Vincent Cannistraro was an American intelligence officer and social scientist who held prominent roles in U.S. national security during the Reagan administration. He served as Director of Intelligence Programs for the National Security Council from 1984 to 1987, Special Assistant for Intelligence in the Office of the Secretary of Defense until 1988, and from 1988 to 1991 as Chief of Operations for the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. He received the Secretary of Defense's Award for Meritorious Civilian Service in 1989 and the CIA Medal for Distinguished Service. Cannistraro earned a B.A. and an M.A. from Boston College. After his government service, he became an intelligence consultant and commentator, notably implicating Michael Ledeen in the Niger forgeries affair and emerging as a prominent critic of Ahmad Chalabi and the intelligence manipulation that contributed to the Iraq War. He appeared in documentaries including The Power of Nightmares, The Maltese Double Cross, and The End of America. Cannistraro died on May 21, 2019.