Walt Rostow facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walt Rostow
Rostow in 1968
6th United States National Security Advisor
In office April 1, 1966 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Deputy	Francis Bator
Preceded by	Mac Bundy
Succeeded by	Henry Kissinger
Counselor of the United States Department of State
In office December 4, 1961 – March 31, 1966
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson
Preceded by	George McGhee
Succeeded by	Robert Bowie
Director of Policy Planning
In office December 4, 1961 – March 31, 1966
President	John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson
Preceded by	George McGhee
Succeeded by	Henry Owen
1st Deputy National Security Advisor
In office January 20, 1961 – December 4, 1961
President	John F. Kennedy
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Carl Kaysen
Personal details
Born	Walt Whitman Rostow (1916-10-07)October 7, 1916 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	February 13, 2003(2003-02-13) (aged 86) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elspeth Davies
Children	2
Education	Yale University (BA, MA, PhD) Balliol College, Oxford (BLitt)

Walt Whitman Rostow (October 7, 1916 – February 13, 2003) was an American economist and professor. He was a key advisor to two U.S. presidents, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. From 1966 to 1969, he served as the National Security Advisor for President Johnson.

Rostow was known for his strong belief in capitalism and his opposition to communism. He played a big part in shaping U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia during the 1960s. He strongly supported U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. His book, The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto (1960), was very important. It suggested a way for countries to grow economically without becoming communist.

His older brother, Eugene Rostow, also held important government jobs related to foreign policy.

Early Life and Education

Walt Rostow was born in Manhattan, New York City, into a family of Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents, Lillian and Victor Rostow, were active socialists. They named Walt after the famous poet Walt Whitman. His father, Victor, came to the U.S. in 1904 and changed his last name to Rostow. His mother, Lillian, encouraged her sons to get a good education.

The Rostows were very "idealistic" immigrants. They loved their new country deeply. They named their three sons after men they saw as great Americans: Eugene V. Debs, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Unlike many other Jewish immigrants, Victor Rostow spoke English to his children. He believed this would help them succeed in America.

Rostow was very smart. He finished high school at age 15. He then went to Yale University on a full scholarship and graduated at 19. He later studied at Balliol College, Oxford, in England. He earned another degree there. After getting his PhD from Yale in 1940, he began teaching economics at Columbia University.

Professional Career and World War II

During World War II, Rostow worked for the Office of Strategic Services. This was an intelligence agency. He helped choose targets for U.S. bombing. From 1942 to 1945, he was an intelligence analyst in London.

Rostow believed that targeting Germany's oil supply was key to winning the war. This idea was called the "Oil Plan." He thought if this plan had been used earlier, the war would have ended sooner. He also believed it would have put the U.S. in a stronger position for the Cold War. For his work, Rostow received an award called the OBE.

After the war, Rostow worked for the United States Department of State. He helped with economic plans for Germany and Austria. He was also involved in developing the Marshall Plan. This plan helped rebuild Europe after the war. His ideas about European economic unity caught the attention of important diplomats.

Rostow later taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 1950 to 1961. The Korean War changed his views on the Soviet Union. He began to believe the Cold War needed a stronger military approach. He called for more defense spending.

In the 1950s, Rostow advised President Dwight Eisenhower on economic and foreign policy. He also wrote speeches for him. Rostow was upset when the French lost at Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam in 1954. He believed the U.S. should have intervened more. He felt that the Communist Viet Minh were a small group. He thought most Vietnamese people supported the French-backed government.

Rostow believed the Cold War was a global fight. He saw the "Third World" (developing countries) as the most important battlefield. He argued that the U.S. should provide more foreign aid to help these countries grow. He thought this would stop the spread of communism.

The Stages of Economic Growth

In 1960, Rostow published his famous book, The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto. In this book, he suggested that countries develop economically in five main stages:

• Traditional society
• Preconditions for take-off
• Take-off
• Drive to maturity
• High mass consumption

This idea became a major part of the "modernization theory." This theory suggested that poor countries could become modern and rich like Western nations. Rostow argued that this process could help stop communism. He believed that with help from the U.S., developing countries could reach the "take-off" stage. This would show that the democratic world was better than communism.

