John T. Downey (left) and Richard Fecteau at CIA headquarters in 2013.
November 17, 2024, marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of former CIA officer John Thomas Downey, often referred to as Jack Downey. Downey was born on April 19, 1930, in Wallingford, Connecticut. His father, John E. Downey, was a probate judge, and his mother, Mary V. Downey, was a middle school teacher. Downey’s father passed away in a car accident when he was just eight years old, leading his family to move to New Britain, Connecticut.
Downey attended The Choate School, where he excelled academically and was involved in various extracurricular activities, including serving as class president and captain of the wrestling team. He graduated from Choate in 1947 and went on to Yale University, where he earned a B.A. in English in 1951. At Yale, he was a member of the St. Anthony Hall fraternity and participated in football, rugby, and wrestling.
CIA Career and Capture
Downey was recruited by the CIA during his senior year at Yale. He underwent extensive training, including parachuting and clandestine skills, at Fort Benning and a CIA facility near Washington, D.C. In 1952, at the age of 22, Downey was involved in a covert operation in Manchuria during the Korean War.
The mission aimed to extract an agent, but it turned into a trap set by the Chinese. The Chinese agent team on the ground, which had been trained by Downey, had been caught and turned by the Communist Chinese. The C-47 operated by a CIA proprietary airline, Civil Air Transport, in which Downey, along with fellow CIA officer Richard Fecteau were riding, was shot down and the men were captured
After being captured, Downey was transported along with Fecteau to Mukden (now Shenyang), approximately 400 miles away. Both men were imprisoned under harsh conditions, shackled with leg irons, and subjected to intense interrogations. Downey and Fecteau endured solitary confinement and sleep deprivation, with interrogation sessions lasting up to 24 hours a day.
Downey and Fecteau were held as prisoners of war in China for over two decades, making Downey the longest-held POW in U.S. history. During their imprisonment, they endured harsh conditions and interrogations but managed to cope through patience, faith, humor, and exercise. The U.S. government initially denied their CIA affiliation, complicating efforts for their release.
In 1971, negotiations began as part of President Richard Nixon’s efforts to open relations with China. Fecteau was released in 1971, and Downey’s life sentence was commuted in 1973 after Nixon publicly acknowledged his CIA role. Downey walked across the Lo-Wu Bridge from China into Hong Kong on March 12, 1973, regaining his freedom.
Post-Release Life and Legacy
After his release, Downey returned to Connecticut and pursued a career in law. He graduated from Harvard Law School and served as a judge on the Connecticut Superior Court, eventually becoming the Chief Administrative Judge for Juvenile Matters. Downey’s story is a testament to his extraordinary fidelity, courage, and resilience. He passed away on November 17, 2014, at the age of 84.
Downey’s legacy continues to inspire many, and his story remains one of the most compelling accounts of courage and endurance in the history of the CIA. Downey wrote a memoir titled Lost in the Cold War: The Story of Jack Downey, America’s Longest-Held POW. This memoir, written in secret late in his life, provides a gripping account of his decades as a prisoner of war, interweaving the horrors and deprivation he faced with humor and the absurdities of captivity. You can find it on platforms like Amazon and Columbia University Press.
Resource
Central Intelligence Agency
CIA.gov