John Mark Deutch (born July 27, 1938) is an American
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...
and civil servant. He was the
United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.
The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...
from 1994 to 1995 and
Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from May 10, 1995 until December 15, 1996.
He is an emeritus
Institute Professor
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
and serves on the boards of directors of
Citigroup,
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...
,
Raytheon
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...
, and
Schlumberger Ltd. Deutch is also a member of the
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973 principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...
.
Background
Deutch was born in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, Belgium, the son of Rachel Felicia (Fischer) and Michael Joseph Deutch. He is of
Russian Jewish heritage, and became a United States citizen in 1945.
He graduated from the
Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' ( en, Let the light shine out from all), a ...
in Washington, D.C., and earned a bachelor's degree in history and economics from
Amherst College. In 1961, he earned a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
degree in
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
and, in 1966, he earned a PhD in
chemistry, both from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
. He holds honorary degrees from
Amherst College, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and Northeastern University.
From 1977 to 1980, he served in several positions for the
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...
(DOE): 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 - 1990. As MIT Dean of Science and Provost, Deutch oversaw the disbanding of the Department of Applied Biological Sciences, including its toxicology faculty.
CIA Director tenure
In 1995, President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
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. As head of the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA), Deutch continued the policy of his predecessor
R. James Woolsey to declassify records pertaining to U.S.
covert operations
A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...
during the
Cold War.
In 1996, Deutch took the unusual step of traveling to
Locke High School
Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy (formerly Locke High School) is a Title 1 co-educational charter high school located in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District/ Green Dot Public ...
in Los Angeles to deny reports that the CIA had facilitated the introduction of
crack cocaine into Los Angeles.
Speaking to a hostile crowd, Deutch denied any connection between the CIA and cocaine traffic in Los Angeles and vowed to open an investigation.
[ The meeting was prompted by allegations published by journalist ]Gary Webb
Gary Stephen Webb (August 31, 1955 – December 10, 2004) was an American investigative journalist.
He began his career working for newspapers in Kentucky and Ohio, winning numerous awards, and building a strong reputation for investigative ...
that connected the CIA to the California cocaine trade and trafficker Danilo Blandón.[
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 the CIA might never be able to remedy the issue. After he won reelection, Clinton replaced Deutch.
Deutch left the CIA on December 15, 1996,] and soon after it was revealed that several of his laptop computers contained classified information wrongfully labeled as unclassified. In January 1997, the CIA began a formal security investigation of the matter. Senior management at CIA declined to pursue fully the security breach. Over two years after his departure, the matter was referred to the Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, where Attorney General Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the 78th United States attorney general. She held the position from 1993 to 2001, making her the second-longest serving attorney general, behind only Wi ...
declined prosecution. She did, however, recommend an investigation to determine whether Deutch should retain his security clearance.[''Central Intelligence Agency Inspector General Report of Investigation Improper Handling of Classified Information By John M. Deutch'']
February 18, 2000 Deutch had agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor for mishandling government secrets on January 19, 2001, but President Clinton pardoned him in his last day in office, two days before the Justice Department could file the case against him.[Ross, Sonya]
''Washington Post'', January 20, 2001
In 1995, when Deutch became head of the CIA, ''The New York Times'' quoted long-time critical scholar and social activist Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky i ...
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."
Accomplishments
Deutch was elected to the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 2007. He has been a member of the National Petroleum Council since 2008 and the Secretary of DOE Energy Advisory Board, since 2010.
Personal life
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
Marne Lynn Levine (born 1970) is an American businesswoman. She is the chief business officer at Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook, Inc.). Previously, she was the first chief operating officer of Instagram. She also served as a special assistan ...
, now the COO of Instagram.
See also
*
Sources
External links
Deutch's MIT Biography
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age; Reagan's Shield: An Interview with John Deutch
WGBH December 1987
"Nora Slatkin's Mission Impossible: The CIA," ''BusinessWeek''
Feb. 26, 1996 — About the executive director hired by Deutch to improve diversity at the CIA.
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Deutch, John M.
1938 births
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
American physical chemists
Amherst College alumni
Belgian emigrants to the United States
Clinton administration cabinet members
Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency
Fellows of the American Physical Society
Jewish American members of the Cabinet of the United States
Jewish American government officials
Harvard Kennedy School people
Living people
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology provosts
MIT School of Engineering alumni
People from Belmont, Massachusetts
Recipients of American presidential pardons
United States Deputy Secretaries of Defense