John R. Horton

CIA Mexico station chief c.1971 and National Intelligence Officer for Central and Latin America 1983-4

John Ryder Horton (1920-2007) was a senior CIA operations officer who served as Mexico City station chief, and later headed the Soviet Bloc Division of the clandestine service. He came out of retirement in 1983 to become National Intelligence Officer for Central and Latin America.

Despite his operational background, and professed support for Reagan Administration policies, Horton clashed with Director of Central Intelligence Bill Casey, who was seeking White House approval for covert pressure on Mexico over its Central American policy. He ultimately resigned in 1984 after Casey had one of his estimates rewritten to predict greater instability in Mexico.