Jim Houseman

Jim Houseman was the United States Secretary of Defense and served as the mission controller during the Shadow Moses Incident via AWACS.

History
Houseman orchestrated Solid Snake's infiltration operation in order to secure the the Metal Gear REX test launch data, although he also had a genuine concern for his friend, DARPA Chief Donald Anderson, who had been taken hostage during the incident. Worried that the existence of REX and the Genome Soldiers might go public, he plotted to kill off those involved with the insurrection on Shadow Moses Island (except for Anderson) using the FOXDIE virus, then safely reclaim Metal Gear and the soldiers' bodies. In addition, should the operation get out of hand, Houseman also possessed the official authorization command to commence a nuclear strike against Shadow Moses as a last resort.

After Solid Snake destroyed REX, Houseman ordered a nuclear strike on the disposal facility to cover up the incident, having lost faith in FOXDIE due to Naomi Hunter's betrayal. He considered both Solid Snake and his brother, terrorist leader Liquid Snake, to be an embarassment to the U.S., didn't like the Les Enfants Terribles project, having disapproval for the "Les Enfants Terribles" project that created them. He also placed Roy Campbell under arrest after anticipating that he would attempt to interfere with the operation by aborting the launch and causing confusion in the chain of command. Houseman intended to cover up the strike by claiming that the terrorists had detonated a nuclear weapon. However, he was willing to allow negotiations to stop the nuclear strike if Snake could supply him the REX data, but Snake had earlier lost it to Revolver Ocelot. Ultimately, the proposed nuclear strike never occured, as Houseman was placed under arrest by President George Sears for going out of line (Campbell had managed to contact the President), and was forcefully relieved of his duties by Richard Ames, under orders from the Patriots. Instead, Campbell was exonerated of the charges and full blame was laid on Houseman for the incident.

Post-Shadow Moses
A few days after the Shadow Moses Incident, Houseman reportedly suffered an apparent nervous breakdown and died from a self-inflicted gunshot. However, it is implied in Nastasha Romanenko's autobiographical account, that Houseman's death might have actually been an assassination covered up as suicide, due to his refusal to take the fall.

Unconfirmed history
Houseman had previously served in the United States Marine Corps, taking control of a Marine unit during the Vietnam War. As a General, he accompanied the U.S. President to oversee the birth of Solid and Liquid Snake, as part of the "Les Enfants Terribles" project. Houseman was also a member of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), and by 2005, had undertaken an investigation, after successfully uncovering information on illegal sales of next-generation fighter planes.

Behind the scenes
Jim Houseman (ジ・ハウスマン) is a character who appears in Metal Gear Solid. The Metal Gear Solid 4 Database erroneously states that he was the director of the CIA.