View source for Bobby Ray Inman

{{short description|United States Navy admiral}}
{{lead too short|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image        = Admiral Bobby Ray Inman, official CIA photo, 1983.JPEG
|office       = [[Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board]]
|president    = [[George H. W. Bush]]
|term_label   = Acting
|term_start   = April 5, 1991
|term_end     = January 20, 1993
|predecessor  = [[John Tower]]
|successor    = [[William J. Crowe|William Crowe]]
|office1      = 14th [[Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency|Deputy Director of Central Intelligence]]
|president1   = [[Ronald Reagan]]
|term_start1  = February 12, 1981
|term_end1    = June 10, 1982
|predecessor1 = [[Frank Carlucci]]
|successor1   = [[John N. McMahon|John McMahon]]
|office2      = [[Director of the National Security Agency]]
|president2   = [[Jimmy Carter]]<br/>[[Ronald Reagan]]
|deputy2      = [[Benson K. Buffham|Benson Buffham]]<br/>[[Robert E. Drake|Robert Drake]]<br/>[[Ann Z. Caracristi|Ann Caracristi]]
|term_start2  = July 1977
|term_end2    = February 12, 1981
|predecessor2 = [[Lew Allen]]
|successor2   = [[Lincoln D. Faurer|Lincoln Faurer]]
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1931|4|4}}
|birth_place  = [[Rhonesboro, Texas]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|death_date   =
|death_place  =
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|education    = {{nowrap|[[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas, Austin]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}}}
|allegiance   = United States
|branch       = [[United States Navy]]
|serviceyears = 1951–1982
|rank         = [[File:US-O10 insignia.svg|38px]]  [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]
|commands     =
|battles      = [[Korean War]]<br/>[[Vietnam War]]
|mawards      = [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]<br/>[[Defense Superior Service Medal]]<br/>[[Legion of Merit]]
}}
'''Bobby Ray Inman''' (born April 4, 1931) is a retired [[United States Navy]] [[Admiral (United States)|admiral]] who held several influential positions in the [[United States Intelligence Community]].
==Early years==
Inman was born and raised in the community of [[Rhonesboro, Texas|Rhonesboro]], [[Upshur County, Texas|Upshur County]], [[Texas]], in the eastern portion of the state. His father was the owner and operator of a gas station. Inman attended and graduated from [[Mineola High School (Texas)|Mineola High School]]. Inman recalled in 1986 that he was 5' 4" tall and weighed {{convert|96|lb}} upon graduation, and he tutored athletes he admired during high school to keep from being bullied.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1986/11/10/68258/index.htm|title=WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT ADMIRAL BOBBY INMAN? He has never earned a nickel of profit. But savvy financiers, impressed by his ideas on restoring America's edge, are behind him in a bold new business venture. – November 10, 1986|website=archive.fortune.com|access-date=2016-11-20}}</ref>
Inman graduated from Mineola High School in [[Mineola, Texas]] at the age of 15,<ref name=":0" /> in 1946.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/392/000058218/|title=Bobby Ray Inman|website=www.nndb.com|access-date=2016-11-20}}</ref> He rode a bus from Mineola to Tyler Junior College, where he was a member of [[Phi Theta Kappa]] National Honor Society. He graduated from the [[University of Texas]] with a degree in history at the age of 19. According to Budiansky, after joining the [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]] during the [[Korean War]], Inman then "rocketed up through the ranks of [[naval intelligence]]".<ref name=Stephen>{{cite book|last1=Budiansky|first1=Stephen|title=Code Warriors|date=2016|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|location=New York|isbn=9780385352666|pages=297–301}}</ref>
==Naval career==
Inman served as Director of [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Naval Intelligence]] from September 1974 to July 1976, then moved to the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] where he served as vice director until 1977. He next became the director of the [[National Security Agency]]. Inman held this post until 1981. His last major position was as the deputy director of Central Intelligence, a post he held from February 12, 1981 to June 10, 1982.
Inman “flatly rejected” Israel’s mistaken identity claim regarding the 1967 [[USS Liberty incident|USS ''Liberty'' incident]]. He stated that “It is just exceedingly difficult to believe that [the USS ''Liberty''] was not correctly identified.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.honorlibertyvets.org/experts.html | title=Experts on the USS Liberty }}</ref> He said his conclusions were based on his talks with senior NSA officials who had direct knowledge at the time. Along with NSA Deputy Director for Operations Oliver Kirby, U.S. Air Force Major General John E. Morrison (Kirby’s successor), and Lieutenant General [[William E. Odom]], he said he was unaware of any agency official at any time who dissented from the “deliberate” conclusion.
