James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last Cabinet -level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense .
84-793: Forrestal may refer to: James Forrestal (1892–1949), United States Secretary of Defense USS Forrestal , United States Navy aircraft carrier 1967 USS Forrestal fire , a deadly fire aboard the USS Forrestal Forrestal Range , a mountain range in Antarctica James V. Forrestal Building , headquarters of the United States Department of Energy The James Forrestal Campus of Princeton University in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey Forrestal Village ,
168-470: A blockade on West Berlin prompting the U.S. Berlin Airlift to supply the city; the 1948 Arab–Israeli War followed the establishment of Israel; and negotiations were going on for the formation of NATO . Dwight D. Eisenhower recorded he was in agreement with Forrestal's theories on the dangers of Soviet and International communist expansion. Eisenhower recalled that Forrestal had been "the one man who, in
252-561: A microfilm of the complete and unexpurgated diaries in 2001, from the originals preserved in the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library , Princeton University ; a digital edition was released in January 2020. An example of censorship is the removal of the following account of a conversation with Truman: "He [the President] referred to Hitler as an egomaniac. The result is we shall have a Slav Europe for
336-459: A benign kidney condition. The procedure was reported successful and without complications. On October 2, 2020, President Donald Trump was admitted after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic . Trump was discharged from the hospital on October 5, following three days of inpatient care. On July 29, 2021, First Lady Jill Biden underwent a procedure on her foot following an injury at
420-643: A brief summary of its findings. The announcement, as reported on page 15 of the October 12 New York Times , stated only that Forrestal had died from his fall from the window. It did not say what might have caused the fall, nor did it make any mention of a bathrobe sash cord that had first been reported as tied around his neck. The full report was released by the Department of the Navy in April 2004. After full and mature deliberation,
504-412: A degree. Forrestal was a member of University Cottage Club while he was a student at Princeton. Forrestal married the former Josephine Stovall (née Ogden), a Vogue writer, in 1926. She eventually developed a dependence on alcohol and suffered various mental health issues. Forrestal went to work as a bond salesman for William A. Read and Company (later renamed Dillon, Read & Co. ) in 1916. When
588-449: A heated manner, "Mr. Secretary, if the Marines on Guadalcanal were wiped out, the reaction of the country will give you a bad case of localitis in the seat of your pants." He became Secretary of the Navy on May 19, 1944, after his immediate superior, Secretary Frank Knox , died from a heart attack. Knox had been a figurehead as secretary and Forrestal was highly energetic. Forrestal led
672-578: A job. He was replaced by Louis A. Johnson , an ardent supporter of Truman's defense retrenchment policy. In 1949, exhausted from overwork, Forrestal entered psychiatric treatment. The attending psychiatrist, Captain George N. Raines, was handpicked by the Navy Surgeon General . The regimen was as follows: According to Raines, "We considered electro-shock but thought it better to postpone it for another 90 days. In reactive depression if electro-shock
756-429: A long time to come. I don't think it is so bad." Biographer Arnold Rogow explores the pathos and tragedy of Forrestal's tormented life. He was brought up in a rigidly Catholic environment where harsh discipline gave the boy doubts about himself that were never overcome by his many achievements. He compensated by emphasizing toughness in terms of physicality and morality – he had no use for slackers or cowards. He felt war
840-498: A mark of stupidity. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor.' This phrase struck me so forcefully that I have often used it since." In 1947, Truman appointed him the first United States Secretary of Defense . Forrestal continued to advocate for complete racial integration of the services , a policy eventually implemented in 1949. During private cabinet meetings with Truman in 1946 and 1947, Forrestal had argued against partition of Palestine on
924-472: A mixed-use development near Princeton, New Jersey Michael Forrestal , one of the leading aides to McGeorge Bundy , the national security adviser of President John F. Kennedy Forrestal , a surname of Irish origin Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Forrestal . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
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#17328450508901008-640: A multi-level staff-parking garage. This addition made National Naval Medical Center one of the largest medical facilities in the nation. The original Naval Medical Center tower was since listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior . In accordance with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations, the Office of Integration (OI) was formed in November 2005 to oversee
