To the Editor:

Re “C.I.A. Chief Uses Spy Skills to Connect With Trump. Results Are Mixed” (news article, April 17):

The editorial conceit that Gina Haspel, the director of central intelligence, relies on 007-relational jujitsu to “make sure her voice is heard at the White House” minimizes her efforts to create an effective relationship with the president. This is not spycraft; it’s professionalism.

Ms. Haspel has done a masterful job of building a relationship with a mercurial customer with a consistent record of disdain toward senior women and an apparent skepticism regarding the C.I.A.’s intelligence.

The “skills of a spy” are those of any successful executive. These are not mystical or held by the Clandestine Officers Guild and passed on at the Farm. They are the tools of a director who must create an effective relationship with the president so that the C.I.A.’s intelligence contributes to national security decisions.

Her style, strength without overconfidence, gracious demeanor and years of experience in the intelligence trenches give her credibility unmatched by recent directors.