[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3607-S3608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 472--HONORING DR. JAMES SCHLESINGER, FORMER SECRETARY 
 OF DEFENSE, SECRETARY OF ENERGY, AND DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE

  Mr. SESSIONS (for himself, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
Reed of Rhode Island, Mr. McCain, Mrs. Fischer, and Mr. Leahy) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 472

       Whereas the Honorable Dr. James Rodney Schlesinger was born 
     in New York City, New York, on February 15, 1929, and died in 
     Baltimore, Maryland, on March 27, 2014, at the age of 85;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger married Rachel Line Mellinger in 
     1954 and remained her devoted husband until her death in 
     1995;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger is survived by his 8 children, Cora 
     Schlesinger, Charles Schlesinger, Ann Schlesinger, William 
     Schlesinger, Emily Schlesinger, Thomas Schlesinger, Clara 
     Schlesinger, and James Schlesinger, Jr., and 11 
     grandchildren;
       Whereas, in 1950, Dr. Schlesinger graduated summa cum laude 
     from Harvard University, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa 
     and awarded the Frederick Sheldon Travel Fellowship;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger subsequently earned master's and 
     doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a generous patron of the arts, 
     and was instrumental in establishing the Rachel M. 
     Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, 
     Virginia;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a generous sponsor of higher 
     education, serving on the International Council at the Belfer 
     Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard 
     University, endowing the Julius Schlesinger Professorship of 
     Operations Management at New York University Stern School of 
     Business and the James R. Schlesinger Distinguished 
     Professorship at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the 
     University of Virginia, and sponsoring an ongoing music 
     scholarship at Harvard College in honor of his beloved wife;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a distinguished statesman-
     scholar of great integrity, intellect, and insight who 
     dedicated his life to protecting the security and liberty of 
     the United States and the people of the United States 
     throughout a highly-decorated and distinguished career that 
     spanned 7 decades;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger's intellectual contributions to the 
     fields of economics and national security include serving as 
     professor of economics at the University of Virginia from 
     1955 until 1963, serving at the RAND Corporation from 1963 
     until 1969, including a term as the director of strategic 
     studies, and

[[Page S3608]]

