Donald Fortier
Encyclopedia
Donald R. Fortier was a member of the United States
Intelligence Community
.
.
He received his B.A. from Miami University
in Oxford, Ohio
, and his M.A. in political science and international relations from the University of Chicago
, where he studied under Albert Wohlstetter
. He was the recipient of a Ford Foundation fellowship in Chicago
.
Prior to working for the U.S. Government, Fortier also worked as a consultant to the Rand Corporation on national security issues.
in September 1982 as Director for Western Europe and NATO. In June 1983, he assumed the position of Senior Director for Political-Military Affairs and Special Assistant to the President. In December 1983 he was appointed to the rank of Deputy Assistant to the President with responsibility for policy development.
From February 1981 until joining the National Security Council staff, Fortier served as Deputy Director for Policy Planning at the State Department. He received the Department's Superior Honor Award for his work in that position. Prior to his service in the State Dept., he served for 5 years as a senior member of the professional staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
On December 10, 1985, President Reagan
announced that Fortier would serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
, succeeding John Poindexter
.
's direct superior, Fortier had a central role in the Iran-Contra affair, having been present at key meetings where alternative funding sources for the U.S.-backed paramilitary incursion
into Nicaragua
and the use of third parties for arms transfers were discussed, and having given permission to North to engage in fundraising via the so-called Channel-Miller Operation, whereby wealthy Americans were encouraged to make "donations" to ad-hoc front organization
s such as the National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty, which would be routed either to the Nicaraguan paramilitaries or to Richard Secord
and Albert Hakim
's for-profit venture, known to its principals as the "Enterprise
" as needed. According to the Walsh commission, especially generous "donors" were rewarded with personal meetings with North or with President Reagan himself.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Intelligence Community
United States Intelligence Community
The United States Intelligence Community is a cooperative federation of 16 separate United States government agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the...
.
Biography
Fortier was born on January 9, 1947, in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
He received his B.A. from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in Oxford, Ohio
Oxford, Ohio
Oxford is a city in northwestern Butler County, Ohio, United States, in the southwestern portion of the state. It lies in Oxford Township, originally called the College Township. The population was 21,943 at the 2000 census. This college town was founded as a home for Miami University. Oxford...
, and his M.A. in political science and international relations from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he studied under Albert Wohlstetter
Albert Wohlstetter
Albert Wohlstetter was an influential and controversial nuclear strategist during the Cold War. He was major intellectual force behind efforts to deter nuclear war and avoid the further spread of nuclear weapons to more nations...
. He was the recipient of a Ford Foundation fellowship in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Prior to working for the U.S. Government, Fortier also worked as a consultant to the Rand Corporation on national security issues.
National Security Council
Donald Fortier joined the National Security CouncilUnited States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
in September 1982 as Director for Western Europe and NATO. In June 1983, he assumed the position of Senior Director for Political-Military Affairs and Special Assistant to the President. In December 1983 he was appointed to the rank of Deputy Assistant to the President with responsibility for policy development.
From February 1981 until joining the National Security Council staff, Fortier served as Deputy Director for Policy Planning at the State Department. He received the Department's Superior Honor Award for his work in that position. Prior to his service in the State Dept., he served for 5 years as a senior member of the professional staff of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
On December 10, 1985, President Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
announced that Fortier would serve as the Principal Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Deputy National Security Advisor
The Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor is a member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, serving as deputy to the President's National Security Advisor....
, succeeding John Poindexter
John Poindexter
John Marlan Poindexter is a retired United States naval officer and Department of Defense official. He was Deputy National Security Advisor and National Security Advisor for the Reagan administration. He was convicted in April 1990 of multiple felonies as a result of his actions in the Iran-Contra...
.
Iran-Contra
Fortier's name appears in several internal NSC emails that have been released to the public in conjunction with the Iran-Contra affair and other matters from that time period. As Poindexter's deputy, and Oliver NorthOliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
's direct superior, Fortier had a central role in the Iran-Contra affair, having been present at key meetings where alternative funding sources for the U.S.-backed paramilitary incursion
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
into Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and the use of third parties for arms transfers were discussed, and having given permission to North to engage in fundraising via the so-called Channel-Miller Operation, whereby wealthy Americans were encouraged to make "donations" to ad-hoc front organization
Front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
s such as the National Endowment for the Preservation of Liberty, which would be routed either to the Nicaraguan paramilitaries or to Richard Secord
Richard Secord
Major General Richard V. Secord, Retired , is a United States Air Force officer convicted for his involvement with the Iran-Contra scandal only to be exonerated after a 1990 Supreme Court case found the statute used to be illegal....
and Albert Hakim
Albert Hakim
Albert Hakim was an Iranian businessman and a figure in the Iran-Contra affair.Born in Iran, Hakim attended California Polytechnic Institute for 3 years, beginning in 1955. Back in Iran, he established an export business specializing in advanced technologies, and in avoiding export restrictions...
's for-profit venture, known to its principals as the "Enterprise
STTGI
Stanford Technology Trading Group International was a shell company founded by USAF Major General Richard V. Secord and Iranian arms dealer Albert Hakim, and a cornerstone of what was informally known as the "Enterprise", a complex web of for-profit business entities and non-profit front...
" as needed. According to the Walsh commission, especially generous "donors" were rewarded with personal meetings with North or with President Reagan himself.