John Stockwell, a former CIA officer who publicly resigned in 1977 and became a prominent critic of the agency, died earlier this month in Austin, Texas. He was 88 years old.

Stockwell’s body was discovered on June 14 in a wooded area near his home, one day after a silver alert was issued seeking assistance in locating the missing elder, according to Kristen Dark, a spokesperson for the Travis County sheriff’s office. Authorities reported no indications of foul play but noted that the medical examiner was considering suicide as a possible cause of death. His wife, Virginia Stockwell, declined to comment.

Stockwell gained notoriety after leaving the CIA during a period when several former operatives exposed agency misconduct. His 1977 resignation letter was published in The Washington Post, and he subsequently authored the tell-all book *In Search of Enemies* (1978), which detailed what he described as pervasive deceit and illegality within covert operations. The CIA reportedly attempted to suppress the book. He also appeared on the CBS news program *60 Minutes* to discuss his transition from a Cold War idealist to a vocal critic of U.S. covert actions abroad.

His CIA career spanned 12 years and included assignments in Africa and Vietnam, where he served as the chief officer in Tay Ninh province in 1973. During this time, he was involved in activities such as recruiting spies, conducting surveillance, and undermining foreign governments. However, Stockwell concluded that the agency’s operations largely failed to enhance U.S. national security. He described the agency as morally corrupt and criticized its leadership, citing the chaotic withdrawal from South Vietnam in 1975 when thousands of Vietnamese operatives were left vulnerable.

Stockwell’s dissent came amid broader public scrutiny of the CIA in the 1970s. Congressional investigations, notably the 1975 Church Committee hearings, had revealed secret CIA efforts to assassinate foreign leaders, topple governments, and surveil American citizens, leading Senator Frank Church to label the agency a “rogue elephant.”

Born John Robert Stockwell on August 27, 1937, in Brazoria, Texas, he spent much of his youth in the Belgian Congo, where his parents worked as missionaries. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 1959, he enlisted in the Marine Corps before joining the CIA later that year. Stockwell admitted his initial naiveté and idealism upon joining the agency but eventually grew disillusioned.

Following his departure from the CIA, Stockwell settled in Austin and pursued a career as a writer. He published a novel, *Red Sunset* (1982), and a collection of essays titled *The Praetorian Guard: The U.S. Role in the New World Order* (1991), warning that U.S. covert military actions continued even after the Cold War.

Details on survivors have not been disclosed.