While simultaneously acting as the NSA director and the CIA deputy director in early 1981, he modernized the [[Special Collection Service|collection process]] by setting up a joint facility in College Park, Maryland.  According to Budiansky, Inman did so by "sending memos back and forth to himself approving his solutions."<ref name=Stephen/>{{rp|295}}
In 1976, [[Martin Hellman]] and [[Whitfield Diffie]] published their paper, ''[https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=1055638 New Directions in Cryptography]'', introducing a radically new method of distributing cryptographic keys, which went far toward solving one of the fundamental problems of cryptography, key distribution. It has become known as [[Diffie–Hellman key exchange]]. However, when Hellman and two of his graduate students attempted to present their work on this on October 10, 1977 at The International Symposium on Information Theory, the National Security Agency warned them that doing so would be legally equivalent to exporting nuclear weapons to a hostile foreign power.<ref name="bbc1">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39341663|title=Geeks v government: The battle over public key cryptography|work=[[BBC News]]|author=Tim Harford|date=24 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429161812/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39341663|archive-date=29 April 2017|access-date=29 April 2017|author-link=Tim Harford}}</ref><ref name="stanford1">{{cite web|url=https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=74801|title=Keeping Secrets|publisher=[[Stanford University|Stanford Magazine – Stanford Alumni Association]]|author=Henry Corrigan-Gibbs|date=December 2014|access-date=29 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429162123/https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=74801|archive-date=29 April 2017}}</ref> Inman led the NSA at the time, and he feared that [[encryption]] – which had so far only been used for military purposes – would be used by hostile foreign powers, reducing the ability of the NSA to collect [[signals intelligence]]. However, Hellman – who anticipated that the increasing use of electronic communications in private sector transactions would require encryption – proceeded to give the talk.<ref name="bbc1"/> While this defied the NSA's threat of prosecution, Inman eventually realised Hellman's point and there was no prosecution. Hellman and Inman even became friends.<ref name="bbc1"/> Public key cryptography now forms an essential component of [[internet security]].
Inman chaired a commission on improving security at U.S. foreign installations after the [[Marine barracks bombing]] and the [[April 1983 US Embassy bombing]] in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. The [[Inman Report|commission's report]] has been influential in setting security design standards for U.S. [[Embassy|Embassies]].
After retirement from the Navy, he was chairman and chief executive officer of the [[Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation]] (MCC) in Austin, Texas for four years and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Westmark Systems, Inc., a privately owned electronics industry holding company for three years. Admiral Inman also served as chairman of the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas]] from 1987 through 1990.
Admiral Inman’s primary activity since 1990 has been investing in start-up technology companies, where he is a managing director of Limestone Ventures. He is a member of the board of directors of several privately held companies. He serves as a trustee of the American Assembly and the California Institute of Technology. He is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
President Clinton nominated him as Secretary of Defense, but he withdrew his nomination (see below).
Inman also was on the board of [[Science Applications International Corporation|SAIC]].<ref>[[James Bamford]], ''[[The Shadow Factory]]'', Doubleday, 2008, p201</ref>
Since 2001, Inman has held the [[Lyndon B. Johnson|LBJ]] Centennial Chair in National Policy at [[University of Texas at Austin|The University of Texas at Austin]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs]], and in 2005 and again in 2009 was the school's interim [[dean (education)|dean]].<ref>Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. [https://www.utexas.edu/lbj/directory/faculty/bobby-inman Biography of Bobby R. Inman] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621215023/https://www.utexas.edu/lbj/directory/faculty/bobby-inman |date=2015-06-21 }}, retrieved 2015-06-14.</ref> Inman graduated from Texas with a bachelor's in history in 1950.
Inman has also served on the board of directors of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], [[Dell]] Computer, SBC Corporation (now AT&T)<ref>Pletz, John. "[http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/archive/0502dell.html Michael Dell's view from the top"], {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607072747/http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/archive/0502dell.html |date=June 7, 2011 }} ''Austin American-Statesman'', 2004 May 2.</ref> and [[Massey Energy]].