The book was very popular. Many leaders and thinkers liked his ideas. For example, in South Korea, President Park Chung Hee was very interested in Rostow's ideas. He used the concept of "economic take-off" in his speeches. He pushed South Korea to develop its economy quickly through "five-year plans."

Working for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson

Rostow's book impressed John F. Kennedy, who was running for president. Kennedy asked Rostow to be an advisor. During the 1960 election, Rostow helped write speeches for Kennedy. He even came up with the famous "New Frontier" speech. He also created the campaign slogan: "Let's Get the Country Moving Again."

When Kennedy became president in 1961, he appointed Rostow as a deputy national security advisor. Rostow had a lot of influence at first. He believed that the Third World was the main "battlefield" of the Cold War. He pushed for policies to fight communism there.

Rostow supported the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba. He thought a communist government in Cuba was a danger to other Latin American countries. He also helped create the Alliance for Progress. This was a huge aid program for Latin America. It aimed to help these countries grow economically and stop communism. Rostow believed that the 1960s should be the "Decade of Development."

However, Kennedy soon found Rostow had too many ideas. He called him an "idea-a-minute man." After the Bay of Pigs invasion failed, Kennedy became more cautious. He started to distrust some of his hawkish advisors, including Rostow. Kennedy also felt Rostow was too focused on Vietnam. Rostow believed in the "Domino Theory." This idea said that if South Vietnam fell to communism, other countries in Southeast Asia would fall too.

In October 1961, Rostow visited South Vietnam. He came back eager for more American involvement. He suggested sending U.S. troops to fight there. Kennedy rejected this idea but did send more military and economic aid.

After Kennedy's death, Lyndon B. Johnson became president. Johnson promoted Rostow to National Security Advisor. Rostow became very close to Johnson. Johnson liked Rostow's optimistic views on the Vietnam War. He also liked that Rostow was a hardliner, meaning he believed in a strong military approach.

Rostow always told Johnson that the war could be won. He argued that bombing North Vietnam would force them to give up. He was a main supporter of Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign against North Vietnam. He believed destroying North Vietnam's industry would win the war.

Rostow also pushed for Congress to give Johnson the power to wage war in Southeast Asia. This led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. This resolution gave the president broad powers to act in Vietnam. Rostow later said about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, "We don't know what happened, but it had the desired effect."

National Security Advisor and Later Years

As National Security Advisor, Rostow was in charge of developing the government's policy in Vietnam. He was convinced the war could be won. He was Johnson's main "war hawk" (someone who favors war). He played a big role in the decisions made during the war.

Rostow consistently argued against any peaceful solution to the war. He believed that any peace talks would be a sign of weakness. He always gave Johnson optimistic reports about the war. He said the U.S. was winning.

In 1967, Rostow pushed for the U.S. to invade North Vietnam. He believed this would end the war quickly. However, Johnson was worried about China getting involved, especially since China now had nuclear weapons. Johnson remembered how China had entered the Korean War when U.S. forces got too close to its border.

Rostow also helped manage the U.S. relationship with Israel. He was involved in discussions about Israel's nuclear program. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Rostow advised Johnson. He believed that Israel gaining territory could lead to a "land for peace" deal. This might finally end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

After Richard Nixon became president in 1969, Rostow left government. He then taught economics at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Many universities did not want to hire him because of his strong support for the Vietnam War.

Rostow continued to write books, mostly about world economic history. He defended the Vietnam War. He argued that the war had "bought time" for other Southeast Asian countries to develop economically and avoid communism. He pointed to the economic success of countries like South Korea and members of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). He believed their growth proved the war was worthwhile.

Rostow passed away on February 13, 2003.

Awards and Recognition

Walt Rostow received several honors for his work:

• Order of the British Empire (1945)
• Legion of Merit (1945)
• Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969)

He was also a member of important academic groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Works

• The Process of Economic Growth, 1952.
• The Stages of Economic Growth: A non-communist manifesto, 1960.
• Politics and the Stages of Growth, 1971.
• The World Economy: History and prospect, 1978.
• Why the Poor Get Richer and the Rich Slow Down: Essays in the Marshallian long period, 1980.
• Theorists of Economic Growth from David Hume to the Present, 1990.

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