Alexander Haig



Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. (December 2, 1924 – February 20, 2010) was the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and the White House chief of staff under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Prior to these cabinet-level positions, he retired as a general from the United States Army, having been Supreme Allied Commander Europe after serving as the vice chief of staff of the Army. In 1973, he became the youngest four-star general in the U.S. Army's history.

A veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War, Haig was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.

Quotes

 * Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the president, the vice president and the secretary of state, in that order, and should the president decide he wants to transfer the helm to the vice president, he will do so. As for now, I'm in control here, in the White House, pending the return of the vice president and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.
 * March 30, 1981, after Ronald Reagan was hospitalized..


 * Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security..


 * That's not a lie, it's a terminological inexactitude.
 * Defending himself against accusations of lying in 1983. Quoted by Rutledge, Leigh W., "Would I Lie To You?", Plume, 1998, ISBN 0-452-27931-3, p. 81.
 * This turn of phrase originated with Winston Churchill in his 1906 election campaign.


 * Let them march all they want as long as they continue to pax their taxes.
 * On anti-war demonstrators.
 * Used in campaigns encouraging war tax resistance by the Louisville chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (LFOR).

Quotes about Haig

 * From the liberal atmosphere of the Notre Dame campus to the dominated life of a West Point Plebe proved to be a step tinged with reluctance to Alex. As ever, unchanged, he has glided through the years with a gay sincerity that has won him an abundance of loyal friends. His pleasures lean toward the athletic and social. Consequently, he has developed a skill in both. Strong convictions and even stronger ambitions mingled with a deep understanding of his fellow soldier should form a "Warrior's Chariot" to carry Alex to the top.
 * Description of Haig in The Howitzer (1947), yearbook of the United States Military Academy, p. 174.


 * When two of his companies were engaged by a large hostile force, Colonel Haig landed amid a hail of fire, personally took charge of the units, called for artillery and air fire support and succeeded in soundly defeating the insurgent force ... the next day a barrage of 400 rounds was fired by the Viet Cong, but it was ineffective because of the warning and preparations by Colonel Haig. As the barrage subsided, a force three times larger than his began a series of human wave assaults on the camp. Heedless of the danger himself, Colonel Haig repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to survey the battlefield. His personal courage and determination, and his skillful employment of every defense and support tactic possible, inspired his men to fight with previously unimagined power. Although his force was outnumbered three to one, Colonel Haig succeeded in inflicting 592 casualties on the Viet Cong ... HQ US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 2318 (May 22, 1967)
 * Excerpt from the Army citation for Haig's award of the Distinguished Service Cross, which Haig received from General William Westmoreland as a lieutenant colonel.