David Barrett, PhD

Professor of Political Science | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Villanova University

  • Villanova PA

David Barrett, PhD, is a presidential historian and leading expert on the CIA's relationship with presidents and Congress.

Contact

Villanova University

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Areas of Expertise

Politics
The Vietnam War
National Security & Intelligence Issues
United States Congress
United States Presidents
The Central Intelligence Agency
Lyndon Baines Johnson
Presidential Decision Making
Political Science

Biography

Dr. David Barrett is one of the country's leading experts on the critical relationship between the United States Congress and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Current hot topic issues such as national security and the United States presidency are other areas of specialty for Dr. Barrett. He is also a good source for stories on President Lyndon Baines Johnson's handling of the Vietnam War. Coming from a background in radio and television news, Dr. Barrett is adept at giving media interviews on his areas of academic expertise.

Education

University of Notre Dame

PhD

University of Essex (England)

MA

University of Notre Dame

BA

Select Media Appearances

Newly Released MLK Files: What's in Them and What's Left Out?

USA Today  

2025-07-22

The newly released records come from the FBI's investigation of the King assassination, records the Central Intelligence Agency deemed related to the assassination and a file from the State Department on the extradition of James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty in 1969 to murdering King. David Barrett, a historian at Villanova University, said the files will likely contain new, interesting information. But as was the case with the JFK files released in March, the material likely isn't groundbreaking.

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Four Key Takeaways From Release of JFK Files

BBC News  

2025-03-20

A number of the documents shed light on Kennedy's relationship with the CIA before his death and on intelligence-gathering techniques—giving a window into Cold War operations... The CIA is traditionally opposed to releasing operational or budget information, said David Barrett, a Villanova University professor and expert on the CIA and presidential power.

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JFK Files Related to Assassination Released by Trump Administration

CBS News  

2025-03-19

The Trump administration on Tuesday evening released tens of thousands of pages of government documents related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy... David Barrett, a professor of political science at Villanova University who studies the Kennedy presidency, told CBS News that "non-scholars who dive into these documents are going to be baffled as to what most of them have to do with the Kennedy or other assassinations." For scholars like him, however, he said it is "certainly the most useful release of documents that has occurred because of the redactions being removed."

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Select Academic Articles

JFK, FBI and CIA: Playing Hardball Over an Intelligence Leak to The New York Times

Intelligence and National Security

David Barrett

2017

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A New Intelligence Director's Diary: President Truman, a Young JFK, Ho Chi Minh's "Beheading" and Other Challenges

Intelligence and National Security

David Barrett

2008

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