Odd that his obit would say that he was a Clown.
Do they have an obvious Clown portion, and a hidden Clown portion of the CIA? Known Clown being like Military Intelligence. Everyone knows they exist, so they have a cover of some being known to the public, and some not being known to the public. The Public face of the CIA and the Hidden face of the CIA?
Smoke & Mirrors is their specialty after all.