In 2011, he became head of the board of directors of [[Xe Services]], formerly [[Erik Prince]]'s [[Blackwater Worldwide|Blackwater]] and now known as Academi.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-blackwater-security-firm-gets-new-leaders-in-image-makeover/ Former Blackwater Security Firm Gets New Leaders in Image Makeover] By Justin Fishel March 09, 2011, foxnews.com</ref> As of 2013, he sits on the board of directors of [[Academi]].<ref name="boardofdirectors">{{Cite web |url=http://academi.com/pages/about-us/board-of-directors |title=Academi board of directors |access-date=2013-03-10 |archive-date=2017-10-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024100059/https://www.academi.com/pages/about-us/board-of-directors |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Nomination for Secretary of Defense==
Inman was announced as President [[Bill Clinton]]'s choice to succeed [[Les Aspin]] as [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] on December 16, 1993, initially receiving broad bipartisan support. He accepted the post at first, but withdrew his nomination during a press conference on January 18, 1994.<ref>[http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/53874-1 Bobby Inman Withdrawal Press Conference]</ref>
During the press conference, Inman made angry remarks about comments by ''[[The New York Times]]'' columnist [[William Safire]].<ref>{{cite news |first=William |last=Safire |title=Essay; Cold Comfort Level |work=The New York Times |date=December 23, 1993 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/23/opinion/essay-cold-comfort-level.html }}</ref> Safire wrote paragraphs on Inman's "anti-Israel bias shown", and ended in a four-point list of other negative qualifications. In reply, Inman suggested that Safire had recruited Senator [[Bob Dole]] of Kansas to engage in a "vitriolic attack" on Inman, and also claimed that Dole and Senator [[Trent Lott]] were planning to "turn up the heat" on his nomination.
[[File:DIG13939 45.jpg|thumb|Inman at the [[LBJ Presidential Library]] in 2016]]
Dole's reaction was to state that "I have no idea what's gotten into Bobby Inman... Admiral Inman's letter doesn't make any sense to me." Lott appeared even more surprised, saying that "I am floored by [Inman's] bizarre press conference", while an unnamed White House aide added: "Most of us were glued to the tube, our mouths open in shock."<ref>[http://tech.mit.edu/V113/N66/inman.66w.html Adm. Inman Asks Clinton To Withdraw Nomination – The Tech<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==International Signal and Control (ISC) Scandal==
In 1994, after Bobby Ray Inman asked to be withdrawn from consideration as Defense Secretary, his critics speculated that the decision was motivated by a desire to conceal his links to [[International Signal and Control|International Signal and Control (ISC)]]. Inman was a member of the board of directors of the company, which was allegedly either negligent or approved illegal exports.<ref>[http://richardknight.homestead.com/inman.html Bobby Ray Inman and South Africa]</ref>
Originally called ESI (Electronic Systems International), the company manufactured sub-assemblies for the [[AGM-45 Shrike]] and [[RIM-7 Sea Sparrow]] missiles in 1974, and just after the [[Vietnam War]] which was part of a standard arms contract for the US defense administration (DCAS). The company also had a commercial repair facility of two meter portable [[Amateur radio|amateur ("ham") radios]] from a company in New Jersey called Clegg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rigpix.com/clegg/fmdx.htm|title=RigPix Database – Clegg – FM-DX|website=www.rigpix.com|access-date=2017-01-30}}</ref> and manufactured communications helmet radios for firemen, and electronic outdoor bug zappers.
ISC was involved in two major indiscretions, for which CEO James Guerin received a 15-year prison sentence:
* It defrauded and caused the collapse of the British company [[Ferranti]], which acquired it in 1987.<ref>1992/93 UK Parliament: House of Commons document: HC 28 Serious Fraud Office. Annual report 5 April 1991 to 4 April 1992</ref>
* It exported classified military technology to [[South Africa]], which was then forwarded to third countries, notably [[Iraq]].
