Richard Patterson was the CIA Director of Planning for the Soviet Union. He ordered the killing of three high-ranking KGB officers in retribution for the murder of American scientists. These included General Zhukov. Patterson was abducted by Elizabeth and Philip, who interrogated him, but let him go. Patterson reported his attack to the FBI, and gave a description of the abductors.
Patterson was later killed by Claudia. According to Stan Beeman, his body was never found, and he "vanished into thin air." When Agent Gaad is under investigation for the murder of Vlad Kosygin, he threatens Arkady with releasing Patterson's recorded testimony to the press. This causes Arkady to pull strings to have the charges dropped, and Gaad reinstated.