About Jack McGeorge

Biography

Harvey John "Jack" McGeorge II (September 29, 1949 – August 18, 2009), was both a respected weapons specialist and a significant figure in the BDSM and kink scenes. His professional journey included defusing explosives in the Marines and working as a munitions analyst for the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC.)

McGeorge's military career began in 1970 as an ordnance disposal technician in the Marine Corps. It continued in the U.S. Secret Service, where he became a munitions countermeasures specialist. In 1983, McGeorge founded the Public Safety Group (PSG), a consultancy providing intelligence and training on chemical and biological munitions. Over two decades, PSG consulted with the U.S. military and intelligence community, developing security measures and a database cataloging chemical and biological warfare incidents. His expertise earned him an honorary doctorate from the Academic Council of the State Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology in Moscow, Russia, for his work on chemical and biological terrorism.

From 2001 to 2004, McGeorge worked with UNMOVIC, overseeing inspections in Iraq as part of a mission to assess and dismantle Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction. In this high-profile role, he led munitions inspection teams and trained personnel, showcasing his skills in weapons inspection and international security.

However, in 2002 The Washington Post ran an expose questioning his professional credibility. it cited his involvement in the BDSM community as evidence. Ostensibly, the concern was that no rigorous background check had been performed on him by either the U.N. or the George W. Bush administration.

Ewen Buchanan, a U.N. spokesman explained, that McGeorge was part of a group recommended by the U. S. State Department and that the U.N. did not have the resources to conduct background checks. As the United Nations, with people applying from many countries, we do not have the capability to do that said Buchanan. In turn, the State Department explained that the Bureau of Nonproliferation merely forwarded resumes for consideration.

The news story also questioned his qualifications. McGeorge does not possess a degree in one of the specialized fields --such as biochemistry, bacteriology or chemical engineering -- that the United Nations says it seeks in its inspectors.

Buchanan defended the decision, saying I believe that Mr McGeorge is technically very competent. He knows his subject, which is weapons. As a general principle, I think what people do in their private life, as long as it doesn’t interfere with [their] professional life — and I'm not aware that it has interfered — or doesn’t break any rules or laws, shouldn’t be a significant issue.

When interviewed by The Washington Post, McGeorge responded. I have been very upfront with people in the past about what I do, and it has never prevented me from getting a job or doing service. I am who I am. I am not ashamed of who I am, not one bit. But I cannot allow my actions, as they may be perceived by others, to damage an organization which has done nothing to deserve that damage.

McGeorge offered his resignation to Hans Blix, then head of UNMOVIC, but Blix rejected it, defending McGeorge’s qualifications and dedication to the mission.

The next month, Gregory R. Copley severly criticized the news story in an analysis for The International Strategic Studies Association. He argued The Washington Post's story omitted McGeorge's distinguished track record, which included work with the U.S. Secret Service and deep knowledge of chemical, biological, and nuclear weaponization.

Mr McGeorge — believed to be one of the world’s pre-eminent munitions experts, especially in the area of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons — is the only member of the UN weapons inspection team with a background in munitions systems. The other members of the team, many of whom are already in Iraq, are eminently qualified in the sciences involved in chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, but not in the weaponization, or weapons productions aspects of the WMD search.

... The article incorrectly implied that Mr McGeorge’s Public Safety Group had offered courses in chemical and biological weaponization to other than authorized government personnel.

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The Washington Post article completely disregarded the significant and highly-successful track record of Mr McGeorge, who has been the main pillar of the US national security community’s chemical and biological analytical support with his CABO Database (Chemical and Agents of Biological Origin: CABO). This unique product, built substantially around the strength of Mr McGeorge’s field experience, is quite apart from his track record in training large numbers of the US security establishment — including the law enforcement community — in matters relating to chemical and biological weapons. He is also well-known within the national security communities for his work on weaponization of CABO systems and on related delivery systems (tube-launched, air-delivered, ballistic missile and other).

Mr McGeorge has also served for two decades as the strategic weapons advisor to Defense & Foreign Affairs and the International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA). Given that he is the sole munitions expert on the UN team, his removal would have left a competent team of scientists approaching the exercise in Iraq as merely one of “science”, rather than as a “law enforcement” operation. Mr McGeorge also spent considerable time evaluating WMD activities in the field before and during the 1990-91 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent Gulf War. He was alone in correctly forecasting exactly the types of CABO weapons which the Iraqis had at the time, despite widespread incorrect estimates from the “scientific community”.

The Washington Post attempted to minimize Mr McGeorge’s massive body of field experience, which has included numerous extremely competent technical papers, recognized by advanced educational bodies, and focused on allegations of his private life. Significantly, Mr McGeorge — who has been known to this writer and this Service for more than two decades as an individual of rigorous integrity, loyalty and intelligence — has always advised his employers of his private activities so that there could never be any question of being blackmailed.

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The fact is that there is no “specialized scientific degree” for the kind of work for which Mr McGeorge has been trained over more than three decades, starting with his career in the US Marine Corps as an explosive ordnance expert, and his subsequent work with the US Army Special Forces, and later the US Secret Service (in which he served as a technical specialist, working on the assessment of nuclear weapons threats, in the course of which he studied a wide range of nuclear weapons systems). He was the US Secret Service delegate to the Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST).

As to his “leadership rôle in sadomasochistic sex clubs”, the newspaper did not disclose that Mr McGeorge had long been a lecturer — in his private capacity — for safe sex, helping to educate people to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases and other potential problems related to sexual activity.

McGeorge continued to serve on the UNMOVIC inspection team, focusing on his responsibilities in Iraq despite the controversy.

Parallel to his professional life, McGeorge was a committed leader within the BDSM and kink communities. He co-founded Black Rose, a prominent Washington, D.C., organization supporting BDSM education, and held leadership roles within the Leather Leadership Conference and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. His contributions to kink education were substantial: from 1993 to 2006, he delivered over 342 presentations on BDSM-related topics, setting high standards for educational quality in this field.

In recognition of his contributions, McGeorge received the Dr. Anthony DeBlase Professor of SM Arts and Letters designation in 1999 and numerous other awards, including the Man of the Year from the Pantheon of Leather in 2004 and the Community Service Award from TES in 2003.

McGeorge’s leadership extended to creating sustainable structures for BDSM relationships, including the leather family, Order of Discipline and Service (ODS). His academic approach and dedication to the kink community helped set foundational standards for consent, education, and safety. His resilience amid public scrutiny during the UNMOVIC scandal underscored his integrity and his commitment to his beliefs and his community.

In 2021, McGeorge was posthumously inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame, and his legacy continues through awards and scholarships named in his honor. He is remembered not only for his expertise in munitions but also as a pioneer who challenged societal norms and fostered understanding and acceptance across diverse communities.