Richard Helms, currently our Ambassador to Iran, was around Washington last week, a shadowy figure in the corridors of power. The former head of the Central Intelligence Agency was once again defending himself and the agency against charges of overstepping authority. Helms, now 61, moved about in the best traditions of his earlier trade, seeing few people, saying nothing, offering only a fleeting glimpse of his thin frame to newsmen.
In 32 years of Government service, it has been his lot to contend secretly with the real enemies of the U.S., knowing that at any time he might be destroyed by...