Before and during the Vietnam War, Colby served as chief of station in Saigon, chief of the CIA's Far East Division, and head of the Civil Operations and Rural Development effort, as well as overseeing the Phoenix Program.
Prije i tijekom Vijetnamskog rata, Colby je služio kao šef obavještajne postaje u Sajgonu ("Chief of the CIA's Far East Division") i bio je vođa civilnih operacija i ruralnog razvoja, jednako kao i nadgledatelj programa Phoenix.