Samford, John A. (John Alexander), 1905-1968

John Alexander Samford (b. 1905, Hagerman, N.M.-d. Dec. 1, 1968), U.S. Air Force officer, graduated from West Point in 1928 and received his pilot wings the following year. After serving as a flying instructor and in various assignments in Panama and U.S. bases, he was appointed chief of staff, VIII Air Force Composite Command in Northern Ireland. During the War years, he was deputy chief of staff, 8th Air Force; chief of staff, VIII Bomber Command; chief of staff, 8th Air Force; and deputy assistant chief of staff, U.S. Army Air Force HQ. After the War he was appointed commander, 24th Composite Wing (Antilles Air Division of the Caribbean Air Command). In the early 1950s, he was appointed director of intelligence of the U.S. Air Force, and in 1956 became director of the National Security Agency. He retired in 1960.