1092-548: A partner in 1923, was appointed vice president in 1926, and by 1937 was president of the company. He also acted as a publicist for the Democratic Party committee in Dutchess County, New York , helping politicians from the area win elections at both the local and state level. One of the individuals aided by his work was a neighbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt . Forrestal was a compulsive workaholic and skilled administrator. He
1176-559: A patient at Bethesda Naval Hospital , Forrestal died by suicide from fatal injuries sustained after falling out of a sixteenth-floor window. In 1954, the USN's new supercarrier was named USS Forrestal in his honor, as is the James V. Forrestal Building , which houses the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy . He is the namesake of the Forrestal Lecture Series at
1260-525: A secret document is briefly viewable in the eighth episode that mentions the death of a Secretary Forrestal. It goes on to say that a "vacancy" was left due to his death until he was replaced by an unnamed general. Bethesda Naval Hospital Walter Reed National Military Medical Center ( WRNMMC ; formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital , Walter Reed , or Navy Med )
1344-739: A shrewd and simple solution: Accept the offer and declare that it accomplishes what the Potsdam Declaration demanded. Say that the Emperor and the Japanese government will rule subject to the orders of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. This would imply recognition of the Emperor while tending to neutralize American public passions against the Emperor. President Harry S. Truman liked this. It would be close enough to 'unconditional'." After
1428-766: Is a United States military medical center located in Bethesda, Maryland . It is one of the largest and most prominent military medical centers in the United States, and it has provided medical care for several United States presidents since its opening in 1940. In 2011, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), named after yellow fever researcher Walter Reed , was combined with the National Naval Medical Center to form today's tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. In 1938,
1512-498: Is a secured and autonomous ward within the complex. Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the site of the hospital, laid the cornerstone, and made formal dedication remarks at the hospital's opening on November 11, 1940. When NNMC was dedicated in 1942, its original intention was to provide medical care exclusively to military personnel. The medical center, however, immediately offered to assist in the treatment of Roosevelt's paralysis of his lower extremities. An official White House physician
1596-401: Is named for him. The aircraft carrier USS Forrestal , in commission 1955–1993, was named for him In the 2002 HBO TV movie Path to War , Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (portrayed by Alec Baldwin) hauntingly recounts the story of James Forrestal's dismissal and suicide to speechwriter Richard Goodwin (portrayed by James Frain). In the 2006 film Flags of Our Fathers , Forrestal
1680-414: Is used early and the patient is returned to the same situation from which he came there is grave danger of suicide in the immediate period after they return... so strangely enough we left out electro-shock to avoid what actually happened anyhow." Although Forrestal told associates he had decided to resign, he was reportedly shattered when Truman abruptly asked for his resignation. His letter of resignation
1764-623: The Southwest Pacific and a stop at Pearl Harbor . Returning to Washington, D.C., he made his report to Roosevelt, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson , and the cabinet. In response to Forrestal's elevated request that materiel be sent immediately to the Southwest Pacific area, Stimson (who was more concerned with supplying Operation Torch in North Africa), told Forrestal, "Jim, you've got a bad case of localitis ." Forrestal shot back in
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#17328450508901848-527: The Soviet Union out of the war with Japan. So strongly did he feel about this matter that he cultivated negotiation efforts that some regarded as approaching insubordination. His counsel on ending the war was finally followed, but not until the atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . On 10 August 1945, the day after the Nagasaki attack, the Japanese sent out a radio transmission saying that it
1932-599: The United States Congress appropriated funds for the acquisition of land for the construction of a new naval medical center, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the present site in Bethesda, Maryland , and exterior design for it, on July 5, 1938. Ground was broken by John McShain Builders for the Naval Medical Center on June 29, 1939, by Rear Admiral Perceval S. Rossiter, and President Roosevelt laid
