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George J. Tenet
Former Director of Central Intelligence
11 July 1997 - 11 July 2004
George John Tenet was sworn in as the 18th Director of Central Intelligence on July 11, 1997
following a unanimous vote by both the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the full
Senate.
Under two Presidents, Director Tenet led efforts to rebuild and modernize our country's capacity
to acquire, analyze, and disseminate information vital to the security of all Americans. These
investments in people and technology have enhanced our national ability to fight global terrorism
and meet the many other challenges and opportunities that face the United States overseas.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Tenet served as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, having
been confirmed in that post in July 1995. In December 1996, he was named Acting Director.
Mr. Tenet came to the Intelligence Community from the National Security Council, where he
was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs. In that
office, he developed and coordinated policies on virtually every aspect of intelligence and
espionage-from collection priorities to covert action.
Before joining the NSC, Mr. Tenet was a member of President Clinton's national security
transition team, responsible for a comprehensive assessment of the Intelligence Community.
For more than four years, Mr. Tenet was Staff Director of the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence under the chairmanship of Senator David C. Boren. There, he coordinated the
Committee's full workload of oversight and legislation.
Mr. Tenet's previous service on the Committee involved the monitoring of arms control
negotiations between the United States.and the Soviet Union, with emphasis on the role and
contributions of intelligence. He joined the SSCI staff in August 1985 from the office of Senator
H. John Heinz III, where he had been both a legislative assistant covering national security and
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06-Nov-2009
energy issues and legislative director.
Mr. Tenet holds a B.S.F.S. from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an
M.I.A. from the School of International Affairs at Columbia University. He has received honors
and awards from American organizations and foreign governments.
Born to Greek immigrant parents, Director Tenet is a native of New York and is married to
Stephanie Glakas-Tenet, co-author of a best-selling book on home repair.
13 July 2004
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