms spoke excellent German and had press experience in Nazi Germany.) |
| 1945 |
Pilfers Adolf Hitler's silverware, which somehow ends up in the Skull and Bones "collection." At least that's how the story goes, related by Andrei Navrozov. In truth Hitler had so many place settings made, that any claim that this is indeed the very set Helms brought back with him from Germany must be taken lightly. |
| 1946 |
Discharged from Naval Reserve, stays on with what's left of OSS. |
| Jul 1952 |
Acting chief of operations, Clandestine Division, CIA. |
| 13 Apr 1953 |
DCI Allen Dulles commences MKULTRA at the instigation of Richard Helms. |
| 1955 |
Dug a tunnel into East Berlin to tap Soviet phone lines. Tunnel was active 11 months. |
| 1962 |
Deputy Director for Plans (Clandestine Service), CIA. |
| 1966 |
Appointed Director of CIA (DCI.) |
| 1968 |
Divorces Julia Bretzman Shields. |
| 15 Sep 1970 |
President Richard M. Nixon and Henry Kissinger instruct CIA Director Richard Helms to spend up to $10 million "to prevent Allende from coming to power or to unseat him." |
| 2 Feb 1973 |
Richard M. Nixon fires Richard Helms, after Helms is loyal to CIA and not Nixon, over Watergate issues. |
| Mar 1973 |
Richard M. Nixon appoints Richard Helms U.S. Ambassador to Iran. The Shah of Iran commented: "Well, at least I know that Americans have sent me their top spy." |
| Sep 1973 |
President Salvador Allende of Chile overthrown. |
| Jan 1977 |
Leaves his Ambassadorship as Jimmy Carter becomes President. |
| 1977 |
Pleads guilty for perjury failing to testify to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the CIA overthrew Chile's Allende. Two counts. Fined $2k, which was raised by passing the hat at a CIA party. "I had sworn my oath to protect certain secrets... I didn't want to lie. I didn't want to mislead the Senate. I was simply trying to find a way though a difficult situation in which I found myself." Helms was proud of his conviction, and other agents admired him for it. |
| 1983 |
Ronald Reagan awards Helms the National Security Medal. |
| 22 Oct 2002 |
Richard Helms dies from multiple myeloma at his home in Washington, DC. |
