Admiral John Marlan Poindexter
'National Security Advisor'
Lineage: Marlan Glen, Huette, George Patton, Christian, Samuel Wiley, Bond Veale, Thomas, Thomas, George, George
John Marlan Poindexter - born in Washington, Ind. on August 12th, 1936 - a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, succeeded Robert C. McFarlane as President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser in December 1985. He held that post until November 1986, when he resigned following disclosures of his role in the Iran-Contra Affair. In July 1987, testifying before U.S. House and Senate committees investigating the scandal, Admiral
Poindexter declared that he had authorized the diversion of funds to the
contras but that he had deliberately not informed President Reagan of his
action.
Poindexter attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating first in his
class of 1958; he had the further distinction of being the brigade
commander of his class. In 1964 he earned a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from
the California Institute of Technology, where he studied under Nobel
laureate Rudolph Mossbauer. During his career in the Navy, he commanded
the guided missile cruiser England and a squadron of destroyers. He saw
duty in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and South Pacific. From 1971 to
1978, Admiral Poindexter made his mark as an aide to the secretary of the
Navy and the chief of naval operations. For the next three years he served
as the deputy chief of naval education and training, moving on to the
National Security Council (NSC) in 1981.
Prior to being named national security adviser, he served as the deputy
to McFarlane, heading the NSC's "crisis pre-planning group." In that
capacity, he played a central role in the administration's handling of the
"Achille Lauro" hijacking in October 1985 and other terrorist incidents.
Following the resignation of McFarlane, Poindexter became national
security adviser on December 4, 1985. In this post he played a key role in
the covert sale of U.S. armaments to the government of Iran, the
negotiations for release of Americans held hostage by terrorists, and the
diversion of funds from the arms sales to support the contra guerrillas in
Nicaragua. Following public revelation of these events, President Reagan
accepted Poindexter's resignation on November 25, 1986.
In later testimony before the joint Congressional committee
investigating the situation, Poindexter declared in July of 1987 that he
had never told Reagan about the diversion of funds to the contras, wishing
to "provide some future deniability," presumably to protect the president
from any possible negative consequences of the arms scandal. Poindexter
officially resigned from the Navy on September 29th, 1987. On March 8th,
1990, Poindexter was brought to trial in Washington, D.C., on five
criminal charges, including conspiracy, obstruction of Congress, and
making false statements to Congress. On April 7th, Poindexter was found
guilty on all five charges, and he was sentenced, on June 11th , to six
months in prison. Poindexter appealed the conviction, and on November
15th, 1991, a federal appeals court panel reversed the conviction.
Articles in 'The Christian Science Monitor' and 'The New York Times'
Written Interview By Spencer Reiss for the May 2004 Magazine 'Wired'
John's Famous Quotes
Bright Planet Board of Directors
Dr. John M. Poindexter, now a private consultant, most recently served as Director of the Information Awareness Office (IAO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). IAO developed and demonstrated information technologies and systems to counter asymmetric threats by achieving total information awareness useful for preemption, national security warning and national security decision-making. In addition he initiated research on privacy protection. As Director, Dr. Poindexter established the new office, managed the technical and financial aspects of the Office’s ongoing projects and worked to identify revolutionary new projects within the Office’s mission. He now serves on the Board of Directors of Saffron Technology, an innovative computer software company which produces associative memory applications.
Prior to coming to DARPA, Dr. Poindexter served as Senior Vice President for SYNTEK Technologies, a small, high-technology firm, where he worked with DARPA on Project Genoa. He also served on the Board of Directors for Saffron Technology, Inc. and Digital Commerce Corp. In 1990, he co-founded TP Systems, Inc and then served as the firm’s chief designer and programmer until 1996. From 1993 to 1996, Dr. Poindexter was a consultant with Elkins Group, where he was Chairman of the Maritime Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to that, he served as Senior Scientist with Presearch, Inc.
Return To The Homepage
Charlemagne
Jean Poingdestre 1609-1691
George Poingdestre/Poindexter 1627-1690
George Littleton Poindexter, Governor of Mississippi 1779-1853
Reverend
James Preston Poindexter 1819- 1907
Poindexter Military Roll of Honor
John A. Poindexter, Colonel, CSA 1825-1869
James E. Poindexter, Captain, CSA 1839-1911
Meredith Poindexter Gentry, Congressman 1809-1866
Joseph Boyd Poindexter, Governor of Hawaii 1869-1951
Miles Poindexter, Ambassadore 1868-1946
Alan G. Poindexter, Astronaut, USN
Captain John B. Poindexter, USA,
John Marlan Poindexter - born in Washington, Ind. on August 12th, 1936 - a vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, succeeded Robert C. McFarlane as President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser in December 1985. He held that post until November 1986, when he resigned following disclosures of his role in the Iran-Contra Affair. In July 1987, testifying before U.S. House and Senate committees investigating the scandal, Admiral Poindexter declared that he had authorized the diversion of funds to the contras but that he had deliberately not informed President Reagan of his action.
