John G. Hibbits

Longtime intelligence analyst John Gordon Hibbits passed away on March 17, 2016 at Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, VA following a subarachnoid hemorrhage suffered 2 weeks earlier. He was 74. The youngest of four children, John was born in Brooklyn, NY to Fenton and Mae Hibbits. He attended St. Francis Prep high school and Fordham University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1963. Although initially planning a career in international finance, John’s focus changed due to the looming Viet Nam draft. He joined the Navy, graduating from Officer’s Candidate School as an intelligence specialist. He was stationed in Hawaii and Seattle before being sent to Washington DC to receive intensive Russian language training. John was an operational intelligence officer stationed in Japan during the Pueblo Crisis and shoot down of a US Navy aircraft off the coast of Korea. Leaving the Navy after six years of active duty, John transitioned into service with the Naval Reserve, using his intelligence background and Russian training in various assignments. He retired with the rank of Captain. He was a civilian employee in the Office of Naval Intelligence from 1969-1974. John enrolled in Georgetown University’s Russian Area Studies program, completing a Master’s degree in 1973. He never stopped his engagement in active learning, continually working to deepen and broaden his substantive expertise. John took a demanding summer intensive Russian language course at John’s Hopkins School of Advanced International Relations. Beginning in 1992, he served for three years as an officer in residence at George Washington University, teaching classes on intelligence, national security, and the foreign policies of the states of the former Soviet Union. His classes were always oversubscribed. While at GW, he became a devoted fan of the university’s women’s basketball team and regularly attended their games for the next 20 years. John participated in and encouraged his colleagues to become active members in the American Association of Slavic Studies, pulling them into many after-hours meetings. One friend notes John’s “contagious desire for a broader grasp of our subject matter.” John joined the CIA in 1974 as a GS-13 analyst on the Soviet Union in the Office of Strategic Research. Shortly afterward, he published an unclassified biography of Admiral Gorshkov, long-time Commander in Chief of the Soviet Navy. Although John began his career as a specialist on the Soviet Navy, during the course of his career, he became a leading expert on arms control and intelligence/counterintelligence issues, as well as broader Soviet domestic and foreign policies. A meticulous researcher, he co-authored the definitive CIA study on Soviet crisis decision making in 1985. During the course of his career, John received numerous letters of appreciation. Admiral Stansfield Turner, then NATO CINC of Allied Forces, Southern Europe and later CIA Director, praised him for a series of briefings he gave in Europe; Turner singled out his “broad expertise.” Skilled at providing intelligence support to US delegations on various arms control and security forums, John received another such commendation from Leslie Gelb, the Chief of State Department’s Political-Military Bureau for his outstanding contribution as IC representative on the US Delegation at an arms control forum. John served as an advisor, inspector, and delegate in various arms control and peacekeeping negotiations. John excelled in a number of management jobs in the Office of Soviet Affairs and its successor, the Office of Slavic and Eurasian Analysis. He served with distinction in a period that saw the collapse of the Soviet empire and then the collapse of the Soviet Union itself. In 1991, despite the risk to his career, John joined other Agency officers in publicly criticizing the role played by Robert Gates in the politicization of intelligence following Gates’ nomination to be Director of Central Intelligence. John submitted a detailed deposition to the Senate Intelligence Committee that addressed the issue of politicization in the Agency under its Director, William Casey, and Gates. The latter did go on to become the Director. John’s last CIA assignments were highly productive. He served for three years on the Director of Central Intelligence’s Arms Control Intelligence Staff. He then transferred to the Office of Inspector General, where he once again received extremely high ratings for his expertise, teamwork, integrity, and interpersonal skills. He continued to work in the IG as a contractor after retirement. In 2000 John received the Agency’s top award, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal awarded for “cumulative service that displays a pattern of increasing levels of responsibility with exceptional achievements of increasingly strategic impact that supported major contributions to the Agency’s mission.” During his 26-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency, John distinguished himself as a gifted intelligence analyst and manager, known for his integrity, professionalism and competence. In every job he held, he impressed colleagues, managers, subordinates, and policymakers as an exceptional, trusted, and well-liked intelligence officer. Excellence, integrity, results – all achieved with a smile, a legacy to be proud of. John made no enemies and acquired scores of admirers and friends. The same is true in all areas of his life. John’s keen intellect, sense of humor, generosity, good character and outgoing nature made him a rare and valued friend. After his retirement, John served as a volunteer at the Hillwood Estate and Museum, noted for its focus on the decorative arts and rich collection of Russian items from the Romanov period. He studied Ms. Post’s life and Hillwood’s treasures in depth and enthusiastically shared his information with estate visitors. He especially enjoyed interactions with Russian guests and the opportunity to use his language skills with them. John’s immersed himself in each of his diverse interests. He was an enthusiastic tennis player, opera and classic rock lover, wine connoisseur and excellent cook. He completed the grueling 26 mile Marine Corps Marathon and ran in several Cherry Blossom Classic races. He expanded and enriched his knowledge of Ireland through participation in an Irish reading and discussion group, including commemorative readings of James Joyce’s Ulysses. John also pursued his Irish roots, traveling to Ireland to locate his ancestor’s origins in the town of Patrick’s Well. John’s family was all-important to him. He was a loving and involved father and grandfather, always encouraging and supporting. He coached basketball teams, drove to far-away competitions and classes, camped with Indian Guides, arranged skiing or beach trips, and entertained fussy babies and inquisitive toddlers. John is survived by Mary, his wife of 43 years, daughter Erica(Manassas, VA), granddaughters Cadence and Danielle, brother Fenton Hibbits(Bottmingen, Switzerland), sisters MaryAnn Nellis(Brooklyn, NY) and Suzanne McEnany, (Rhode Island). His parents and son Daniel predeceased him. A funeral and celebration of John’s life will be held on Wednesday, March 30 at 2:00pm at Faith Lutheran Church, 3313 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory can be made to Washington Ireland Program, Washington DC,(www.wiprogram.org, clic “support WIP”; ASPAN/Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network(www.a-span.org); or a charity of your choice.