Clear and Present Danger characters

First appears in chapter 4

The CIA's deputy director for intelligence, taking on greater responsibility as James Greer's illness worsens. Ryan expects sensitive work to remain subject to law and oversight, even when senior officials invoke national security.

First appears in chapter 4

The CIA's veteran deputy director for intelligence and Ryan's mentor. Seriously ill, he continues to advise Ryan while preparing him to shoulder work that Greer can no longer manage himself.

First appears in chapter 4

The director of Central Intelligence, responsible for an agency whose analytical and operational branches do not always share the same information. He relies on Ryan, Greer, and Robert Ritter for different parts of that mission.

First appears in chapter 4

The CIA's deputy director for operations. Experienced in compartmented covert programs, he is accustomed to limiting knowledge to the officials and field officers he believes need it.

First appears in chapter 4

The President's national security adviser and a retired naval officer. He turns the administration's demand for action against the Colombian drug trade into plans handled within a very small circle.

Appears from the start

The President of the United States, personally shaken when an old friend and the friend's family are murdered aboard a yacht linked to drug smuggling. He demands a response while also carrying the constitutional duties of his office.

Appears from the start

A powerful Colombian drug lord whose organization treats murder, bribery, and political influence as ordinary business tools. The seizure of cartel money and growing American pressure threaten both his wealth and his authority.

First appears in chapter 3

A Cuban intelligence veteran serving as Escobedo's security and intelligence adviser. Patient, educated, and ambitious, he studies American institutions as carefully as he studies rival figures inside the cartel.

First appears in chapter 8

An experienced clandestine officer assigned to help run an unusually sensitive operation connected to Colombia. Calm under pressure and protective of field personnel, he understands both the official plan and the practical cost of carrying it out.

Also known as Ding

First appears in chapter 8

A young American light-infantry soldier selected for covert duty in Colombia. Fluent in Spanish, skilled in the field, and quick to learn, he becomes an important member of a team operating far from overt American support.

First appears in chapter 10

An American Army officer commanding one of the small teams sent covertly into Colombia. He is responsible for keeping his soldiers disciplined, concealed, and focused while their intelligence is passed to commanders outside the country.

First appears in chapter 3

The director of the FBI, leading the legal and financial investigation that follows the murders aboard the yacht. His work brings the bureau into direct contact with the Colombian government and the cartel's interests.

First appears in chapter 3

A trusted secretary at FBI headquarters. Her access gives her a view of senior officials' schedules and travel, while her private life leaves her unaware that seemingly personal attention may have an official purpose.

First appears in chapter 2

A Coast Guard officer whose cutter stops a suspicious yacht in the Caribbean. His careful handling of the vessel and its crew preserves the evidence needed to connect a brutal crime at sea to a much larger narcotics investigation.