Draft:Marc E. Polymeropoulos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Marc E. Polymeropoulos is a former American intelligence officer who served 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations, retiring in June 2019 as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service.[1] His final position was overseeing CIA clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia.[1] Polymeropoulos is among the individuals who have reported symptoms consistent with Havana syndrome and has been a public advocate for affected intelligence officers.[2]

Career

[edit | edit source]

Polymeropoulos served multiple overseas assignments as chief of station and deputy chief of station in Europe, Asia, and high-threat environments.[1] He specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East, and South Asia, serving extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan.[1] He received the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Medal of Merit, and the Intelligence Commendation Medal.[3]

Polymeropoulos holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University.[4]

Havana syndrome

[edit | edit source]

In December 2017, while serving as deputy chief of CIA clandestine operations for Europe and Eurasia, Polymeropoulos traveled to Moscow on official business.[2] He reported waking in his hotel room experiencing vertigo, nausea, and ringing in his ears.[5][2] The symptoms persisted after his return to the United States, and he was eventually diagnosed with occipital neuralgia.[6]

Polymeropoulos stated that the CIA's Office of Medical Services initially determined his symptoms were not consistent with those of diplomats affected in Havana.[7] He retired from the CIA in 2019, citing his inability to work due to persistent headaches.[6] Polymeropoulos has publicly attributed his condition to a possible directed-energy attack and has called for greater government support for affected officers.[7]

Post-CIA career

[edit | edit source]

After retiring, Polymeropoulos authored Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA, published by HarperCollins in June 2021.[3] The book was reviewed by the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.[8]

Polymeropoulos is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, specializing in hybrid warfare.[1] He has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Politico, Foreign Affairs, and Lawfare, and contributes a weekly column to the Washington Examiner.[1] He has appeared on PBS NewsHour, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and BBC.[1]

Hunter Biden laptop letter

[edit | edit source]

In October 2020, Polymeropoulos co-drafted with former acting CIA director Michael Morell a public letter stating that emails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, reported by the New York Post, had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."[9] The letter was signed by 51 former intelligence officials.[10]

In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Polymeropoulos stated that Morell told him "the Biden world had asked for this."[9] He testified that he believed Joe Biden mischaracterized the letter when citing it during a presidential debate, and acknowledged the authenticity of the laptop's contents.[11]

On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking the security clearances of the letter's signatories.[12]

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]


Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:People of the Central Intelligence Agency Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Atlantic Council Category:American non-fiction writers Category:Havana syndrome