2016-614: The United States Naval Academy and of the James Forrestal Campus of his alma mater Princeton University . Forrestal was born in Matteawan , New York (now part of Beacon, New York ), the youngest son of James Forrestal, an Irish immigrant who dabbled in politics. His mother, the former Mary Anne Toohey (herself the daughter of another Irish immigrant) raised him as a devout Catholic . During his youth, Forrestal
2100-430: The presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower . Thus, when Johnson went under anesthesia for his procedures in 1965 and 1966, presidential authority was temporarily relegated to Vice President Hubert Humphrey according to their own agreement. On December 18, 1968, Johnson was hospitalized with "an upper respiratory infection with a slight bronchial irritation" during the so-called Hong Kong flu pandemic. He returned to
2184-691: The 16th floor instead of the first floor was justified in the same way. Forrestal's condition was officially announced as "nervous and physical exhaustion"; his lead doctor, Captain Raines, diagnosed his condition as "depression" or "reactive depression". As a person who prized anonymity and once stated that his hobby was "obscurity", Forrestal, with his policies, had been the constant target of vicious personal attacks from columnists, including Drew Pearson and Walter Winchell . Pearson's protégé, Jack Anderson , later asserted that Pearson "hectored Forrestal with innuendos and false accusations". Forrestal seemed to be on
2268-417: The 25th Amendment during his procedure. On January 5, 1987, Reagan underwent a transurethral prostatectomy at the medical center. On October 17, 1987, First Lady Nancy Reagan underwent a mastectomy to treat breast cancer at the medical center. On May 14, 2018, First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization , a minimally invasive procedure that deliberately blocks a blood vessel in order to treat
2352-458: The Court is of the opinion that no offenses have been committed nor serious blame incurred on the part of any person or persons in the naval service." Because the court's findings implicitly revealed that American cryptographers had broken the Japanese codes, a critical wartime secret, the court's report was not made public until after the end of the war. Upon reviewing the report, Forrestal felt that
2436-646: The NCR was to become, with oversight of the OI, a single tri-service medical center, a large tri-service hospital in Northern Virginia, and 20 area clinics. Groundbreaking took place on July 3, 2008, with President George W. Bush officiating. The goal of the merger was for the government to ultimately spend less money maintaining a new building than an old one. It was estimated that the new facility would cost about $ 172 million less to manage each year. The original 2005 estimate of
2520-440: The Naval Medical Center were consolidated on September 1, 1973, forming the National Naval Medical Center. In 1975, an extensive renovation began, which included the construction of two new buildings: Building 9, a three-story outpatient structure, and Building 10, a seven-story, 500 bed inpatient facility, with a combined area of more than 880,000 square feet (82,000 m ). In 1979, the remaining temporary buildings were replaced with
2604-451: The Navy and first Secretary of Defense James Forrestal died by suicide after jumping from the 16th floor of the hospital tower. On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline , Texas Governor John Connally , and his wife, Nellie. The wounded president was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital , where he
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2688-533: The Navy Department largely exonerated Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel , commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet at the time of the attack. The court found that Kimmel's decisions had been correct given the limited information available to him, but criticized then-Chief of Naval Operations Harold R. Stark for failing to warn Kimmel that war was imminent. The court concluded that "based upon the facts established,
2772-708: The Navy through the closing year of the war and the early years of demobilization that followed. Forrestal ordered that a Naval Court of Inquiry be convened to investigate the facts surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and to assess any culpability borne by members of the Navy. The Court consisted of Admiral Adolphus Andrews; Admiral Orin G. Murfin , who served as President of the Court and Admiral Edward C. Kalbfus . The court convened on July 24, 1944, and held daily sessions in Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. After interviewing numerous witnesses, it completed its work on October 19, 1944. Its report to
2856-414: The Navy. In his nearly four years as undersecretary, Forrestal proved highly effective at mobilizing domestic industrial production for the war effort. The Chief of Naval Operations , Admiral Ernest J. King , wanted to control logistics and procurement, but Forrestal prevailed. In September 1942, to get a grasp on the reports for materiel his office was receiving, he made a tour of naval operations in
