John L. Helgerson

John L. Helgerson is a long-time official of the United States' most senior intelligence agency, the CIA. Helgerson was the CIA Inspector General from 2002-2009. Helgerson is a graduate of Saint Olaf College. His Masters and PhD are from Duke University in Political Science.

Before joining the CIA Helgerson was a research associate at the University of Zambia and a Professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Helgerson's tenure since he joined the CIA, in 1971, has been on the research-analytical side, rather than the operational side. His most recent post was Inspector General.

Helgerson drafted a critical review of former director George Tenet's tenure, delivered to the United States Congress in September 2005, that recommended "punitive sanctions".

In December 2005 press reports quoting unnamed CIA sources state that Helgerson is investigating "erroneous extraordinary renditions" -- that is the extrajudicial kidnapping, for the purpose of extreme interrogation, of suspected enemies, like Maher Arar and Khalid El-Masri, who turned out to be completely innocent.

In October 2007 it was reported that CIA director Michael Hayden had launched an inquiry into Helgerson's conduct as Inspector General of the CIA.

In 2009, a report John Helgerson had written on CIA interrogations was ordered released by a US judge. That reported described, and strongly criticized the use of harsh interrogation techniques against detainees.