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Tony Wells Has All the Write Stuff
Tony Wells Has All the Write Stuff
By Ronen Feldman
Not many people can say they’ve been fought over, much less by the U.S. government.
That’s just one of the many exclusive clubs Tony Wells belongs to.
Born in Britain, and not one to brag, this longtime resident of The Plains is also the only living person to have worked for British Intelligence as a British citizen and U.S. Intelligence as an American citizen.
A distinguished public servant, respected academic and renowned author, his life could easily inspire a novel. However, he’d much rather discuss anything else, like politics, history, or the lives of the remarkable people he’s met over the years, giving him a perspective Americans rarely have.
His journey with his adopted country started almost half a century ago when he came to America in the 1970s as a member of the Royal Navy to serve with the U.S. Navy and work with the intelligence community in Washington D.C.
Most of the positions he’s held and the responsibilities that came with them were so sensitive he still can’t talk about it in detail. What’s not a secret though is the impression he made on everyone around him.When he came back in 1982, a D.C. lawmaker personally petitioned for him to become an American citizen.
“It’s about professionalism, trustworthiness, and integrity,” Tony said. “We’re all human, we have opinions and we’re far from perfect, but our willingness to do our duty regardless of the circumstances, or who’s asking, is what serving our country really means.”
He would know. Over the past 40 years, he advised some of the country’s top policy makers on topics such as international relations, intelligence and other major security issues. What’s more, he renounced his British citizenship, proudly dedicating himself to the freedoms he believes many Americans neither appreciate nor understand.
“My wife, our children and eight grandchildren are as American as they come,” Tony said proudly. “Whenever I visit the UK, or anywhere else for that matter, I can’t help but wonder how I ever behaved or thought this way…I can’t wait to go back home whenever I do.”
Not everything has changed, however. He’s still a hardcore fan of the New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team, and retains a somewhat Americanized proper British accent.
He also shows no signs of slowing down. In his latest book published in April, “Guarding Against Extremism in the 21St Century: A Lesson from the Past,” he once again employed his expertise to discuss the threats of extremism to American democracy in modern times.
He frequently speaks to students, citing education as one of the most crucial issues to focus on as a nation.
“We need to make a point to invest in our children’s knowledge beyond STEM and what’s mandatory,” he said. “Both in private and public education subjects like geography, for example, are lost on American children, leaving them behind the youth in other parts of the world, thereby leaving all of us behind.”
He’s already begun work on his next book. And so, this as American as apple pie gentleman, twice as energetic as people decades his junior, will go on making the country better one conversation at a time.