From 1984 to 1988, ISC sent South Africa more than $30 million in military-related equipment, including telemetry tracking antennae to collect data from missiles in flight, gyroscopes for guidance systems, and photo-imaging film readers, all of which would form the "backbone" of a medium-range missile system. Some of this technology was reportedly transferred to Iraq.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=January–February 1996|title=South Africa's Nuclear Autopsy|url=http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/safrica/autopsy.html|journal=The Risk Report|volume=2|issue=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227104558/http://www.wisconsinproject.org/countries/safrica/autopsy.html|archive-date=2009-02-27}}</ref> Another link to Iraq was the supply of the specifications for the [[CBU-100 Cluster Bomb|Mk 20 Rockeye II]] [[Cluster munition|cluster bomb]] through Chilean defense company [[Carlos Cardoen|Cardoen Industries]], which was able to build an almost identical weapon that was subsequently used against coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War of January–February 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-2549.html|title=Chile, Cardoen Industries|date=March 1994}}</ref>
==Statements==
In 2006, Inman criticized the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush administration]]'s use of [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|warrantless domestic wiretaps]], making him one of the highest-ranking former intelligence officials to criticize the program in public.<ref>Shachtman, Noah. "[http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/05/70855]", ''Wired News'', 2006 May 9.</ref><ref>"[http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/17/159213 Ex-NSA Head Bobby R. Inman on the National Security Agency’s Domestic Surveillance Program: “This Activity Was Not Authorized]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519033950/http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06%2F05%2F17%2F159213 |date=May 19, 2006  }}", www.democracynow.org, 2006 May 17.</ref>
==Awards and decorations==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="3" align="right"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy_Distinguished_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="3" align="left"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=U.S._Defense_Superior_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Legion of Merit ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Meritorious Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Joint Service Commendation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy_Unit_Commendation_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy_Meritorious_Unit_Commendation_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army_of_Occupation_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Cheon-Su_Security_Medal_Ribbon.png|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Vietnam Navy Distinguished Service Order Ribbon-Second Class.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-star|ribbon=Vietnamese Gallantry Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Presidential_Unit_Citation_(Korea).svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|colspan="2"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Vietnam_Campaign_Medal_ribbon_with_60-_clasp.svg|width=106}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
!1st row
|colspan="3"|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[Defense Superior Service Medal]]
|-
!2nd row
|colspan="2"|[[Legion of Merit]]
|colspan="2"|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Joint Service Commendation Medal]]
|-
!3rd row
|colspan="2"|[[Navy Unit Commendation]]
|colspan="2"|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation|Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation]]
|colspan="2"|[[Navy Occupation Service Medal]]
|-
!4th row
|colspan="2"|[[National Defense Service Medal]] with one bronze [[service star]]
|colspan="2"|[[Korean Service Medal]] with four bronze stars
|colspan="2"|[[Vietnam Service Medal]]
|-
!5th row
|colspan="2"|[[Order of National Security Merit|Republic of Korea Order of National Security Merit]], Cheon-Su Medal
|colspan="2"|[[Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam)|South Vietnam Navy Distinguished Service Order (2nd Class)]]
|colspan="2"|[[Vietnam Gallantry Cross]] with gold star
|-
!6th row
|colspan="2"|[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan="2"|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|}
In 1982, Inman received the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement’s]] Golden Plate Award presented by Awards Council member [[David C. Jones|General David C. Jones]] at a ceremony in New Orleans.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=  https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#public-service}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Unsuccessful nominations to the Cabinet of the United States]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://fas.org/irp/news/1993/931216i.htm Biography of Bobby R. Inman]—FAS.org
*[http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/directory/faculty/bobby-inman University of Texas Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508070725/http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/directory/faculty/bobby-inman |date=2016-05-08 }}
*{{C-SPAN}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lew Allen]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Director of the National Security Agency]]|years=1977–1981}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lincoln D. Faurer|Lincoln Faurer]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Frank Carlucci]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency|Deputy Director of Central Intelligence]]|years=1981–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[John N. McMahon|John McMahon]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[John Tower]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[President's Intelligence Advisory Board]]<br>{{small|Acting}}|years=1991–1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William J. Crowe|William Crowe]]}}
{{s-end}}
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{{Deputy DCIA}}
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[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Blackwater (company) people]]
[[Category:Directors of the National Security Agency]]
[[Category:Directors of the Office of Naval Intelligence]]
[[Category:Deputy directors of the Central Intelligence Agency]]
[[Category:People from Upshur County, Texas]]
[[Category:People of the Defense Intelligence Agency]]
[[Category:Rejected or withdrawn nominees to the United States Executive Cabinet]]
[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]
[[Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States)]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (South Korea)]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Texas]]