Intel Chief Appoints Controversial Figure as NIC Chairman

Published December 24, 2015

National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair announced Thursday he had selected Chas Freeman to head his council of advisers, deflecting the concerns of Israel supporters who question whether Freeman will undermine U.S. policy in the Mideast.

"Ambassador Freeman is a distinguished public servant who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in defense, diplomacy and intelligence that are absolutely critical to understanding today's threats and how to address them," Blair said in a written statement.

Freeman has a formidable resume of foreign policy positions that include U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia under President George H.W. Bush and assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs -- a position that earned him public service awards for his role in creating a NATO-centered post-Cold War European security system. Freeman also served as Richard Nixon's chief translator in China in 1972.

As chairman of the National Intelligence Council, Freeman will lead the effort to create mid-term and long-term strategic thinking within the U.S. intelligence community and will assist in producing the National Intelligence Estimate -- a classified document that analyzes potential threats to U.S. national security.

The influential post does not require Senate confirmation.

"The country is fortunate that Ambassador Freeman has agreed to return to public service and contribute his remarkable skills toward further strengthening the intelligence community's analytical process," Blair said.

But statements that the former ambassador made over the last three decades on U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East and Iran's threat to the international community have prompted some to question his objectivity in a role that requires it.

For example, in a speech to the Pacific Council on International Policy in October 2007, Freeman said the U.S. has "abandoned the role of Middle East peacemaker to back Israel's efforts to pacify its captive and increasingly ghettoized Arab populations."

Critics say strong views like those might present a conflict of interest for Freeman as NIC chairman.

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