| Clark Clifford | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| In office January 19, 1968 – January 20, 1969 |
|
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Deputy | Paul H. Nitze |
| Preceded by | Robert McNamara |
| Succeeded by | Melvin Laird |
|
|
|
| In office 1946 – 1950 |
|
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Samuel Irving Rosenman |
| Succeeded by | Charles S. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paul Henry Nitze ( January 16 1907 &ndash October 19 2004) was a high-ranking United States government official who helped shape Robert Strange McNamara (born June 9 1916 in Oakland, California) is an American business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense Melvin Robert (Bom Laird (born September 1, 1922) is an American politician and writer The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Samuel Irving Rosenman (1896 - 1973 was born in San Antonio Texas. Murphy |
|
|
|
| Born | December 25, 1906 Fort Scott, KS, U.S. |
| Died | October 10, 1998 (aged 91) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Lawyer Political adviser |
Clark McAdams Clifford (December 25, 1906 – October 10, 1998) was a highly influential American lawyer who served Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Johnson and Carter, serving as Secretary of Defense for Johnson. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Fort Scott is a city in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, 88 miles (158 km south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U
Contents |
Early life and career
Clifford was born in Fort Scott, Kansas. Fort Scott is a city in Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, 88 miles (158 km south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. He attended college and law school at Washington University, and built a solid reputation practicing law in St. Louis, Missouri between 1928 and 1943. He served as an officer with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946, reaching the rank of captain and serving as assistant naval aide and then naval aide to President Truman, for whom he became a very trusted personal adviser and friend.
Presidential Advisor
Clifford went to Kansas first to serve as Assistant to the President's Naval Advisor, after the naming of a personal friend from Missouri as the President's Naval Advisor. Following his discharge from the Navy, he remained at Truman's side as White House Counsel from 1946-1950, as Truman came rapidly to trust and rely on Clifford. The White House Counsel is a staff appointee of the President of the United States.
Clifford was a key architect of Truman's campaign in 1948, when he pulled off a stunning upset victory over Republican nominee Thomas Dewey. Thomas Edmund Dewey ( March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was the Governor of New York (1943-1955 and the unsuccessful Republican Clifford encouraged Truman to embrace a left wing populist image in hope of undermining the impact on the race of third party Progressive candidate Henry A. Wallace. Henry Agard Wallace (October 7 1888 &ndash November 18 1965 was the thirty-third Vice President of the United States (1941&ndash45 the eleventh Secretary of He also believed that a strong pro-civil rights stance, while sure to alienate traditional Southern Democrats, would not result in a serious challenge to the party's supremacy in that region. This prediction was foiled by Strom Thurmond's candidacy as a splinter States' Rights Democrat, but Clifford's strategy nonetheless helped win Truman election in his own right and establish the Democratic Party's position in the Civil Rights Movement. James Strom Thurmond ( December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina and See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in
After leaving the government in 1950, Clifford practiced law in Washington, but continued to advise Democratic leaders. One of his law clients was Sen. John F. Kennedy, and Clifford tried to assuage Truman's suspicion of Kennedy and his father, Joseph P. Kennedy. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Sr (September 6 1888 &ndash November 18 1969 was a prominent American businessman and political figure and the father of U In 1960, Clifford was a member of President-elect John F. Kennedy's Committee on the Defense Establishment, headed by Stuart Symington. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of William Stuart Symington ( June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was a businessman and Political figure from Missouri. In May 1961, Kennedy appointed Clifford to the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which he chaired beginning in April 1963. The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB is an advisor to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. After President Lyndon B. Johnson took office in November 1963 following Kennedy's assassination, Clifford served frequently as an unofficial counselor and sometimes undertook short-term official duties, including a trip with General Maxwell Taylor in 1967 to Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The assassination of John F Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday November 22 1963 in Dallas Texas General Maxwell Davenport Taylor ( August 26, 1901 &ndash April 19, 1987) was an American Soldier and Diplomat Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially
Secretary of Defense
On January 19, 1968, President Johnson announced his selection of Clifford to succeed Robert McNamara as United States Secretary of Defense. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Robert Strange McNamara (born June 9 1916 in Oakland, California) is an American business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Clifford estimated that, in the year just prior to his appointment, he had spent about half of his time advising the President and the other half working for his law firm.
