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Podcast. Welcome to Spycast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum.

I'm your host, Sasha Ingberg, and each week I take you into the shadows of espionage,

intelligence, and covert operations across the globe.

It's been 50 years since the assassination of the CIA's former station chief in Athens, Richard Welsh.

At the time, he was the agency's highest-level officer killed in the line of duty,

and widely considered an extraordinary officer with a passion for Greece. A Greek-Marxist terrorist group

called 17 November claimed responsibility for his death. But that was just the beginning.

Former senior operations officer Ralph Mariani remembers that time and carries on Welsh's memory.

Ralph, before we met, you sent me a photograph of Dick Welsh's grave, and the words

Central Intelligence Agency are engraved on it. Why did the family want that?

It's a very good question.

I've talked to them about it, and they did get into some of an arm wrestling contest about that,

but the agency agreed, maybe reluctantly, it's hard for me to say, that they could put that on there,

but that is unusual.

That is unusual.

I think it's a point of pride for the family, and of course they were in such shock. It was just something they never could have imagined. So

they wanted that Central Intelligence Agency on there, and they were proud of it, and they fought

for it. And this is a man who had deep knowledge and deep admiration for the country of Greece.

Before we get into his murder, can you tell me about a moment that you shared with him when you,

as well, were working for the CIA in Athens?

...