Word: pentagon
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Schlesinger met Ford and some of the President's top budget officials at the White House. The Defense Secretary was discouraged to find that Ford's men were insisting on sharp cuts by the Pentagon. As the talks continued, Schlesinger turned testy. He also brought up another matter: one of his aides, Robert Ellsworth, wanted to quit as head of the Pentagon's International Security Affairs Agency because he felt the State Department was ignoring his advice. Schlesinger suggested making Ellsworth a Deputy Secretary of Defense, which would place him on an equal, No. 2 ranking with the Pentagon...
...Saturday afternoon, both the White House and the Pentagon started getting press inquiries about rumors of high-level shifts: Newsweek began inquiring about the possibility that Kissinger was losing his NSC position. Quite truthfully, Press Secretary Ron Nessen turned back initial inquiries with the comment, "I haven't heard about that." Schlesinger relayed through spokesmen his belief that no plan was afoot to scuttle him, since he had just spent time with the President and the topic did not arise...
...there were solid doubts in Washington last week over whether Ford had acted alone in the not very astute scheme. The suspicions centered on Rumsfeld. His professions of surprise and reluctance seemed a bit overdone. When a visitor asked Kissinger whether Rumsfeld really had seriously hesitated about wanting the Pentagon post, the Secretary of State snapped: "Yes, and Richard Nixon didn't want to be President." It seemed obvious that last week's sensations have not ended the White House intrigues...
...Pentagon's top officers are waiting with some anxiety for Rumsfeld to take on his sixth Administration job in six years. He has not yet shown the necessary breadth of intellect to handle an assignment as complex and demanding as running the nation's defenses. Even his admirers tend to describe him in terms of his political acumen and talent for infighting; only after they pause for breath do they add that he is also smart and able...
Rumsfeld may not be in the Pentagon long. He could end up running with Jerry Ford in 1976 (see page 30). No matter how the election turns out, Rumsfeld still has plenty of time to make Nixon's prediction come true. By the time the 1980 election rolls around, he will be only...