An “Unusual” Defense Secretary

Richard Perle with the American Enterprise Institute writes in “Death of a Cold Warrior” that Caspar Weinberger, who died last month, was an “unusual Cabinet Secretary, especially at the Defense Department” because he possessed not only “energy” but also “political skill” to achieve his “ambitious goals.” Perle, who served as assistant defense secretary for international security policy under Weinberger, recalls how Cap delayed for several days sending a memo outlining a “bold position” on arms control until it could be sent encrypted to the President while he was flying over the Atlantic. That way he avoided having the memo short-circuited by the State Department. It worked, says Perle, and the rest is “zero option” history.