Evan Thomas Explained

Birth Name:Evan Welling Thomas III
Birth Date:25 April 1951
Birth Place:Huntington, New York, U.S.
Education:Harvard University (BA)
University of Virginia (JD)
Genre:Non-fiction; history
Spouse:Osceola Freear Thomas[1]
Relatives:Norman Thomas, grandfather

Evan Welling Thomas III[2] (born April 25, 1951) is an American journalist, historian, lawyer, and author. He is the author of 11 books, including two New York Times bestsellers.

Early life and career

Thomas was born in Huntington, New York, and raised in nearby Cold Spring Harbor. A graduate of Phillips Academy, Harvard University (B.A.), and the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.), from 1991 he was a reporter, writer, and editor at Newsweek for 24 years. Prior to that, he was at Time. Thomas began his reporting career at The Bergen Record in northeastern New Jersey.

In 1992, DCI Robert Gates granted Thomas historical access to view classified Central Intelligence Agency files. The fundamental authority for this policy is Executive Order 12356 (April 1982), as implemented in HR 10–24(c)4. Under these provisions, CIA may grant individual researchers and former presidential appointees access to classified files, once the recipient of this access signs a secrecy agreement and agrees to allow the agency to review his manuscript to ensure that it contains no classified information. Former DCI Robert Gates directed that the CIA history staff locate and provide records that would satisfy Thomas's research request. Thomas's manuscript was subsequently reviewed in accordance with his secrecy agreement and approved on March 2, 1995, by the information review officer of the Directorate of Operations, with the concurrence of the Office of General Counsel. In 1996, Thomas penned an article for the Central Intelligence Agency's journal, Studies in Intelligence, describing his experience having been granted the rare privilege of historical access to CIA's classified files.[3]

He was for 20 years, a regular panelist on the weekly public affairs TV show Inside Washington[4] until the show ceased production in December 2013.[5]

He taught writing and journalism at Harvard and Princeton between 2003 and 2014. For seven years, from 2007 to 2014, he was the Ferris Professor of Journalism in residence at Princeton.

Family

He is the son of Anna Davis (née Robins) and Evan Welling Thomas II, an editor who worked for HarperCollins and W. W. Norton & Company.[6] [7] His grandfather, Norman Thomas, was a six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.[8]

He is married, and he and his wife, an attorney, are the parents of two daughters, including writer Louisa Thomas. They live in Washington, D.C.

Works

Books

Articles

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Writers Live: Evan Thomas, First: Sandra Day O'Connor, An American Life . . 2020-07-31.
  2. Kashner. Sam. Sam Kashner on The Death of a President . October. Vanity Fair. August 31, 2009. 2013-12-08.
  3. Thomas. Evan. 1996. A Singular Opportunity – Gaining Access to CIA's Records. https://web.archive.org/web/20100426222121/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol39no5/pdf/v39i5a03p.pdf. dead. April 26, 2010. Studies in Intelligence. Central Intelligence Agency. 39. 5. 19–23. February 21, 2019.
  4. Web site: Inside Washington . Insidewashington.tv . 2013-12-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807210523/http://www.insidewashington.tv/ . 2011-08-07 .
  5. Farhi, Paul (September 8, 2013). "After more than 40 years, 'Inside Washington' will go off the air". The Washington Post.
  6. Web site: Molotsky . Irvin . Washington Talk – Briefing – Newsweek Bureau Chief . The New York Times . September 9, 1986 . 2013-12-08.
  7. Web site: Alex . Kuczynski . Alex Kuczynski. Evan Thomas 2d Dies at 78; Published Many Best Sellers. The New York Times . March 5, 1999 . 2013-12-08.
  8. Web site: Evan . Thomas . #24: Norman Thomas 1905 . January 23, 2008 . . 2013-12-08.