Tullius "Tully" Acampora

Early Life and Education

Tullius Alexander “Tully” Acampora was born on October 6, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian-American parents. Little is known about his early life or education, but his upbringing in Brooklyn, a vibrant immigrant community, likely instilled the resilience and determination that defined his later career. Acampora’s path suggests a modest background, with no documented evidence of formal higher education, as his trajectory was shaped by military service rather than academic pursuits.

Military Career and CIA Involvement

Acampora’s life was shaped by his extensive military service, spanning three major conflicts: World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). His early military experience included counterintelligence work, notably serving under General Douglas MacArthur in Shanghai after World War II, where he focused on post-war stabilization and intelligence operations. His duties in counterintelligence work while in China involved the support the United States provided to Chiang Kai-shek in transitioning the opium trade Chiang had set up inside China to Burma and eventually to Formosa (Taiwan). This is reflected in his later work with the CIA and drug networks facilitating the flow of heroin to fund Operation Gladio. According to Acampora, Harry Anslinger (head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) worked so closely with Archbishop Paul Marcinkus (head of the Vatican Bank) that he could get friends of Angslinger an audience with the Pope.

When the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was established in 1947, Acampora transitioned to its counterintelligence staff while retaining his military rank. Detailed to the CIA, he operated as a de facto CIA officer for many years, blending military and intelligence roles. In 1958, he was stationed in Italy, collaborating with the Bureau of Narcotics in Rome. During the 1950s and 1960s, he facilitated intelligence exchanges between the CIA and federal narcotics agents, leveraging CIA resources to target organized crime while providing cover for agency operations. This period highlighted his ability to navigate complex international networks, earning him a reputation as a seasoned operative. While it would appear to most observers that Acampora was working to 'target' organized crime, in fact, organize crime was used as the distribution node and the CIA worked to facilitate their access to illicit drugs and to ensure their competition was targeted.

Acampora’s most documented CIA role came during the Vietnam War, where he served as an advisor to General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, security chief for South Vietnamese Vice President Nguyễn Cao Kỳ. In May 1968, during the second Tet Offensive, Loan was seriously wounded by a sniper outside the Military Security Service headquarters in Saigon. Acampora, present at the scene, believed the attack was “friendly fire” orchestrated by forces loyal to President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, possibly with American backing, to undermine Kỳ’s influence. This incident, detailed in Washington Babylon (2017), underscored Acampora’s deep involvement in the CIA’s Phoenix Program, a controversial counterinsurgency effort involving surveillance, torture, and assassination to neutralize Viet Cong infrastructure.

His work with Loan and other Vietnamese officers placed him at the heart of the CIA’s efforts to manipulate South Vietnamese politics. Acampora played a crucial role in the administration of the Phoenix Program. The South Vietnam security chief was instrumental in setting up the surveillance mechanisms of the program and the executions associated with it.

Later Life and Public Recognition

After retiring from active service, Acampora settled in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, though he maintained ties to Brooklyn, as noted in a 2005 Getty Images report of him attending a Veterans Day event at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. By then in his late 80s, he was celebrated as a veteran of three wars, receiving public admiration for his service.

Acampora’s personal life included at least one son, Dr. Gregory A. Acampora, whose struggles with alcoholism led to legal troubles in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Dr. Acampora is a renowned Psychiatrist in Boston and currently practices at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Ironically, he specializes in addiction.

Death and Legacy

Tullius Alexander Acampora passed away peacefully on November 4, 2014, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, at the age of 96, surrounded by family. His obituary, published on Boston.com and Faggas Funeral Home, noted his nickname “Tully” and his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Acampora is an example of the melding of active duty military and CIA operations to blur the accountability of the CIA and its operations. It allows the CIA to point to the military when convenient to attribute blame for operations the US military is not authorized to participate in.