Thomas Polgar was CIA Station Chief in Saigon, 1972-1975. Described as “rigid” and “a bureaucrat” who “was not well versed in
intelligence field work,” Polgar provides the technical explanation for the CIA programs of which Phoenix was composed, as they
existed in the final stages of the Vietnam War. A Hungarian national who fled to the US in 1938, Polgar had just finished a
stint as chief investigator for the Senate Select Committee probing the Iran-contra affair when Mr Valentine interviewed him.
His style, like that of Colby’s, is that of a detached policy-maker. When properly analyzed and contrasted with the operational
realities presented by those involved in the field, Polgar’s dissembling stands as a stark reminder of the dangers of “official”
propaganda.