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Why Was Secretary of State Haig Fired?
Breif video about Haig's Speech controversy
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Alexander Haig was officially pushed to resign on June 25th, 1982. Haig only served eighteen months, and like other cabinet members he faced an array of challenges. These challenges included different levels of criticism, conflicting perspectives, and isolation. Haig is notoriously remembered for his "I am in control here" speech. [1] He echoed his power to the nation by claiming to be in control of the White House after the Reagan assassination attempt. Haig's confusion of succession left the American society worried about the stability of its government. Furthermore, the administration began to question Haig's ability to manage Central American policy efforts.
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"Reagan's other senior aides disagreed with the legal claims, were concerned with the push for power, above all were stunned by Haig's febrile behavior" - Micheal F. Hopkins, Dept. of History Professor at the University of Liverpool, UK. [2]
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"His out-of-control, nationally televised statement that he was in control after a March 1981 assassination attempt on the President sealed his fate in the cabinet" - George C. Herring, American Historian and Alumnus Dept. of History Professor at the University of Kentucky. [3]
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Haig's Salvadorean intervention placed the Reagan administration in a dilemma. Reagan and his hawkish administration were determined to end communism. However, the administration did not agree with Haig's overly ambitious commitments with El Salvador. According to Herring, Haig's commitment with the Salvadorean government, "stirred memories of Vietnam, and arous[ed] sufficient protest in congress and the country to underscore the difficulties of implementing a truly aggressive policy in Central America." [4] In the end, the administration did not want a communist insurgency to take control of El Salvador, thus Haig's contentious policies were continued, but Haig's Central American policy resulted in piled conflicts among the Reagan administration. For example, according to a newspaper article, by June 1982 "Haig remained a loner outside the tight group of old California political cronies who formed Reagan's inner circle." [5] Haig's excessive demand for control brought little democratic success in El Salvador. Despite failing to demonstrate the need for major American action in Central America, Secretary of State Haig conveyed that his policy attempts were impulsive and a threat to the Reagan administration. By June 25th, 1982, President Reagan announced that Alexander Haig was no longer secretary of state.
"Haig was also in some measure a victim of the ideological anarchy so characteristic of our times in foreign policy" -
The Washington Post 1982 [6] |
"But Haig, in a coldly correct letter to the President dated Friday, left no doubt that an accumulation of foreign policy differences, rather than any single issue, lay behind his decision" - The Los Angeles Times 1982 [7]
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Discussion Question:
Under what conditions did Secretary of State Alexander Haig Leave office?
Footnotes
[1] “I’m in Control Here,” Youtube, last modified December 10, 2015, https://youtu.be/zUKW0fL-OqY.
[2] Micheal F. Hopkins, "Ronald Reagan’s and George H. W. Bush’s Secretaries of State: Alexander Haig, George Shultz and James Baker." (Journal of Transatlantic Studies: 2008) [228-245], 231.
[3] Herring, 887.
[4] Herring, 887.
[5] John M. Gashko, “Haig Resigns at State; Shultz is Named: Haig, Faulting Policy, Resigns as Secretary of State; Shultz Named," The Washington Post (Washington D.C.), June 26th, 1982.
[6] Joseph Kraft, "Haig's Departure: A Resignation on Principle," The Washington Post, (Washington, D.C.), June 27th, 1982.
[7] Oswald Johnston, "Haig Quit Over Policy 'Shift': Loss of 'Consistency' Cited in Surprise Move HAIG: Secretary Quits, Sees Policy Shift," The Los Angeles Times, (Los Angeles, CA), June 26th, 1982.
[2] Micheal F. Hopkins, "Ronald Reagan’s and George H. W. Bush’s Secretaries of State: Alexander Haig, George Shultz and James Baker." (Journal of Transatlantic Studies: 2008) [228-245], 231.
[3] Herring, 887.
[4] Herring, 887.
[5] John M. Gashko, “Haig Resigns at State; Shultz is Named: Haig, Faulting Policy, Resigns as Secretary of State; Shultz Named," The Washington Post (Washington D.C.), June 26th, 1982.
[6] Joseph Kraft, "Haig's Departure: A Resignation on Principle," The Washington Post, (Washington, D.C.), June 27th, 1982.
[7] Oswald Johnston, "Haig Quit Over Policy 'Shift': Loss of 'Consistency' Cited in Surprise Move HAIG: Secretary Quits, Sees Policy Shift," The Los Angeles Times, (Los Angeles, CA), June 26th, 1982.