Ion Mihai Pacepa
Ion Mihai Pacepa (Romanian pronunciation: [iˈon miˈhaj paˈt͡ʃepa]; 28 October 1928 – 14 February 2021) was a Romanian lieutenant general in the Securitate, the secret police of the Socialist Republic of Romania, who defected to the United States in July 1978 following President Jimmy Carter's approval of his request for political asylum. He was the highest-ranking defector from the former Eastern Bloc, and wrote books and articles on the inner workings of communist intelligence services. His best-known works are the books Disinformation and Red Horizons.
Lieutenant General Ion Mihai Pacepa | |
|---|---|
Pacepa in 1975 | |
| Born | 28 October 1928 |
| Died | 14 February 2021 (aged 92) New Jersey, United States |
| Citizenship | Romanian American |
| Alma mater | Politehnica University of Bucharest |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | Romania (defected) United States |
| Service branch | Securitate |
| Service years | 1951–1978 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
At the time of his defection, Pacepa simultaneously had the rank of advisor to President Nicolae Ceaușescu, acting chief of his foreign intelligence service, and a parliamentary undersecretary at Romania's Ministry of Interior.
Subsequently, he worked with the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in operations against the former Eastern Bloc. The CIA described his cooperation as "an important and unique contribution to the United States".