| Maxwell Davenport Taylor | |
|---|---|
| August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987 (aged 85) | |
 General Maxwell Taylor |
|
| Place of birth | Keytesville, Missouri |
| Place of death | Washington, D.C. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1922-1964 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Superintendent, U. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Keytesville is a city in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. S. Military Academy 101st Airborne Division Chief of Staff, U. S. Army Chairman, Joint Chiefs |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Order of William |
| Other work | Ambassador |
General Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was an American soldier and diplomat of the mid-20th century. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States of America military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William ( Dutch: Militaire Willems-Orde Abbreviation: MWO is the oldest and highest Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states
Taylor was born in Keytesville, Missouri and graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1922. Keytesville is a city in Chariton County, Missouri, United States. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA,
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World War II
Taylor's rise to the highest echelons of U. S. government began under the tutelage of General Matthew B. Ridgway in the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division when Ridgway commanded the division in the early part of World War II. Matthew Bunker Ridgway ( March 3, 1895 &ndash July 26, 1993) was a United States Army General. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1943, Taylor's diplomatic and language skills resulted in his secret mission to Rome to coordinate an 82nd air drop with Italian forces. General Eisenhower would later say that "the risks he ran were greater than I asked any other agent or emissary to take during the war. "[1] Hundreds of miles behind the front lines of battle, Taylor was forced by rules of engagement to wear his American military uniform, so that if captured he could not be shot as a spy. He met with the new Italian Prime Minister, Marshal Pietro Badoglio. Pietro Badoglio 1st Duke of Addis Abeba ( 28 September 1871 &ndash 1 November 1956) was an Italian soldier and politician The air drop near Rome to capture the city was called off at the last minute, when Taylor realized that it was too late. German forces were already moving in to cover the intended drop zones. Transport planes were already in the air when Taylor's message canceled the drop, preventing the suicide mission. These efforts behind enemy lines got Taylor noticed at the highest levels of the Allied command.
After the campaigns in the Mediterranean, Taylor was assigned to command the 101st Airborne Division, which was training in England, after the 101st's first commander Major General Bill Lee suffered a heart attack. General William "Bill" Carey Lee ( March 12, 1895 – June 25, 1948) was an American U
Taylor jumped into Normandy on June 6, 1944, with his men. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. He was the first Allied general to land in France on D-Day. He commanded the 101st Airborne Division for the rest of the war, but missed out leading the division during its most famous conflict, the Battle of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, because he was attending a staff conference in the United States. The Siege of Bastogne was a smaller battle in and around the Belgian town of Bastogne, during the larger Battle of the Bulge. The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains The Division Artillery commander, Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe exercised command in his absence. General Anthony Clement McAuliffe (July 2 1898 - August 11 1975 was the United States Army general who commanded the defending 101st Airborne troops during the Some of the paratroopers resented Taylor for this later. Paratroopers are Soldiers trained in Parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. General Taylor called the defense of Bastogne the 101st Airborne Division's "finest hour" of the war and stated that his absence there was one of his greatest disappointments in World War II. [2]
After World War II
From 1945 to 1949 Taylor was superintendent of West Point. The commanding officer of the United States Military Academy is its Superintendent. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, In 1947, he drafted the first official Honor Code publication marking the beginning of the written “Cadet Honor Code” at West Point. Both the United States Military Academy and the United States Air Force Academy have adopted a Cadet Honor Code as a formalized statement of the minimum standard of ethics expected of cadets [3] Afterwards he was the commander of allied troops in Berlin from 1949 to 1951. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany.