2940-678: The New Deal. Forrestal was awarded both the Distinguished Service Medal and the Medal of Merit by President Truman. The James V. Forrestal Building in Washington, D.C., completed in 1969, is named for him. The J. V. Forrestal Elementary School at 125 Liberty Street in Beacon, New York , his hometown, is named for him. Forrestal Elementary School in the Great Lakes military housing area
3024-563: The Pacific theater was scrapped or simply tossed overboard. Facing the wholesale demobilization of most of the US defense force structure, Forrestal resisted Truman's efforts to substantially reduce defense appropriations, but was unable to prevent a steady reduction in defense spending, resulting in major cuts not only in defense equipment stockpiles, but also in military readiness. By 1948, Truman had approved military budgets billions of dollars below what
3108-579: The US entered World War I , he enlisted in the Navy and ultimately became a Naval Aviator , training with the Royal Flying Corps at Camp Borden and Deseronto in Canada. During the final year of the war Forrestal spent much of his time in Washington, at the Office of Naval Operations, while completing his flight training and reaching the rank of lieutenant. After the war, Forrestal resumed his career in finance and made his fortune on Wall Street. He became
3192-522: The White House on December 22. On September 28, 1974, First Lady Betty Ford underwent a mastectomy to treat breast cancer at the medical center. On July 13, 1985, President Ronald Reagan underwent surgery to remove a cancerous polyp from his colon at the medical center. He sent a letter transferring power to then–Vice President George H. W. Bush invoking the Acting President clause of
3276-450: The abstract, without regard to defense response requirements in the event of conflicts with potential enemies. The president would begin by subtracting from total receipts the amount needed for domestic needs and recurrent operating costs, with any surplus going to the defense budget for that year. The Truman administration's willingness to slash conventional readiness needs for the Navy and Marine Corps soon caused fierce controversies within
3360-662: The accuracy of his judgments on this point." Forrestal also opposed the unification of the military services proposed by the Truman officials. Even so, he helped develop the National Security Act of 1947 that created the National Military Establishment (the Department of Defense was not created as such until August 1949). With the former Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson retiring to private life, Forrestal
3444-508: The beach in Hawaii . On January 11, 2023, she had three skin lesions removed, two of which were cancerous. In August 1960, a $ 5.6 million expansion project was initiated and consisted of two five-story wings attached to the main building's east side. Completed in the summer of 1963, Buildings 7 and 8 provided space for 258 beds and replaced the World War II -era ward buildings. In January 1973,
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3528-504: The beach, claimed the historic flag as a souvenir. When Forrestal witnessed the sight of the Stars and Stripes atop Mount Suribachi, he turned to Major General Holland Smith and said, "the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years." A second, larger flag was run up in its place, and this second flag-raising was the moment captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal in his famous photograph . In
3612-531: The board finds as follows: FINDING OF FACTS He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery , in Arlington, Virginia . Forrestal's diaries from 1944 to March 1949 were serialised in the New York Herald Tribune in 1951, and published as a 581-page book The Forrestal Diaries , edited by Walter Millis in October 1951. They were censored prior to publication. Adam Matthew Publications Ltd. published
3696-850: The cornerstone of the Tower on Armistice Day , November 11, 1940. The original Medical Center included the Naval Hospital, designed to hold 1,200 beds, and the Naval Medical School, the Naval Dental School, now the National Naval Dental Center and the Naval Medical Research Institute . In 1945, at the end of World War II , temporary buildings were added to accommodate up to 2,464 wounded American sailors and Marines . On May 22, 1949, former U.S. Secretary of
3780-490: The cost of shutting down WRAMC, and shifting it across town to Bethesda, and other locations, was "just under $ 900 million", according to Brian Lepore of the Government Accountability Office . The point after which the full amount of the investment would have been recouped and at which point savings would actually have commenced was projected to be 2011. But the relocation cost unexpectedly rose by 245% between
3864-553: The court had been too lenient in assigning blame for the disaster. The court had found that the Army and Navy had adequately cooperated in the defense of Pearl Harbor; that there had been no information indicating that Japanese carriers were on their way to attack Pearl Harbor; and that the attack had succeeded principally because of the aerial torpedo , a secret weapon whose use could not have been predicted. Forrestal disapproved all of these findings, judging that Kimmel could have done more with