Widely known and respected in Washington and knowledgeable on defense matters, Clifford was generally hailed as a worthy successor to McNamara. Many regarded the new secretary as more of a hawk on Vietnam than McNamara and thought his selection might presage an escalation of the U. S. military effort there. Clifford attempted to allay such fears when, responding to a query about whether he was a hawk (favoring aggressive military action) or a dove (favoring a peaceful resolution to the Vietnam War), he remarked, "I am not conscious of falling under any of those ornithological divisions. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia "
The new Secretary did not change the management system McNamara installed at The Pentagon, and for the most part assigned internal administration to Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul H. Nitze. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. The United States Deputy Secretary of Defense is the second-highest ranking official in the United States Department of Defense. Paul Henry Nitze ( January 16 1907 &ndash October 19 2004) was a high-ranking United States government official who helped shape Clifford made no effort to depart from McNamara's policies and programs on such matters as nuclear strategy, NATO, and military assistance, but he favored the Sentinel Anti-ballistic missile system, to which McNamara had given only lukewarm backing. An anti-ballistic missile (ABM is a Missile designed to counter Ballistic missiles (a missile for Missile defense) An anti-ballistic missile (ABM is a Missile designed to counter Ballistic missiles (a missile for Missile defense) Clifford wanted to deploy the system, and supported congressional appropriations for it. One important effect of Sentinel construction, he thought, would be to encourage the Soviet Union to enter arms control talks with the United States. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Indeed, before Clifford left office, the Johnson administration made arrangements for negotiations that eventually led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty ( ABM Treaty or ABMT) was a treaty between the United States of America and the Soviet Union on the limitation
Clifford continued McNamara's highly-publicized Cost Reduction Program, announcing that over $1. 2 billion had been saved in FY 1968 as a result of the effort. Faced with a congressionally-mandated reduction of expenditures in FY 1969, Clifford suspended the planned activation of an infantry division and deactivated 50 small ships, 9 naval air squadrons, and 23 Nike-Hercules missile launch sites. Nike-Hercules Missile, designation MIM-14 (initially SAM-N-25) was a Solid fuel propelled Surface-to-air missile, used by US and NATO
By the time Clifford became secretary, Defense Department work on the FY 1969 budget was complete. It amounted in total obligational authority to $77. 7 billion, almost $3 billion more than in FY 1968. The final FY 1970 budget, which Clifford and his staff worked on before they left office after the election of Richard M. Nixon to the Presidency, amounted to $75. 5 billion TOA.
China
Clifford took office committed to rethinking President Johnson's Vietnam policies, and Vietnam policy consumed most of his time. He had argued against escalation in 1965 in private counsel with the President, but then provided public support for the President's position once the decision was made. At his confirmation hearing, he told the Armed Services Committee of the United States Senate that the limited objective of the United States was to guarantee to the people of South Vietnam the right of self-determination. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia He opposed ending the U. S. bombing of North Vietnam at the time, but acknowledged that the situation could change. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN or less commonly Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa was a Country on the northern half of Vietnam In fact, on March 31, 1968, just a month after Clifford arrived at the Pentagon, President Johnson, in an effort to get peace talks started, ordered the cessation of bombing north of the 20th parallel, an area comprising almost 80 percent of North Vietnam's land area and 90 percent of its population. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. In the same address, Johnson announced that he would not be a candidate for reelection in 1968, surprising everyone, Clifford included. Soon the North Vietnamese agreed to negotiations, which began in Paris in mid-May 1968. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Later, on October 31, 1968, to encourage the success of these talks, the President, with Clifford's strong support, ordered an end to all bombing in North Vietnam. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Clifford, like McNamara, had to deal with frequent requests for additional troops from military commanders in Vietnam. When he became secretary, the authorized force in Vietnam was 525,000. Soon after moving into his Pentagon office, Clifford persuaded Johnson to deny General William Westmoreland's request for an additional 206,000 American troops in Vietnam. William C Westmoreland ( March 26, 1914 &ndash July 18, 2005) was an American General who commanded American military The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
At the end of March 1968, however, the president agreed to send 24,500 more troops on an emergency basis, raising authorized strength to 549,500, a figure never reached. Even as he oversaw a continued buildup, Clifford preferred to emphasize the points President Johnson had made in his March 31, 1968 address: that the South Vietnamese army could take over a greater share of the fighting, that the administration would place an absolute limit on the number of U. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. troops in Vietnam, and that it would take steps, including the bombing restrictions, to reduce the combat level.
Eventually Clifford moved very close, with Johnson's tacit support, to the views McNamara held on Vietnam just before he left office -- no further increases in U. S. troop levels, support for the bombing halt, and gradual disengagement from the conflict. By this time Clifford clearly disagreed with Secretary of State Dean Rusk, who believed, according to The Washington Post, "that the war was being won by the allies" and that it "would be won if America had the will to win it. David Dean Rusk ( February 9, 1909 &ndash December 20, 1994) was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D " After he left office, Clifford, in the July 1969 issue of Foreign Affairs, made his views very clear: "Nothing we might do could be so beneficial . Foreign Affairs is an influential American Journal on International relations published by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR . . as to begin to withdraw our combat troops. Moreover . . . we cannot realistically expect to achieve anything more through our military force, and the time has come to begin to disengage. That was my final conclusion as I left the Pentagon. . . . " Clifford received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Johnson on the President's last day in office, January 20, 1969. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Although the Johnson Administration ended under the cloud of the Vietnam War, Clifford concluded his short term as Secretary of Defense with his reputation actually enhanced. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia He got along well with the United States Congress, and this helped him to secure approval of at least some of his proposals. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses He settled into his duties quickly and efficiently, and capably managed the initial de-escalation of U. S. involvement in Vietnam; indeed, he apparently strongly influenced Johnson in favor of a de-escalation strategy. As he left office to return to his law practice in Washington, Clifford expressed the hope and expectation that international tensions would abate, citing the shift in the Vietnam confrontation from the battlefield to the conference table, and the evident willingness of the Soviet Union to discuss limitations on strategic nuclear weapons. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from Nuclear reactions either fission or a combination of fission and fusion.
