Lee Echols (1907-1994) was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Calexico, Imperial County, California. He served in the OSS and the CIA, and was a special Customs agent for undercover n...view moreLee Echols (1907-1994) was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Calexico, Imperial County, California. He served in the OSS and the CIA, and was a special Customs agent for undercover narcotics work. He was a Navy officer in New York City and special State Department operative in Guatemala, Bolivia, Uruguay, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. He spoke Spanish fluently.
He was also a member of the U.S. Treasury Pistol Team and won the National Pistol Championship in 1941 at the Camp Perry Shoot. He served as western field director for the National Rifle Association for several years.
After retirement from 38 years of government service, he helped organize the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, which had been started by his old friend, Dave Phillips, who had been Chief of the western hemisphere section of the CIA. Echols became California State chairman of AFIO.
Known for his sense of humour, Echols published his first book, Dead Aim in 1951, in which recounts the various shooting matches in which he participated over the years. In 1990 he published his autobiography, Hilarious High Jinks & Dangerous Assignments, which details his career and outlines some of the many practical jokes he and his associates played on each other. He also wrote numerous magazines articles.
Echols died in 1994 at a hospital near his home in Bonita, California, aged 87.view less