Jim Houseman was the United States Secretary of Defense during the Shadow Moses Incident, serving as the mission controller via AWACS.
Biography
Shadow Moses Incident
- Main article: Shadow Moses Incident
Jim Houseman in 2005.
Jim Houseman orchestrated the infiltration operation in order to secure Metal Gear REX's test launch data, though he also had genuine concern as his DARPA Chief friend Donald Anderson 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 (sans Anderson) using the FOXDIE virus and then safely reclaim Metal Gear and the soldiers' bodies. Houseman also possessed official authorization to commence a nuclear strike against Shadow Moses as a last resort should the operation get out of hand.[2][3]
But after REX was destroyed, Houseman ordered the 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 terrorist brother Liquid Snake to be an embarrassment of the U.S. due to his disdain of the Les Enfants Terribles project.[4] 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 occurred as Houseman was placed under arrest by George Sears for going out of line as Campbell had managed to contact the President, and was forcefully relieved of his duties by Richard Ames under orders from the Patriots.[5] Instead, Campbell was exonerated of the charges and full blame was laid on Houseman for the incident.
Post-Shadow Moses
A few days after Shadow Moses, Jim Houseman reportedly suffered an apparent nervous breakdown and died from a self-inflicted gunshot. But it is implied in Nastasha Romanenko's autobiographical account that his death might have actually been an assassination covered up as suicide due to his refusal to take the fall.
Unconfirmed history
| The following information has been detailed in official Konami-licensed media, written by various external authors. Its status in the Metal Gear canon is unconfirmed.[?] |
Houseman had previously served in the United States Marine Corps, taking control of a Marine unit during the Vietnam War.[3] 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.[6] 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.[3]
Behind the scenes
Jim Houseman
Jim Houseman (ジム・ハウスマン Jimu Hausuman?) 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.[7] It also does not mention his death.[8]
It is erroneously stated that Houseman was the National Security Advisor in In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth and The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses.[9][10]
Appearances
- Metal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (mentioned; via In the Darkness of Shadow Moses)
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (mentioned)
References
- ^ a b Metal Gear Solid official biography, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
- ^ Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
Jim Houseman: There won't be a speck of evidence left. I'm sure the President would want the same thing. // Solid Snake: The President ordered this? // Houseman: The President is a busy man. I have complete authority here. - ^ a b c Metal Gear Solid Official Mission Handbook, Millenium Books (1998).
- ^ Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (1998).
Jim Houseman: You and your brother are an embarassment from the 1970s. Our country's dirty little secret. You can't be allowed to live. - ^ Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2001).
In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth - ^ Metal Gear Solid, Raymond Benson, Del Rey Books (2008).
- ^ Metal Gear Solid 4 Database ("FOXDIE"), Kojima Productions (2008). [1]
- ^ http://mgsdb.com/en/enc/46
- ^ http://www.metalgearsolid.net/features/shocking-conspiracy-behind-shadow-moses-2
- ^ http://www.metalgearsolid.net/features/in-the-darkness-of-shadow-moses