Poindexter attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating first in his
class of 1958; he had the further distinction of being the brigade
commander of his class. In 1964 he earned a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from
the California Institute of Technology, where he studied under Nobel
laureate Rudolph Mossbauer. During his career in the Navy, he commanded
the guided missile cruiser England and a squadron of destroyers. He saw
duty in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and South Pacific. From 1971 to
1978, Admiral Poindexter made his mark as an aide to the secretary of the
Navy and the chief of naval operations. For the next three years he served
as the deputy chief of naval education and training, moving on to the
National Security Council (NSC) in 1981.
Prior to being named national security adviser, he served as the deputy
to McFarlane, heading the NSC's "crisis pre-planning group." In that
capacity, he played a central role in the administration's handling of the
"Achille Lauro" hijacking in October 1985 and other terrorist incidents.
Following the resignation of McFarlane, Poindexter became national
security adviser on December 4, 1985. In this post he played a key role in
the covert sale of U.S. armaments to the government of Iran, the
negotiations for release of Americans held hostage by terrorists, and the
diversion of funds from the arms sales to support the contra guerrillas in
Nicaragua. Following public revelation of these events, President Reagan
accepted Poindexter's resignation on November 25, 1986.
In later testimony before the joint Congressional committee
investigating the situation, Poindexter declared in July of 1987 that he
had never told Reagan about the diversion of funds to the contras, wishing
to "provide some future deniability," presumably to protect the president
from any possible negative consequences of the arms scandal. Poindexter
officially resigned from the Navy on September 29th, 1987. On March 8th,
1990, Poindexter was brought to trial in Washington, D.C., on five
criminal charges, including conspiracy, obstruction of Congress, and
making false statements to Congress. On April 7th, Poindexter was found
guilty on all five charges, and he was sentenced, on June 11th , to six
months in prison. Poindexter appealed the conviction, and on November
15th, 1991, a federal appeals court panel reversed the conviction.
Articles in 'The Christian Science Monitor' and 'The New York Times'
Written Interview By Spencer Reiss for the May 2004 Magazine 'Wired'
John's Famous Quotes
Bright Planet Board of Directors
Dr. John M. Poindexter, now a private consultant, most recently served as Director of the Information Awareness Office (IAO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). IAO developed and demonstrated information technologies and systems to counter asymmetric threats by achieving total information awareness useful for preemption, national security warning and national security decision-making. In addition he initiated research on privacy protection. As Director, Dr. Poindexter established the new office, managed the technical and financial aspects of the Office’s ongoing projects and worked to identify revolutionary new projects within the Office’s mission. He now serves on the Board of Directors of Saffron Technology, an innovative computer software company which produces associative memory applications.
Prior to coming to DARPA, Dr. Poindexter served as Senior Vice President for SYNTEK Technologies, a small, high-technology firm, where he worked with DARPA on Project Genoa. He also served on the Board of Directors for Saffron Technology, Inc. and Digital Commerce Corp. In 1990, he co-founded TP Systems, Inc and then served as the firm’s chief designer and programmer until 1996. From 1993 to 1996, Dr. Poindexter was a consultant with Elkins Group, where he was Chairman of the Maritime Advisory Committee and a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to that, he served as Senior Scientist with Presearch, Inc.
Return To The Homepage
Charlemagne
Jean Poingdestre 1609-1691
George Poingdestre/Poindexter 1627-1690
George Littleton Poindexter, Governor of Mississippi 1779-1853
Reverend
James Preston Poindexter 1819- 1907
Poindexter Military Roll of Honor
John A. Poindexter, Colonel, CSA 1825-1869
James E. Poindexter, Captain, CSA 1839-1911
Meredith Poindexter Gentry, Congressman 1809-1866
Joseph Boyd Poindexter, Governor of Hawaii 1869-1951
Miles Poindexter, Ambassadore 1868-1946
Alan G. Poindexter, Astronaut, USN
Captain John B. Poindexter, USA,
Return To Other Notable Poindexters