     authoring numerous important scholarly publications, such as 
     The Political Economy of National Security: A Study of the 
     Economic Aspect of the Contemporary Power Struggle (1960), 
     Defense Planning and Budgeting: The Issue of Centralized 
     Control (1968), American Security and Energy Policy (1980), 
     America at Century's End (1989), and, most recently, Minimum 
     Deterrence: Examining the Evidence (2013);
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger's service in the Federal Government 
     began in 1969, when he took a lead role on defense matters as 
     the assistant director and acting deputy director of the 
     United States Bureau of the Budget;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger served as a member and chairman of 
     the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) from 1971 until 1973, 
     working tirelessly to implement extensive organizational and 
     management changes to strengthen the regulatory performance 
     of the Commission;
       Whereas, as Director of Central Intelligence in 1973, Dr. 
     Schlesinger focused on the agency's adherence to its 
     legislative charter;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was confirmed as the Secretary of 
     Defense in 1973 at age 44, a position he held until 1975;
       Whereas, during his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Dr. 
     Schlesinger contributed to the national security of the 
     United States by authoring the ``Schlesinger Doctrine'', 
     which instituted important reforms strengthening the 
     flexibility and credibility of the United States nuclear 
     deterrent to prevent war, reassure the allies of the United 
     States, and protect the liberties of all people of the United 
     States, and by taking action, including overseeing the 
     successful development of the A-10 close-air support aircraft 
     and the F-16 fighter aircraft, to ensure that the United 
     States maintained ``essential equivalence'' with the Soviet 
     Union's conventional military forces and surging nuclear 
     capabilities;
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was highly regarded by the 
     uniformed services, and led the Department of Defense with 
     great skill and prescience through numerous challenges, 
     including the 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which he was key to the 
     United States airlift that, according to Israeli Prime 
     Minister Golda Meir, ``meant life for our people'', the 1974 
     Cyprus Crisis, the closing phase of the Indochina conflict, 
     and the 1975 Mayaguez incident, in which his actions helped 
     save the lives of United States citizens held by the Khmer 
     Rouge, the withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from 
     Vietnam, and cuts to the budget of the Department of Defense;
       Whereas, in light of his realistic views of the power and 
     intentions of the Soviet Union, Dr. Schlesinger was invited 
     to China as a private citizen in 1975 at the personal request 
     of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, and 
     upon Mao's death, was the only foreigner invited by the 
     Chinese leadership to lay a wreath at Mao's bier;
       Whereas, in 1976, during a difficult period of oil 
     embargoes and fuel shortages, President-elect Jimmy Carter 
     invited Dr. Schlesinger to serve as his special advisor on 
     energy to establish a national energy policy and create the 
     charter for the Department of Energy;
       Whereas President Carter appointed Dr. Schlesinger as the 
     first Secretary of Energy in 1977, and in this role Dr. 
     Schlesinger successfully initiated new conservation 
     standards, the gradual deregulation of oil and natural gas 
     industries, and the unification of United States policies 
     with respect to energy and national security;
       Whereas following his return to private life in 1979, Dr. 
     Schlesinger continued to work tirelessly in a wide array of 
     public service and civic positions, including as a member of 
     President Ronald Reagan's Commission on Strategic Forces, a 
     member of Virginia Governor Charles Robb's Commission on 
     Virginia's Future, chairman of the board of trustees for the 
     Mitre Corporation, a member of the Defense Policy Board and 
     co-chair of studies for the Defense Science Board, chairman 
     of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and 
     Timing (PNT) Board, a director of the Sandia National 
     Corporation, a trustee of the Atlantic Council, a trustee of 
     the Nixon Center, a trustee of the Henry M. Jackson 
     Foundation, and an original member of the Secretary of 
     State's International Security Advisory Board;
       Whereas, in the recent past, Dr. Schlesinger was appointed 
     by President George W. Bush to the Homeland Security Advisory 
     Board, invited by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to lead 
     the Schlesinger Task Force to recommend measures to ensure 
     the highest levels of competence and control of the nuclear 
     forces of the United States, and invited by Congress to serve 
     as the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Commission on the 
     Strategic Posture of the United States, which produced the 
     2009 study ``America's Strategic Posture'' that served as the 
     blueprint for the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review of the 
     Department of Defense;
       Whereas in addition to Dr. Schlesinger's earned doctorate 
     from Harvard University, he was awarded 13 honorary 
     doctorates, and was the recipient of numerous prestigious 
     medals and awards, including the National Security Medal 
     (presented by President Carter), the Defense Science Board's 
     Eugene G. Fubini Award, the United States Army Association's 
     George Catlett Marshall Medal, the Air Force Association's H. 
     H. Arnold Award, the Navy League's National Meritorious 
     Citation, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots' James H. 
     Doolittle Award, the Military Order of World Wars' 
     Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Association's 
     Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Henry M. Jackson 
     Foundation's Henry M. Jackson Award for Distinguished Public 
     Service; and
       Whereas Dr. Schlesinger's monumental contributions to the 
     security and liberty of the United States and Western 
     civilization, and to the betterment of his local community, 
     should serve as an example to all people of the United 
     States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the 
     announcement of the death of the Honorable Dr. James R. 
     Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense, Secretary of 
     Energy, and Director of Central Intelligence;
       (2) honors the legacy of Dr. Schlesinger's commitment to 
     the liberty and security of the United States and Western 
     civilization, the betterment of his local community, and his 
     loving family;
       (3) extends its deepest condolences and sympathy to the 
     family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. Schlesinger who have 
     lost a beloved father, grandfather, and leader;
       (4) honors Dr. Schlesinger's wisdom, discernment, 
     scholarship, and dedication to public service that greatly 
     benefited his community, country, and Western civilization;
       (5) recognizes with great appreciation that, while serving 
     as a public servant under President Nixon, President Ford, 
     and President Carter, Dr. Schlesinger contributed 
     significantly, thoughtfully, and directly to the betterment 
     of the policies and practices of the United States in the 
     areas of national defense, energy, and intelligence;
       (6) recognizes with great appreciation that, after 
     returning to private life, Dr. Schlesinger continued to serve 
     the United States selflessly through bipartisan contributions 
     to the reasoned public discourse of issues and his leadership 
     on high-level studies sponsored by the Executive, the 
     Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the 
     Congress;
       (7) recognizes with great appreciation Dr. Schlesinger's 
     exemplary life, which was guided by his commitment to the 
     continuing security and liberty of the United States, and by 
     his honor, duty, and devotion to country, family, 
     scholarship, and personal moral integrity;
       (8) expresses profound respect and admiration for Dr. 
     Schlesinger and his extraordinary legacy of commitment to the 
     people of the United States, United States military 
     personnel, and all those who help safeguard the Nation; and
       (9) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of the 
     Honorable Dr. James R. Schlesinger.

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