3948-436: The dark prospect of the yawning grave.... Woe to the mother in her close of day, Woe to her desolate heart and temples gray, When she shall hear Her loved one's story whispered in her ear! "Woe, woe!" will be the cry– No quiet murmur like the tremulous wail Of the lone bird, the querulous nightingale – The official Navy review board, which completed hearings on May 31, waited until October 11, 1949, to release only
4032-483: The democracy-loving Jewish people of Palestine." Appalled by the intensity and implied threats over the partition question, Forrestal appealed to Truman in two separate cabinet meetings not to base his decision on partition, whatever the outcome, on the basis of political pressure. In his only known public comment on the issue, Forrestal stated to J. Howard McGrath , Senator from Rhode Island : ...no group in this country should be permitted to influence our policy to
4116-486: The early months of 1945, Forrestal, along with Stimson and Under Secretary of State Joseph Grew , strongly advocated a softer policy toward Japan that would permit a negotiated armistice, a face-saving surrender. Forrestal's primary concern was not the resurgence of a militarized Japan, but rather "the menace of Russian Communism and its attraction for decimated, destabilized societies in Europe and Asia," and, therefore, keeping
4200-658: The first secretary of the newly created Department of Defense. Forrestal was intensely hostile to the Soviet Union, fearing Communist expansion in Europe and the Middle East. Along with Secretary of State George C. Marshall , he strongly opposed the United States' support for the establishment of the State of Israel , fearing that this would alienate Arab nations which were needed as allies, and whose petroleum reserves were vital for both military and civilian industrial expansion. Forrestal
4284-455: The grounds it would infuriate Arab countries who supplied oil needed for the U.S. economy and national defense. Instead, Forrestal favored a federalization plan for Palestine. Outside the White House, response to Truman's continued silence on the issue was immediate. Truman received threats to cut off campaign contributions from wealthy donors, as well as hate mail , including a letter accusing him of "preferring fascist and Arab elements to
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#17328450508904368-400: The information he had had to prevent or mitigate the attack. Forrestal concluded that both Kimmel and Stark had "failed to demonstrate the superior judgment necessary for exercising command commensurate with their rank and their assigned duties." As Secretary, Forrestal introduced a policy of racial integration in the Navy. Forrestal traveled to combat zones to see naval forces in action. He
4452-438: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Forrestal&oldid=962135598 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages James Forrestal Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic family. He
4536-406: The loss of his job, his failing health and eventual demise. Weeks before the election, Pearson published an exposé of the meetings between Dewey and Forrestal. In 1949, angered over Forrestal's continued opposition to his defense economization policies, and concerned about reports in the press over his mental condition, Truman abruptly asked Forrestal to resign. By March 31, 1949, Forrestal was out of
4620-493: The merger of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC). That merged facility was to be staffed by Army, Navy, and Air Force medical personnel and become the core of an integrated military medicine system in the National Capital Region (NCR). That in 2005 were three medical centers, a small community hospital, and 19 clinics offering medical care to military beneficiaries in
4704-612: The mission of the Naval Medical Center was modified to include the provision: "to provide coordinated dispensary health care services as an integral element of the Naval Regional Health Care System, including shore activities, as may be assigned." This change established the National Naval Medical Center Region and placed all U.S. Navy health care facilities under the authority of the medical center's commanding officer. New inpatient buildings and
4788-576: The new Wisconsin Senator, Joseph McCarthy , concerning infiltration of the government by Communists. Upon McCarthy's arrival in Washington in December 1946, Forrestal invited him to lunch. In McCarthy's words, "Before meeting Jim Forrestal I thought we were losing to international Communism because of incompetence and stupidity on the part of our planners. I mentioned that to Forrestal. I shall forever remember his answer. He said, 'McCarthy, consistency has never been
