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John M. Deutch

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For the Canadian economist, see John James Deutsch.
John M. Deutch
17th Director of Central Intelligence
In office
May 10, 1995 – December 15, 1996
PresidentBill Clinton
DeputyWilliam O. Studeman
George Tenet
Preceded byJames Woolsey
Succeeded byGeorge Tenet
24th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
In office
March 11, 1994 – May 10, 1995[1]
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byWilliam Perry
Succeeded byJohn P. White
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology
In office
April 2, 1993 – March 11, 1994[1]
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byDonald Yockey
Succeeded byPaul G. Kaminski
Personal details
Born
John Mark Deutch

(1938-07-27) July 27, 1938 (age 86)
Brussels, Belgium
Spouses
Samayla Dodek
​
​
(m. 1961; div. 1985)​
Patricia Lyon Martin
​
​
(m. 1995)​
Children3 (with Dodek)
EducationAmherst College (BA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS, PhD)

John Mark Deutch (born July 27, 1938) is an American civil servant and physical chemist. 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 15, 1996.[2] He is an emeritus Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and serves on the boards of directors of Citigroup, Cummins, Raytheon, and Schlumberger. Deutch is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.[3]

Background

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Deutch was born in Brussels, Belgium, the son of Rachel Felicia (Fischer) and Michael Joseph Deutch.[4] He is of Russian Jewish heritage, and became a United States citizen in 1945.[2] He graduated from the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. and earned a bachelor's degree in history and economics from Amherst College. In 1961, Deutch earned a Master of Science degree in chemical engineering and, in 1966, he earned a PhD in chemistry, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He holds honorary degrees from Amherst College, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Northeastern University.

From 1977 to 1980, he served in several positions at the United States Department of Energy (DOE), including 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, 1978, vol 231 pp. 215–221 and 223-229) on modeling the mechanism of the fuel/air mixture. He served as the provost of MIT from 1985 to 1990. As MIT's dean of science and provost, Deutch oversaw the disbanding of the department of applied biological sciences, including its toxicology faculty. Furthermore, in December 2012, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for the MIT-Russia Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology.[5]

Director of Central Intelligence tenure

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In 1995, President Bill Clinton appointed him Director of Central Intelligence. As Deutch was initially reluctant to accept the appointment, the position was conferred with Cabinet rank, a prerequisite ultimately retained by successor George Tenet through the end of the Clinton administration. At the time of his appointment, The New York Times quoted activist Noam Chomsky, a prominent critic of U.S. foreign policy and of the CIA, as saying, "He has more honesty and integrity than anyone I've ever met in academic life, or any other life... If somebody's got to be running the C.I.A., I'm glad it's him."[6]

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.[7]

In 1996, Deutch took the unusual step of traveling to Locke High School in Los Angeles to address reports that the CIA had facilitated the introduction of crack cocaine into Los Angeles.[8][9] Speaking to a hostile crowd, Deutch denied any connection between the CIA and cocaine traffic in Los Angeles and vowed to open an investigation.[8][9] The meeting was prompted by allegations published by journalist Gary Webb that connected the CIA to the California cocaine trade and trafficker Danilo Blandón.[10][8][9]

Deutch fell out of favor with the Clinton administration because of public testimony he gave to Congress on Iraq. Specifically, Deutch testified that Saddam Hussein was stronger than he had been four years earlier and that the CIA might never be able to remedy the issue. After he won reelection, Clinton replaced Deutch.[11][12]

Deutch meeting with President Clinton to discuss Bosnia in 1996

Deutch left the CIA on December 15, 1996.[2] Soon after, it was revealed that several of his laptop computers contained classified information wrongfully labeled as unclassified.[13] 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.[14] Deutch had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for mishandling government secrets on January 19, 2001, but President Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office, two days before the Justice Department could file the case against him.[15][16]

Deutch teaching at M.I.T., 2020.

Board memberships and fellowships

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Deutch was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2007.[17] He has been a member of the National Petroleum Council since 2008 and the Secretary of DOE Energy Advisory Board since 2010.[18] In 1988, Deutch was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.[19]

Personal life

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In June 2003, his son Philip Joseph Deutch (from his first marriage), then a managing director and venture capitalist at Perseus LLC, married Marne Levine, who later served as the COO of Instagram.[20]

See also

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Sources

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  1. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2017-02-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b c "John Deutch — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  3. ^ "The Trilateral Commission, September 2015 [membership list]" (PDF). The Trilateral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  4. ^ Smith, W. Thomas (22 March 2018). Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 9781438130187. Retrieved 22 March 2018 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ https://www.skoltech.ru/sites/default/files/Sk_newsletter_print_version5.pdf#page=7 [bare URL]
  6. ^ Weiner, Tim (December 10, 1995). "The C.I.A.'s most Important Mission: Itself". The New York Times.
  7. ^ ""CIA's Historical Review Program", National Archives (NARA) electronic collections". Archived from the original on December 30, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c "CIA Head Speaks in L.A. To Counter Crack Claims". Los Angeles Times. 16 November 1996.
  9. ^ a b c Ayres, B. Drummond Jr. (16 November 1996). "C.I.A. Chief Visits Watts to Counter Crack Talk". The New York Times.
  10. ^ Pierce, Charles P. (June 18, 2013). "Gary Webb And The Limits Of Vindication". Esquire. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  11. ^ Doyle McManus, "Clinton Appears Set to Pick Lake as CIA Director," Los Angeles Times (04 December 1996)
  12. ^ 'Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA’, by: Tim Weiner (paperback, 2008), p.535
  13. ^ Snider, L. Britt (February 18, 2000). "Improper Hnadling of Classified Information By John M. Deutch". Central Intelligence Agency Inspector General.
  14. ^ Central Intelligence Agency Inspector General Report of Investigation Improper Handling of Classified Information By John M. Deutch, February 18, 2000
  15. ^ Ross, Sonya, "Clinton Pardons More Than 100", Washington Post, January 20, 2001
  16. ^ Ex-CIA Head Planned Guilty Plea, "Washington Post", January 24, 2001
  17. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  18. ^ "John M. Deutch". Harvard.edu. Retrieved 24 Apr 2014.
  19. ^ Incorporated, Prime. "National Academy of Public Administration". National Academy of Public Administration. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  20. ^ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Marne Levine, Philip Deutch". New York Times. 22 June 2003. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
1994–1995 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Director of Central Intelligence
1995–1996 		Succeeded by
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