Richard F Stolz

Richard F. "Dick" Stolz, 86, who joined the CIA in 1950 and became one of the agency's most respected operatives, died Saturday at a hospital in Williamsburg, Va., of complications from a fall, the Washington Post reported. He was 86. Stolz, who had previously served 31 years in the agency, was called out of retirement in 1987 in the wake of the Iran-Contra scandal, which involved the sale of weapons to Iran and the diversion of profits to the right-wing Nicaraguan rebels known as Contras. Then-CIA Director William H. Webster credits Stolz with helping restore confidence and credibility in the agency. During his second stint with the CIA, Stolz was deputy director of operations until his retirement in 1990. He led the agency's spy network around the globe and guided the clandestine branch through a period of transition. Before his first retirement in 1981, Stolz became one of the agency's most respected covert officers. He served in Cold War hot spots around Eastern Europe before he became the chief of Soviet operations in the mid-1970s. Stolz was serving as chief of station in Moscow under State Department cover in 1965 when he was declared persona non grata by Russian authorities. He was accused of espionage and expelled from the country. He received the CIA's Distinguished Intelligence Medal and was awarded the National Security Medal by President George H.W. Bush. He fought in France while serving with the Army during World War II. He joined the CIA after graduating from Amherst College.