In 1953, he was sent to the Korean War. The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korean and South Korean regimes with major hostilities lasting from June 25 1950 until the From 1955 to 1959, he was the Army Chief of Staff, succeeding his former mentor, Matthew B. Ridgway. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army ( CSA) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Matthew Bunker Ridgway ( March 3, 1895 &ndash July 26, 1993) was a United States Army General. During his tenure as Army Chief of Staff, Taylor attempted to guide the service into the age of nuclear weapons by restructuring the infantry division. Observers such as Colonel David Hackworth have written that the effort gutted the role of US Army company and field grade officers, rendering it unable to adapt to the dynamics of combat in Vietnam. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country David Haskell Hackworth ( November 11, 1930 &ndash May 4, 2005) known affectionately as " Hack " was a retired United
During 1957, President General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered General Taylor to deploy 1,000 troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce Federal court orders to desegregate Central High School during the Little Rock Crisis. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Little Rock is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Little Rock Central High School is a secondary school Central is located at the intersection of Daisy L The Little Rock Nine was a group of African-American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957
As Army Chief of Staff, Taylor was an outspoken critic of the Eisenhower Administration's "New Look" defense policy, which he viewed as dangerously over-reliant on nuclear arms and neglectful of conventional forces; he also criticized the inadequacies of the Joint Chiefs of Staff system. The New Look was the name given to the National security policy of the United States during the administration of President Dwight D Frustrated with the administration's failure to heed his arguments, General Taylor retired from active service in July of 1959. He campaigned publicly against the "New Look," culminating in the publication in January 1960 of a highly critical book entitled "The Uncertain Trumpet. "
Return to Duty
As the 1960 presidential campaign unfolded, Democratic nominee John Kennedy criticized Eisenhower's defense policy and championed a muscular "flexible response" policy intentionally aligned with Taylor's views as described in "The Uncertain Trumpet. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Flexible response was a defense Strategy implemented by John F " After the April 1961 failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Kennedy, who felt the Joint Chiefs of Staff had failed to provide him with satisfactory military advice, appointed Taylor to head a task force to investigate the failure of the invasion. The Bay of Pigs Invasion (aka Playa Girón) was an unsuccessful attempt by a U The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces
Both President Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, had immense regard for Taylor, whom they saw as a man of unquestionable integrity, sincerity, intelligence and diplomacy. Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a The Cuba Study Group met for six weeks from April to May 1961 to perform an 'autopsy' on the disastrous events surrounding the Bay of Pigs invasion. For the United States invasion at the Bay of Pigs see Bay of Pigs Invasion. In the course of their work together, Taylor developed a deep regard and a personal affection for Robert F. Kennedy, a friendship which was wholly mutual and which remained firm until Kennedy's assassination in 1968. Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a
Taylor spoke of Robert Kennedy glowingly, "He is always on the lookout for a 'snow job', impatient with evasion and imprecision, and relentless in his determination to get at the truth. " Robert Kennedy named one of his sons Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (better known as an adult as "Max"). Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (born January 11 1965) also known as Max Kennedy, was born in New York New York.
Shortly after the investigation concluded, the Kennedys' warm feelings for Taylor and the president's lack of confidence in the Joint Chiefs of Staff led John Kennedy to recall Taylor to active duty and install him in the newly-created post of "Military Representative to the President. " His close personal relationship with the President and White House access effectively made Taylor the president's primary military advisor, cutting out the Joint Chiefs. On 1 October 1962, Kennedy ended this uncomfortable arrangement by appointing Taylor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position in which he served until 1964. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed
The Vietnam War
Taylor was of crucial importance during the first weeks and months of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Whereas initially President Kennedy had told Taylor that "the independence of South Vietnam rests with the people and government of that country," Taylor was soon to recommend that 8,000 American combat troops be sent to the region at once. After making his report to the Cabinet and the Chiefs of Staff, Taylor was to reflect on the decision to send troops to South Vietnam that, "I don't recall anyone who was strongly against, except one man, and that was the President. The President just didn't want to be convinced that this was the right thing to do. . . . It was really the President's personal conviction that U. S. ground troops shouldn't go in. "(Schlesinger, Robert Kennedy: His Life and Times)
Criticisms:
Taylor received fierce criticism in Maj. (now Col. ) H.R. McMaster's book "Dereliction of Duty". Herbert Raymond McMaster (born c 1960 is an American soldier and a Career officer in the U Specifically, Gen. Taylor was accused of intentionally misrepresenting the views of the Joint Chiefs to Secretary of Defense McNamara, and cutting the Joint Chiefs out of the decision making process. [4] Whereas the Chiefs felt that it was their duty to offer unqualified assessments and recommendations on military matters, Gen. Taylor was of the firm belief that the Chairman should not only support the President's decisions but also be a true believer in them. This discrepancy manifested itself during the early planning phases of the war while it was still being decided what the nature of American involvement should be. McNamara and the civilians of the Office of the Secretary of Defense were firmly behind the idea of graduated pressure, that is, to escalate pressure slowly against North Vietnam in order to demonstrate US resolve. The Joint Chiefs, however, strenuously disagreed with this and believed that if the US got involved further in Vietnam, it should be with the clear intention of winning and through the use of overwhelming force. Using a variety of political maneuvering, including liberal use of outright deception, McMaster contends that Gen. Taylor succeeded in keeping the Joint Chief's opinions away from the President and helped set the stage for McNamara to begin to dominate systematically the US decision making process on Vietnam.
