Mike Mastrovito was a twenty-five-year Secret Service veteran, the founder and first director of the Secret Service Intelligence Division, and — after his forced retirement from the Service following the 1975 Sarah Jane Moore assassination attempt on President Ford — a CIA contractor specializing in Greek terrorism. Per John Kiriakou, Mastrovito was “an awesome human being” and his close colleague during Kiriakou’s Athens tour.[1][2]
Secret Service career
Mastrovito’s Secret Service career spanned from the end of the Eisenhower administration through 1975. “He was in Dallas with Kennedy.” He kept a scrapbook of his service history.[2]
He convinced Secret Service leadership to create an Intelligence Division and became its first director. “For a while it was just him. He was the Intelligence Division.” Any threatening letter sent to the White House was routed to him personally.[2][3]
End of the career
In September 1975 a threatening letter from Sarah Jane Moore reached his desk. Mastrovito flew to San Francisco, interviewed her at her apartment, and got her verbal promise that she would not harm President Ford. Two weeks later Moore was on a San Francisco street with a .44 and fired at Ford. Ford survived. Mastrovito was told: “It’s time for you to go.”[4][5]
Post-Secret Service: CIA contractor in Athens
Mastrovito subsequently became a CIA contractor specializing in Greek terrorism. He and Kiriakou worked closely together in Athens.[2]