Caspar Weinberger

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Image:Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg

Caspar "Cap" Willard Weinberger, GBE (August 18 1917 – March 28 2006), was an American politician and Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan from January 21, 1981, until November 23 1987, making him the second longest-serving defense secretary to date, after Robert McNamara. He is also known for his related roles in the Strategic Defense Initiative program (popularly known as Star Wars), and in the Iran-Contra Affair, and also as Chairman of Forbes Magazine.

1 Biography
2 Awards
3 References
4 External links

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Biography

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Early life

Weinberger was born in San Francisco, California as the son of Colorado-born lawyer Herman Weinberger and Cerise Carpenter Hampson, whose parents were immigrants from England.[1] He had a Bohemia-born Jewish paternal grandfather, Nathan Weinberger, and followed his mother's Episcopalian faith.[2] He received a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, in 1938 and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1941, both from Harvard University. He entered the U.S. Army as a private in 1941, was commissioned, and served with the 41st Infantry Division in the Pacific. At the end of the war he was a captain on General Douglas MacArthur's intelligence staff. Early in life, he developed an interest in politics and history, and, during the war years, a special admiration for Winston Churchill, whom he would later cite as an important influence.

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Legal career

Between 1945 and 1947, Weinberger worked as a law clerk for a federal judge before joining a San Francisco law firm.

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Political career

He won election to the California State Assembly in 1952 and reelection in 1954 and 1956. Although unsuccessful in his 1958 campaign for California Attorney General, Weinberger continued to be active in politics, becoming chairman of the California Republican Party in 1962.

Governor Ronald Reagan named him chairman of the Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy in 1967 and appointed him State director of finance early in 1968. Weinberger moved to Washington in January 1970 to become chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. He subsequently served under President Richard Nixon as deputy director (1970-72) and director (1972-73) of the Office of Management and Budget and Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (1973-75). For the next five years, Weinberger was vice president and general counsel of the Bechtel Corporation in California.

Although not widely experienced in defense matters, Weinberger had a reputation in Washington as an able administrator; his powers as a cost cutter earned him the sobriquet "Cap the Knife." He shared President Reagan's conviction that the Soviet Union posed a serious threat to the United States, and that the defense establishment needed to be modernized and strengthened. Belying his nickname, at the Pentagon Weinberger became a vigorous advocate of Reagan's plan to increase the Department of Defense budget. Readiness, sustainability, and modernization became the watchwords of the defense program. In his early years at the Pentagon, Cap Weinberger was known as "Cap the Ladle" for advocating large increases in defense spending.

Image:Caspar Weinberger inspects helicopter.jpg

As Secretary of Defense, Weinberger oversaw a massive rebuilding of US military strength. His efforts created economic and military-industrial pressures that were associated with the beginning of Perestroika and the beginning of the end of both the Cold War and the Soviet Union. While these events were clearly substantial and world-changing, they came at the cost of a tripling of the national debt. Weinberger pushed for dramatic increases in the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal and was a strong advocate of the controversial Strategic Defense Initiative, popularly known as Star Wars, an initiative which proposed a space-based missile defense shield.

Though he claims to have been opposed to the sale on principle, Weinberger participated in the transfer of United States TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran during the Iran-Contra Affair. By 1987, the disclosure of the Iran-Contra Affair and increasing difficulties with Defense budgets weighed on Weinberger. Weinberger resigned on November 23 1987, citing his wife's declining health. He specifically denied that he was opposed to the INF treaty, scheduled to be signed in Washington in December 1987. In fact, he took credit for proposing the substance of the treaty early in his term at the Pentagon.

Following his resignation as Secretary of Defense, Weinberger was placed under indictment by Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh. The formal indictment charged Weinberger with several felony counts of lying to the Iran-Contra independent counsel during its investigation. Weinberger received a Presidential pardon from President George H. W. Bush on December 24 1992.

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Later career

Weinberger had been Secretary of Defense for six years and ten months, longer than any of his predecessors but Robert McNamara. After Weinberger left the Pentagon, he joined Forbes Inc. in 1989 as publisher of Forbes magazine, and was named chairman in 1993. Over the next decade, he wrote frequently on defense and national security issues. In 1990, he wrote Fighting for Peace, an account of his Pentagon years. In 1996, Weinberger co-authored a book entitled The Next War, which raised questions about the adequacy of U.S. military capabilities following the end of the Cold War. After he published his book, his colleagues from the Reagan administration broke contact and refused to speak with him.

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Death

While residing on Mount Desert Island, Maine, Weinberger was treated for and died from complications due to pneumonia at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor on March 28, 2006. He was 88 years of age.

Shortly after his death President George W. Bush in a public statement said:

"Caspar Weinberger was an American statesman and a dedicated public servant. He wore the uniform in World War II, held elected office, and served in the cabinets of three Presidents. As Secretary of Defense for President Reagan, he worked to strengthen our military and win the Cold War. In all his years, this good man made many contributions to our Nation. America is grateful for Caspar Weinberger's lifetime of service. Laura and I send our condolences and prayers to the entire Weinberger family."[3]

Current United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated:

"Cap Weinberger was a friend. His extensive career in public service, his support for the men and women in uniform and his central role in helping to win the Cold War leave a lasting legacy... He left the United States armed forces stronger, our country safer and the world more free."[4]

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Awards

Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1987.
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1988, awarded for an "outstanding and invaluable" contribution to military cooperation between the UK and the US.

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