I remember someone telling me about this man.. Very effective and intelligent person, but he never learned to read. I believe this was around the time of Eisenhower's administration but it may have been as late as Nixon's.
Thank you!
Whoever told you this was almost certainly thinking of Walter Bedell Smith, who left high school early, who later dropped out of college, and who became the only Director of Central Intelligence without a college degree. Smith served under both Truman and (briefly) Eisenhower.
Despite being the only DCI without a college degree, however, Smith could definitely read. Prior to acting as the DCI, he had assumed the various roles of Assistant to the Secretary of the General Staff of the Army, Secretary to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commander of the European Theater during the Second World War, and Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Indeed, his prolific career in service to the military and diplomatic services of the United States afforded him the opportunity to act as the DCI.
The duties of the Director of the CIA would not allow someone to act in this position without the ability to read.