Second Retirement
He again retired and became Ambassador to South Vietnam from 1964 to 1965, succeeding Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. He was Special Consultant to the President and Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (1965–1969) and President of the Institute for Defense Analyses (1966–1969). After World War II France attempted to regain control of Vietnam, which they had lost to Japan in 1940 Henry Cabot Lodge Jr ( July 5, 1902 &ndash February 27, 1985) was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts The President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB is an advisor to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA is a non-profit corporation that administers three Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs to assist the United States
General Taylor died in Washington, D.C. on 19 April 1987 of Lou Gehrig's Disease. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ( ALS, sometimes called Maladie de Charcot, or in the United States Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a progressive He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States, established during the American Civil War
Dramatic portrayals
- Taylor was portrayed by Paul Maxwell in A Bridge Too Far and by Bill Smitrovich in Thirteen Days. Paul Maxwell ( 12 November 1921 - 19 December 1991) was an actor working mostly in British television and films where he was usually cast as A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 epic War film based on the 1974 book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, adapted by Bill Smitrovich (born May 16, 1947) is an American actor Biography Personal life He was born William S
See also
References
- For Bay of Pigs and Vietnam War material - "Robert F. Kennedy and His Times", Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
- "The Chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. " Ronald H. Cole, Lorna S. Jaffe, Walter S. Poole, Willard J. Webb. Joint History Office, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1995. Section II, pp. 77-84. http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/history/jcspart2.pdf
- "An American Soldier: the Wars of General Maxwell Taylor" John M. Taylor, Presidio Press, 1989
Notes
- ^ Obituary: Maxwell D. Taylor, Soldier and Envoy, Dies, New York Times, 1987-04-21.
- ^ Cole C. Kingseed. "An American Soldier: the Wars of General Maxwell Taylor - Book Review'", ”Infantry Magazine, Fall 2003, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAV/is_1_92/ai_114049389.
- ^ http://www.usma.edu/PublicAffairs/PressReleasesbd/nr14-08_brigade_honor_cpt.htm
- ^ Dereliction of Duty McMaster p 63
See also
External links
- General Maxwell Taylor, Official Army Bio
- General Maxwell Taylor, Official Joint Chiefs of Staff Bio in pdf format
- Maxwell Davenport Taylor, General, United States Army at Arlington National Cemetery Website
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Francis Bowditch Wilby |
Superintendent of the United States Military Academy 1945–1949 |
Succeeded by Bryant Edward Moore |
| Preceded by Gen. The Best and the Brightest ( 1972) is an account by journalist David Halberstam of the origins of the Vietnam War. Francis Bowditch Wilby (1883-1965 was a Major General in the United States Army who served as the 39th Superinendent of the United States Military Academy from 1942 Matthew Ridgway |
Chief of Staff of the United States Army 1955–1959 |
Succeeded by Gen. Matthew Bunker Ridgway ( March 3, 1895 &ndash July 26, 1993) was a United States Army General. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army ( CSA) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer |
| Preceded by Gen. Lyman Louis Lemnitzer ( August 29, 1899 &ndash November 12, 1988) was an American Army General, who served as Lyman Lemnitzer |
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1962–1964 |
Succeeded by Gen. Lyman Louis Lemnitzer ( August 29, 1899 &ndash November 12, 1988) was an American Army General, who served as The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed Earle G. Wheeler |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. |
U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam 1964–1965 |
Succeeded by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. |
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