Image courtesy of West Point
Haig's Early Life
Haig was born on December 2nd, 1924, in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. He went to Lower Merrion High School and attended Notre Dame University after being denied from West Point. [1] Haig reapplied his second year of college and graduated from West Point in 1947. |
Haig Circa 1955. Courtesy of The New York Times.
|
West Point Graduating Class of 1947
"West Point Graduation (1947) " Youtube Video, 6:31, posted by Nuclear Vault in 2010
"West Point Graduation (1947) " Youtube Video, 6:31, posted by Nuclear Vault in 2010
The Start of Haig's CareerAerial view of the Pentagon Circa 1962. Courtesy of Fine Art America.
|
Post undergrad Haig served in the Korean War, worked at the Pentagon, and later commanded troops in the Vietnam War. [2] Haig's work aided the American military through a variety of approaches. Cyrus Vance (Secretary of the Army) and Robert McNamara (Secretary of Defense) discovered Haig's work in the pentagon, and by 1962 he was "developing secret plans to overthrow the government of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro" [3] The pentagon catalyzed a strong anti-communist determination within Haig. In the pentagon he also built strong relationships with mentors like Fritz Kraemer, a hardline anti-communist military strategist, who guided him throughout his covert operation schemes. Haig “remained a Kraemer acolyte for the rest of his life.” [4] Hence, his exposure to influential military figures like Cyrus Vance, Robert McNamara, and Fritz Kraemer developed Haig's future policy efforts. |
Aid to NixonHaig's served a great role in maintaining the White House afloat throughout Nixon's Watergate Scandal. In the early 1970s, Henry Kissinger, national security adviser, and Haig assisted President Nixon in foreign affairs. [5] However, in 1972 Nixon's presidency was at stake. Nixon and other administration members were caught trying to destroy evidence of Presidential election meddling. These accusations eventually led to the resignation of Nixon’s Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman, which forced Haig to fill the position. [6] Simultaneously, motives to impeach President Nixon were on the rise, and through different media outlets this news made the American government seem weak. To prevent an image of American weakness among its domestic and Soviet audience Haig leveraged his new position to collaborate with Kissinger in “confidential developments at the presidential level, including Watergate-related matters, that could affect foreign policy.” [7] By 1974 Chief of Staff Haig “essentially orchestrated President Nixon’s resignation” and stabilized the American government by helping President Gerald Ford successfully transition into office. [8] A collaboration between Haig and Kissinger helped the White House remain afloat throughout the difficulties of Nixon presidency. More importantly, it illustrated Haig's leadership in American history.
|
From Left to Right: Chief Joint of Staff Alexander Haig and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. Courtesy of Shutterstock
Left to Right: National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, and Chief of Staff Alexander Haig. Courtesy of NPR
|
Haig and NatoCourtesy of NATO media library
|
President Ford promoted Haig to NATO commander of allied troops in 1974. Haig "enjoyed remarkable success with the European military and diplomatic community." [9] In 1977, with Soviet negotiations, Haig increased Europe's defense budget by three percent per year for the next five years. Haig's time being NATO commander of allied troops conveyed his ability to execute diplomatic efforts.
Haig meets troops in West Germany on February 6th, 1979.
"SYND 6 2 79 NATO Commander General Alexander Haig Meets Troops at Ansbach." Youtube video,1:06, posted by AP Archive in 2015 |
Haig's Departure
Haig retired from the military in 1979. However, the following year President Reagan recruited Haig to be his secretary of state. He accepted Reagan’s offer but resigned eighteen months after. Haig also attempted to run for President in 1988, but his republican candidacy failed shortly after. Alexander M. Haig Jr. died in 2010 at the age of eighty-five.
|
Courtesy of Wikipedia, Reagan Library, 4president.org, and the US Army
|
Footnotes
[1] Ray Locker, Haig’s Coup: How Richard Nixon’s Closest Aide Forced Him from Office (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). [pp.1-17], 2.
[2] Locker, 2.
[3] Locker, 3.
[4] Locker, 4.
[5] Kevin V. Mulcahy. “The Secretary of State and The National Security Adviser: Foreign Policymaking in the Carter and Reagan Administrations.” (Presidential Studies Quarterly: 1986) [280–299], 289.
[6] Mulcahy, 286.
[7] Joseph G. Bock, and Clarke L Duncan. “The National Security Assistant and the White House Staff: National Security Policy Decisionmaking and Domestic Political Considerations, 1947-1984.” (Presidential Studies Quarterly: 1986) [258– 279], 265.
[8] Mulcahy, 286.
[9] Harvey Sicherman, “Patriot: Alexander M. Haig, Jr.” (Orbis: 2010) [339-355], 342.