4872-457: The original 2005 projection and the 2011 opening. Instead of under $ 900 million, it turned out to cost $ 2.7 billion, roughly triple its initial cost projections. As a result, the payback period was expected to begin about seven years later, around 2018. One reason costs skyrocketed was that construction costs escalated, partly due to a huge amount of building materials being sent to the Gulf Coast in
4956-483: The point it could endanger our national security. Forrestal's statement soon earned him the active enmity of some congressmen and supporters of Israel . He was also an early target of the muckraking columnist and broadcaster Drew Pearson , an opponent of foreign policies hostile to the Soviet Union, who began to regularly call for Forrestal's removal after Truman named him Secretary of Defense. Pearson told his own protege , Jack Anderson , that he believed Forrestal
5040-434: The road to recovery, having regained 12 pounds (5.4 kg) since his admission into the hospital. However, in the early morning hours of May 22, his body, clad only in the bottom half of a pair of pajamas, was found on a third-floor roof below the sixteenth-floor kitchen across the hall from his room. Forrestal's alleged last written statement, touted in the contemporary press and later biographers as an implied suicide note,
5124-664: The services were requesting, putting Forrestal in the middle of a fierce tug-of-war between the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Forrestal was also becoming increasingly worried about the Soviet threat. His 18 months at Defense came at an exceptionally difficult time for the U.S. military establishment: Communist governments came to power in Czechoslovakia and China; the Soviets imposed
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#17328450508905208-629: The site for medical evaluations and treatments for U.S. presidents . The medical center includes a presidential office suite that is controlled by the White House , not the U.S. Department of Defense , and it includes a sitting room, kitchen, conference room, hospital bedroom, and an office for the White House Chief of Staff . Presidents and vice presidents are routinely treated at the Medical Evaluation and Treatment Unit or METU Suite, which
5292-431: The type "seen in operational fatigue during the war". The Menninger Clinic had successfully treated similar cases during the war, but Forrestal's wife, his friend and associate Ferdinand Eberstadt , Menninger, and Navy psychiatrist Captain George N. Raines decided to send the patient to the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) in Bethesda, Maryland . He was checked into NNMC five days later. The decision to house him on
5376-571: The upper ranks of their respective branches. During the Reagan years, Paul Nitze reflected upon the qualities which made a Secretary of Defense great: the ability to work with Congress, the ability for "big-time management," and an ability at war planning. Nitze felt that Forrestal was the only one who possessed all three qualities together. At the close of World War II, millions of dollars of serviceable equipment had been scrapped or abandoned rather than having funds appropriated for its storage costs. New military equipment en route to operations in
5460-426: The very midst of the war, always counseled caution and alertness in dealing with the Soviets." Eisenhower remembered on several occasions, while he was Supreme Allied Commander , he had been visited by Forrestal, who carefully explained his thesis that the Communists would never cease trying to destroy all representative government . Eisenhower commented in his personal diary on 11 June 1949, "I never had cause to doubt
5544-451: The wake of Hurricane Katrina . In 2005, Todd Harrison, a defense analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments , said, "when they made their initial estimates of what it would cost...they did their best estimate...A lot of things have changed since then. Construction costs have gone up." The GAO agreed that the project tripled in price, which was attributed mostly to increased construction costs. On September 14, 2011, NNMC
5628-420: The war, Forrestal urged Truman to take a hard line with the Soviets over Poland and other issues. In furtherance of the anti-Soviet position, he was the primary promoter of the famous " long telegram " by State Department official George Kennan . "[Averell] Harriman thought Forrestal's reaction [to the Kennan document] was a 'decisive' catalyst in shaping American opinion on the issue." He also strongly influenced
5712-448: Was "the most dangerous man in America" and claimed that if he was not removed from office, he would "cause another world war". Upon taking office as Secretary of Defense, Forrestal was surprised to learn that the administration did not budget for defense needs based on military threats posed by enemies of the United States and its interests. According to historian Walter LaFeber , Truman was known to approach defense budgetary requests in
5796-481: Was a necessity and that negotiation was possible only alongside military parity or superiority. This intensity alienated his colleagues, as he focused his fears on Communists and Zionists. He abandoned his religion and his Irish community, but was never at ease on Wall Street, where he suspected and envied its rich and well-born WASP elite . Although his brilliance and energy made him a favorite of President Roosevelt, he profoundly distrusted liberalism and never championed