Special presidential emissary to France
Clifford's legal practice and lobbying work made him wealthy, and he was considered one of Washington's "superlawyers" due to the reach of his influence and seemingly limitless connections. Clifford's office overlooked the White House, emphasizing his long experience in the capital. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence Clifford was renowned for his seemingly-effortless charm, style, tact and discretion.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as special presidential emissary to India. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Clifford made waves by threatening the newly-established regime of Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran with war for its intransigence in negotiating the release of the hostages seized from the U. Seyyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini ( Persian:, pronounced muːsæviː-je xomejniː}}( September 24, 1902 – June 3 1989 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units S. embassy in Tehran. A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
In 1991, Clifford's memoirs Counsel to the President (co-authored with Richard Holbrooke, later U. The Bank of Credit and Commerce International ( BCCI) was a major international Bank founded in London, United Kingdom in 1972 by Agha S. ambassador to the United Nations) were published just as his name was implicated in the unfolding Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Bank of Credit and Commerce International ( BCCI) was a major international Bank founded in London, United Kingdom in 1972 by Agha The scandal focused on the criminal conduct of the international bank and its control of financial institutions nationwide, and was found by regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom to be involved in money laundering, bribery, support of terrorism, arms trafficking, the sale of nuclear technologies, the commission and facilitation of tax evasion, smuggling, illegal immigration, and the illicit purchases of banks and real estate. The bank was found to have at least $13 billion unaccounted for.
Clifford served as chairman of First American Bankshares, which grew to become the largest bank in Washington, D.C.. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Robert Morgenthau, the district attorney of Manhattan, disclosed that his office had found evidence that the parent company of Clifford's bank was secretly controlled by BCCI. Robert Morris Morgenthau (born July 31, 1919) is an American Lawyer. A district attorney (DA is in some US jurisdictions the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of alleged criminals Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York Morgenthau convened a grand jury to determine whether Clifford and his partner, Robert A. Altman, had deliberately misled federal regulators when the two men assured them that BCCI would have no outside control. In the Common law, a grand jury is a type of Jury which determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial. Robert A Altman is chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks, LLC
Clifford's predicament worsened when it was disclosed he had made about $6 million in profits from bank stock that he bought with an unsecured loan from BCCI. An unsecured loan is a Loan that is not backed by collateral. The grand jury handed up indictments, and the U. In the Common law legal system an indictment (ɪnˈdaɪtmənt (in-DITE-mint is a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense S. Justice Department opened its own investigation. For animal rights group see Justice Department (JD The United States Department of Justice ( DOJ) is a Cabinet department Clifford's assets in New York, where he kept most of his investments, were frozen.
At this time the issue of Clifford's nephew, Mark-John Clifford being involved in the fraud was being researched. The prosecution felt that Clifford's nephew had access to all of his accounts and acted as his financial advisor in all investment and banking relations. Mark-John Clifford, CEO and President of International Investment Group Ltd. would never be prosecuted but he was always considered to be part of the fraud.
The "Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate," prepared by U. S. senators John Kerry and Hank Brown, noted that a key strategy of "BCCI's successful secret acquisitions of U. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator George Hanks "Hank" Brown (born February 12, 1940) is a former Republican politician and Senator from Colorado who served S. banks in the face of regulatory suspicion was its aggressive use of a series of prominent Americans," Clifford among them [1]. Clifford, who prided himself on decades of meticulously ethical conduct, summed his predicament up when he sadly told a reporter from the New York Times, "I have a choice of either seeming stupid or venal. " Most observers believed the former, and concluded that Clifford had not paid sufficiently close attention to the bank or its management structure.
Indictments against Clifford were set aside because of his failing health. After a final, frail appearance in the 1997 PBS documentary Truman, Clifford died in 1998 from natural causes at age 91. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War
Portrayal in popular culture
- Tony Goldwyn portrayed Clark M. Anthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American Actor and director. Clifford in the 1995 HBO movie "Truman. Truman is a 1995 HBO movie starring Gary Sinise as Harry S Truman. "
- Donald Sutherland portrayed Clifford in the 2002 HBO movie "Path to War. Donald McNicol Sutherland OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian Actor with a film career spanning over 50 years Path to War is a 2002 TV movie produced by HBO that deals directly with the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of President Lyndon Johnson "
In the novel Rogue Warrior: Red Cell, the hero of the story goes up against a villain that bears some similarities to Clark Clifford.
External links
- Oral History Interviews with Clark M. Clifford, Truman Presidential Library
- Transcript, Clark M. Clifford Oral History Interview, 3/13/69, by Joe B. Frantz, Internet Copy, LBJ Library. Accessed 3 April 2005. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
- Interview about the Berlin Blockade for the WGBH series, War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
| Preceded by Robert McNamara |
United States Secretary of Defense Served Under: Lyndon B. Johnson 1968–1969 |
Succeeded by Melvin Laird |
| Preceded by Samuel Irving Rosenman |
White House Counsel 1946-1950 |
Succeeded by Charles Murphy |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic