Paul Nitze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Nitze
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| 12th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office July 1, 1967 – January 20, 1969 |
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| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Cyrus Vance |
| Succeeded by | David Packard |
| 58th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office November 29, 1963 – June 30, 1967 |
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| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Fred Korth |
| Succeeded by | Paul Ignatius |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | |
| In office January 29, 1961 – November 29, 1963 |
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| President | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | John N. Irwin II |
| Succeeded by | William Bundy |
| Director of Policy Planning | |
| In office January 1, 1950 – May 28, 1953 |
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| President | Harry S. Truman Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | George F. Kennan |
| Succeeded by | Robert R. Bowie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paul Henry Nitze
January 16, 1907 Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 19, 2004 (aged 97) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Spouses |
Phyllis Pratt
(m. 1932; died 1987)Elisabeth Scott Porter
(m. 1993) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Paul Henry Nitze (born January 16, 1907 – died October 19, 2004) was an important American politician. He served in many high-level government jobs. These included Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy. He also worked for the U.S. State Department. Paul Nitze is famous for writing a key document called NSC 68. This document helped guide America's defense plans during the Cold War. He also co-founded a group called Team B. Nitze played a big role in shaping how the U.S. dealt with the Cold War for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Nitze was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. His father was a professor, and his mother was a homemaker. His family came from Germany. When he was a young boy, he was traveling in Germany. He saw how excited people were when World War I started. This experience stayed with him.
Nitze went to The Hotchkiss School and then to Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard in 1928. After college, he started working in investment banking. He later founded his own company. In 1929, he joined a bank called Dillon, Read & Co.
In 1932, Paul Nitze married Phyllis Pratt. Her father was a financier, and her mother was a Congresswoman. They had four children together. Phyllis died in 1987. Later, in 1993, he married Elisabeth Scott Porter. Nitze enjoyed skiing in Aspen, Colorado, even when he was in his 80s.
Political Career and Public Service
Paul Nitze began working for the U.S. government during World War II. He was hired by James Forrestal, who worked for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Nitze held several important roles during the war. He helped manage finances and gather resources.
Assessing War Damage
From 1944 to 1946, Nitze worked on the Strategic Bombing Survey. This project looked at the damage caused by bombings during the war. President Harry S. Truman gave him an award for his work. One of his first tasks was to visit Japan right after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He had to see how much damage the bombs had done. This experience deeply affected him. It made him think a lot about the power of nuclear weapons. It also showed him why it was important to control these weapons.
Shaping Cold War Policy
After World War II, Nitze worked in the Truman administration. He was the Director of Policy Planning for the State Department from 1950 to 1953. In 1950, he wrote a very important secret paper called NSC 68. This paper suggested that the U.S. should spend more money on defense. It was a plan to deal with the threat from the Soviet Union. During the Korean War, he advised President Truman. He suggested not blaming the Soviet Union too much for the war. This was to avoid making the conflict even bigger and starting World War III.
Academic and Defense Roles
From 1953 to 1961, Nitze led the Foreign Service Educational Foundation. He also worked with the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He helped start SAIS in 1943. Today, this famous graduate school in Washington, D.C. is named after him.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Nitze as Assistant Secretary of Defense. In 1963, he became the Secretary of the Navy. He served in this role until 1967. As Secretary of the Navy, he focused on improving the lives of sailors. He helped create new policies to keep skilled people in the Navy. He also worked to give commanding officers more time in their roles.
After being Secretary of the Navy, he became Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1967 to 1969. He was also part of the U.S. team for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). These talks aimed to limit nuclear weapons. Later, he disagreed with a new arms treaty called SALT II in 1979. He worried that the Soviet Union was building up too many weapons.
Team B and Arms Control
Paul Nitze also helped create Team B in the 1970s. This group of experts looked at intelligence about the Soviet Union. They thought the CIA was underestimating the Soviet threat. Team B believed the Soviets had new weapons and aggressive plans for a nuclear war. Their ideas influenced the U.S. to build up its military. This happened during the end of the Carter administration and under President Ronald Reagan. Some of Team B's predictions about Soviet weapons were later found to be too high. However, some still believe their ideas about Soviet goals were correct.
Nitze was President Reagan's main negotiator for the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This treaty aimed to reduce certain types of nuclear missiles. In 1984, he became a special advisor to the President on arms control. For over 40 years, Paul Nitze was a key person in shaping how the U.S. dealt with the Soviet Union.
Awards and Honors
Paul Nitze received many awards for his service.
- In 1985, President Reagan gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the U.S. It was for his work to protect America's freedom and safety.
- In 1986, he received the Golden Plate Award.
- In 1989, he won the US Senator John Heinz Award for Public Service.
- In 1991, he received the Sylvanus Thayer Award from the United States Military Academy at West Point. This award honors people who show "Duty, Honor, Country".
- In 1997, the US Navy Memorial Foundation gave him the Naval Heritage Award. This was for his strong support of the U.S. Navy.
Death and Legacy
Paul Nitze passed away in Washington, D.C., in October 2004. He was 97 years old.
- A U.S. Navy ship, the USS Nitze, is named in his honor. He visited the ship several times before he died.
- The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University is named after him.
- St. Mary's College of Maryland has an honors program named after him. He served as a trustee for the college.
Key Positions Held
- Vice Chairman of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey (1944–1946)
- Director of Policy Planning for the United States Department of State (1950–1953)
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (1961–1963)
- Secretary of the Navy (1963–1967)
- Deputy Secretary of Defense (1967–1969)
- Member of the U.S. delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (1969–1973)
- Special Adviser to the President and Secretary of State on Arms Control (1984–1989)
Famous Quotes
- "I have been around at a time when important things needed to be done."
- "One of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve."
See also
In Spanish: Paul Nitze para niños
- Dangerous Capabilities: Paul Nitze and the Cold War
