George H. W. Bush

=== Director of Central Intelligence ===
[[File:CIA Director George H.W. Bush listens at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut, 1976 - NARA - 7064954.jpg|thumb|Bush, as CIA Director, listens at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut of [[Francis E. Meloy Jr.]] and [[Robert O. Waring]], 1976]]

In January 1976, Ford brought Bush back to Washington to become the [[Director of Central Intelligence]] (DCI), placing him in charge of the CIA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/todays-cia/george-bush-center-for-intelligence/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612191537/https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/todays-cia/george-bush-center-for-intelligence/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 12, 2007 |title=The George Bush Center for Intelligence |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=April 5, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref> In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and the [[Vietnam War]], the CIA's reputation had been damaged for its role in various covert operations. Bush was tasked with restoring the agency's morale and public reputation.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=189–193}}{{efn|Biographer Jon Meacham writes that it was widely assumed at the time that Donald Rumsfeld had engineered Bush's appointment as CIA Director since the post was regarded as a "political graveyard". Meacham writes that it is more likely that the key factor in Bush's appointment was that Ford believed Bush would work better with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]] than would [[Elliot Richardson]], his original pick for the CIA post.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=189–193}}}} During Bush's year in charge of the CIA, the U.S. national security apparatus actively supported [[Operation Condor]] operations and right-wing [[military dictatorship]]s in [[Latin America–United States relations|Latin America]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA's Dirty Wars |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/146303/fifas-dirty-wars |magazine=The New Republic |date=December 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Quand Pinochet tuait hors du Chili |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique-sud/quand-pinochet-tuait-hors-du-chili_491779.html |work=L'Express |date=October 30, 1999}}</ref> Meanwhile, Ford decided to drop Rockefeller from the ticket for the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]; he considered Bush as his running mate, but ultimately chose [[Bob Dole]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |date=November 28, 1988 |title=Will Bush and Dole End Their Grand Old Rivalry? |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/28/us/will-bush-and-dole-end-their-grand-old-rivalry.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> In his capacity as DCI, Bush gave national security briefings to [[Jimmy Carter]] both as a presidential candidate and as president-elect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613144129/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 13, 2007 |title=CIA Briefings of Presidential Candidates; Chapter 5: In-Depth Discussions With Carter |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency: Center for the Study of Intelligence |access-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref>