Word: caspar
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...wide public approval at home for its Grenada action, the question of how long the U.S. should maintain troops on the island was still open. The Administration had predicted quick withdrawal, stressing that the U.S. had no intention of occupying or imposing political decisions on the islanders. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger said he expected U.S. troops to be off the island by Christmas. Scoon and many Grenadians familiar with the island's factional politics warned the visiting Congressmen that U.S. forces should stay far longer to ensure stability...
...moment, however, Grenadians were not worrying much about the difficult tasks ahead. With only an occasional sniper firing at U.S. soldiers from isolated sites, the Defense Department announced on Wednesday that "hostilities have ceased." Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger then ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces to begin. By week's end the invasion force of 6,000 paratroopers, Army Rangers and Marines had dwindled to about 2,500 men of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C., and up to 500 support personnel. The 400 soldiers contributed by Grenada's neighboring island nations (Antigua, Barbados, Dominica...
Officials explain that the Marines' role in Lebanon as a high-profile peace-keeping force, together with the Lebanese policy of keeping the Beirut airport open to commercial flights, made total security impossible. Said Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger at a press conference last week: "Nothing can work against a suicide attack like that, any more than you could do anything about a kamikaze flight diving into a carrier in World...
...extraordinary Pentagon press conference eight hours after the President's Tuesday announcement, Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and General John Vessey Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed reporters in Washington on the progress of the fighting while attempting to explain why journalists were not being allowed to observe it. The reasons: the necessity for complete secrecy to ensure the success of the surprise attack, and concerns over correspondents' safety. When would the press be allowed in? "I hope as soon as tomorrow," said Weinberger, adding, "I wouldn't ever dream of overriding the commander...
...explanations offered by the Administration were preposterous. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger argued that the armed forces could not have guaranteed the safety of journalists. But American journalists have never demanded such guarantees. They have worked and died in the Civil War, World War I, on the beaches of Normandy and Okinawa, in Seoul and Saigon. Weinberger's other reason, that the commander in the field did not want the press along, was a glaring copout. No question was raised about press coverage aiding the enemy; that was wise. The press invariably accepts ground rules on matters of true...