American missing in Iran was on unapproved mission

In March 2007, retired FBI agent Robert Levinson flew to Kish Island, an Iranian resort awash with tourists, smugglers and organized crime figures. Days later, after an arranged meeting with an admitted killer, he checked out of his hotel, slipped into a taxi and vanished. For years, the U.S. has publicly described him as a private citizen who traveled to the tiny Persian Gulf island on private business.

I suppose this is where it gets interesting.

But that was just a cover story. An Associated Press investigation reveals that Levinson was working for the CIA. In an extraordinary breach of the most basic CIA rules, a team of analysts — with no authority to run spy operations — paid Levinson to gather intelligence from some of the world's darkest corners. He vanished while investigating the Iranian government for the U.S.

Of course the CIA didn't have a lot to say on this.

The CIA was slow to respond to Levinson's disappearance and spent the first several months denying any involvement. When Congress eventually discovered what happened, one of the biggest scandals in recent CIA history erupted.

Behind closed doors, three veteran analysts were forced out of the agency and seven others were disciplined. The CIA paid Levinson's family $2.5 million to pre-empt a revealing lawsuit, and the agency rewrote its rules restricting how analysts can work with outsiders.

It would seem that even after all this revelations, the official story has still not changed.

"He's a private citizen involved in private business in Iran," the State Department said in 2007, shortly after Levinson's disappearance.

Chances are Levinson was trying to get informants, but we can't be sure.

A 28-year veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, Robert Levinson had a natural ability to cultivate informants. Former colleagues say he was an easy conversationalist who had the patience to draw out people and win their confidence. He'd talk to anyone.

Here is the link to the full story.

Thing is the CIA has thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of informants, spies, etc.
They will always deny involvement and in this case apparently the family would shut up for a mere $2.5 mil.
THANKS TAXPAYERS!!
OR maybe they paid it with money made from running drugs.
We'll never know.
They are out of control and have been since the get-go ('48).
Read about Max or Vessel to see how easily our intelligence services were completely co-opted from the inside for decades. Our so-called agents were feeding East German intelligence all along.
Same goes for James Jesus Angleton - he was caught with his pants down and controlled by Israel for decades lest they expose him and his connection with the Vatican Nazi ratlines.
9/11 still happened so I have to question just how much valuable intelligence these groups gather?

If he is CIA then Iran have the rights to put him in front of a fireing squad if they like.

If your spying dont whine if you get caught.

Easy conversationalist hahaha. Would love to have heard his interrogation. Wonder if he had a easy conversation with Iran. If they found a body i guess not if they didn't maybe the conversation is still continuing haha

Asktheanimals

9/11 still happened so I have to question just how much valuable intelligence these groups gather?

From what I know if that most spying is done by 10's of thousanads of unofficial "contracters" and most the information is junk, infact 99.999999999999999999999999999999% is rubbish like what stains Kim Jong-un had on his shirt or what the soil texture is like in a Iran farm or how someone Freinds brothers uncles cousin may or may not have given aid to a possible "terrorists". What happens is that all this pointless data is analysed and filterd and looks for patterns.

And most of these on the ground "spys" dont have dircet links with the CIA or SIS (MI6) or whatever, they are normaly hired bu independant defence contractors under contract with the CIA or SIS. Its very rare to have actually CIA or SIS agents in the field running about.

Levinson was being used for an off the books operation.Sadly,he was a victim of his friends James Bond fantasies.I would not be surprised if he was traded to a criminal group.He's gone that much is sadly clear.