The Director of the CIA, Mr George Tenet, has resigned and will leave in July, the Bush administration announced this afternoon.
The CIA has been under fire recently for a number of intelligence lapses in Iraq.
US President George W. Bush said Mr Tenet submitted his letter of resignation last night at the White House and told the president he would leave his post for personal reasons.
"He has done a superb job on behalf of the American people. I accepted his letter," Mr Bush told reporters as he was leaving the White House to begin a trip to Italy and France.
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Mr Tenet will continue as CIA director until mid-July, when his deputy Mr John McLaughlin will become acting director.