Larry Combest

Larry Ed Combest was born in Memphis, Hall County, Texas, on March 20, 1945, graduated from West Texas State University in 1969, farmed, directed the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office in 1971, and was legislative assistant to Senator John Tower from 1971 to 1978. Elected as a Republican in 1984, he sat in the House, a member from Lubbock, from January 3, 1985, until his resignation on May 31, 2003, sat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 1988, chaired it in the 104th Congress, and chaired the Agriculture Committee in the 106th and 107th.¹

As chairman he was the addressee of the CIA's letter of March 28, 1995, transmitting DIA's and the CIA's responses to Congress's directed actions on the Star Gate program (1995 transfer of Star Gate to the CIA). On April 9, 1996, he sent the Speaker the committee staff study IC21: The Intelligence Community in the 21st Century, "carefully edited in consultation with the appropriate agencies to remove any classified information." In 1996 "Mr. Combest was awarded the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal and the Seal Medallion of the Central Intelligence Agency," and he served as vice chairman of the Moynihan Commission on secrecy.²