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Sunday, October 31, 2010

John M. Deutch

John M. Deutch

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John Mark Deutch

In office
May 10, 1995 – December 15, 1996
President Bill Clinton
Preceded by R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Succeeded by George Tenet

Born July 27, 1938
Brussels, Belgium
John Mark Deutch (born July 27, 1938) is an American chemist and civil servant. He was the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1994 to 1995 and Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from May 10, 1995 until December 14, 1996. He is presently an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and serves on the Board of Directors of Citigroup, Cummins, Raytheon, and Schlumberger Ltd. Deutch is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.[1]

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[edit] Background

Deutch was born in Brussels, Belgium, to a Russian Jewish father. He graduated from the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC and earned a bachelor's degree in History and Economics from Amherst College. In 1961, he earned an B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and, in 1966, he earned a PhD in Chemistry, both from MIT. He holds honorary degrees from Amherst College, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and Northeastern University.
From 1977 to 1980, he served in several positions for the U.S. Department of Energy: as Director of Energy Research, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology, and Undersecretary of the Department. In 1978, Deutch published two physical-chemistry papers (in, Combustion and Flame, 1,223;31,215) on the mechanism of the Fuel/Air Explosive (FAE), a thermobaric weapon. He served as the provost of MIT from 1985 - 1990. As MIT Dean of Science and Provost, Deutch both formed and disbanded the Department of Applied Biological Sciences, including its toxicology faculty.

[edit] CIA career

In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed him Director of Central Intelligence (cabinet rank in the Clinton administration). However, Deutch was initially reluctant to accept the appointment. As head of the CIA, Deutch continued the policy of his predecessor R. James Woolsey to declassify records pertaining to U.S. covert operations during the Cold War.[2] He put restraints on what he considered to be politically incorrect agent recruitment and sought to encourage more diversity at the Agency in order to include more women and minorities in its ranks.[3]
Soon after Deutch's departure from the CIA in 1996 it was revealed that classified materials were being kept on several of Deutch's laptop computers designated as unclassified. In January 1997, the CIA began a formal security investigation of the matter. Senior management at CIA declined to fully pursue the security breach. Over two years after his departure, the matter was referred to the Department of Justice, where Attorney General Janet Reno declined prosecution. She did, however, recommend an investigation to determine whether Deutch should retain his security clearance.[4] President Clinton pardoned Deutch on his last day in office.[5]

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Political offices
Preceded by
William Perry
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
1994–1995
Succeeded by
John P. White
Government offices
Preceded by
R. James Woolsey, Jr.
Director of Central Intelligence
May 10, 1995-December 15, 1996
Succeeded by
George Tenet