
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 17, 1993                   TAG: 9312170217
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

MODEST LEADER WON RANK, WIDE RESPECT

Thursday afternoon, Bobby Ray Inman, whose father ran an East Texas gas station and who went on to become the Navy's youngest four-star admiral, was back in Washington, standing in the White House's Rose Garden with President Clinton and outgoing Defense Secretary Les Aspin, whose job Inman had just received.

After serving three decades in Naval intelligence, as head of the National Security Agency and deputy director of the CIA, he had retired from government service 10 years ago.

In his characteristic gap-toothed smile, ramrod straight posture and carefully chosen comments, there was still the aw-shucks look on his face Thursday. There was also a sense of gravity, reflective of an institution struggling to transform the U.S. military from a Cold War force into whatever may lie beyond.

"I am an imperfect human being," Inman said.

Imperfect, maybe, but well-admired in Washington. He has served in Democratic and Republican administrations and left here unscathed from the Iran-Contra scandals that tarnished some colleagues.

He rose to high ranks in the Navy and the intelligence community without the typical advantage of an education at the U.S. Naval Academy. Rather, sources said, he made it through hard work, perseverance, an even temper and an ability to juggle his own needs with those of others. He frequently awoke at 4 a.m. to get in extra studying time before a 9 a.m. congressional briefing, they said.

Admirers, including several former defense and intelligence chiefs, said in interviews Thursday that Inman has a particular knack for garnering friendships on both sides of the political aisle - an ability that will stand him in good stead when the Senate begins hearings on his nomination.

Admirers also say Inman's bipartisan blessings give a certain independence to a man who has served under President Carter and President Reagan.

It remains unclear, however, how Inman, a Cold War veteran, may adapt to the changing role of the military, where today more emphasis is put on peacekeeping and regional conflicts than in suiting up tens of thousands of soldiers to stare down the Russians.

His ultimate success may depend partly how aggressive a secretary he is allowed to become. Some observers believe that Aspin raised Clinton's ire when he began to push publicly for an additional $50 billion to meet his five-year, defense budget needs.

"I know Bobby Inman and I think he will be very aggressive," former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said. "The $50 billion problem is a real, a very real, problem. Now, with Bobby Inman, they've arrived at the moment of truth."

Born 62 years ago in the hamlet of Rhonesboro, Texas, Inman was a brainy kid with a near-photographic memory who appeared on a local radio quiz show, often bringing home the biggest prizes. He graduated from high school at 15, but later tutored school athletes to keep from being bullied.

He graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in history, tried law school but dropped out, then became a grammar school teacher. He joined the Navy as a reserve officer in the Korean War era.

He remained in the Navy 31 years, serving on an aircraft carrier and two destroyers, winning the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit and making his home inside Naval intelligence. He rose to the top of that specialty at the age of 43. Three years later, he was director of the National Security Agency. Four years after that, he was No. 2 at the CIA.

by CNB