5880-430: Was a successful financier on Wall Street before becoming Undersecretary of the Navy in 1940, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War . He became Secretary of the Navy in May 1944 upon the death of his superior, Col. Frank Knox . President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested that Forrestal take the lead in building up the Navy. In 1947, after the end of the war, President Harry S. Truman appointed him
5964-462: Was a supporter of naval battle groups centered on aircraft carriers . He tried to weaken the proposed Department of Defense for the Navy's benefit, but was hard-pressed to run it from 1947 to 1949 after Truman named him Secretary of Defense. The two men were often at odds, and Truman forced Forrestal's resignation. Thereafter, Forrestal's mental health rapidly deteriorated, declining to the point in which he underwent medical care for depression. While
6048-399: Was admitted for surgery to have a hernia repaired and a small throat polyp removed; he was released on November 19. At the time of these hospitalizations, the 25th Amendment , concerning presidential succession and disability, was not yet in place; however, unofficial agreements regarding presidential disability had been made between presidents and vice presidents since early 1958, during
6132-706: Was an amateur boxer. After graduating from high school in 1908, at the age of 16, he spent the next three years working for a trio of newspapers: the Matteawan Evening Journal , the Mount Vernon Argus and the Poughkeepsie News Press . Forrestal entered Dartmouth College in 1911, but transferred to Princeton University in his sophomore year, where he served as an editor for The Daily Princetonian . His senior class voted him "Most Likely to Succeed", but he left just prior to completing work on
6216-420: Was appointed by the President to tend to ongoing medical care of U.S. presidents. Since Roosevelt, most presidents have used a military hospital close to Washington, D.C., either Bethesda or Walter Reed AMC, as the primary facility for their medical care and that of their immediate family. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a patient at the medical center several times during his presidency. On January 23, 1965, he
6300-420: Was described as pugnacious, introspective, shy, philosophic, solitary, and emotionally insecure . He took no part in national politics, though he usually voted for Democrats, but did not support New Deal liberalism. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Forrestal a special administrative assistant on June 22, 1940. Six weeks later, he nominated him for the newly established position, Undersecretary of
6384-413: Was hospitalized with what the White House called "a common cold with tracheal and bronchial irritation"; First Lady "Lady Bird" Johnson was admitted later that day with a similar condition. They both left the hospital on January 26. On October 8, 1965, Johnson was admitted for surgery to have his gallbladder and a kidney stone removed; he was released on October 21. On November 15, 1966, he
6468-563: Was in the South Pacific in 1942, present at the Battle of Kwajalein in 1944, and (as Secretary) witnessed the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. After five days of pitched battle, a detachment of Marines was sent to hoist the American flag on the 545-foot summit of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. This was the first time in the war that the U.S. flag had flown on Japanese soil. Forrestal, who had just landed on
6552-447: Was part of a poem from W. M. Praed's translation of Sophocles ' tragedy Ajax : Fair Salamis , the billows' roar, Wander around thee yet, And sailors gaze upon thy shore Firm in the Ocean set. Thy son is in a foreign clime Where Ida feeds her countless flocks, Far from thy dear, remembered rocks, Worn by the waste of time– Comfortless, nameless, hopeless save In
6636-548: Was played by Michael Cumpsty . The story of James Forrestal is prominently featured in Chapter 4 of the Oliver Stone popular documentary series Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States , which aired on Showtime in 2012–13. The later part of Forrestal's life, including his marriage and his death, is a large part of Majic Man by Max Allan Collins . In the anime OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory ,
6720-532: Was pronounced dead. The Parkland doctors and local coroner insisted that they perform the autopsy, since he had been murdered in Dallas County . However, the Secret Service demanded that the assassinated president's body be taken to Washington, D.C. immediately aboard Air Force One . Kennedy's autopsy was performed at the Naval Medical Center. Since its opening, Walter Reed National Medical Center has been
6804-575: Was ready to accept the terms of the Allies ' Potsdam Declaration , "with the understanding that said declaration does not comprise any demand which prejudices the prerogatives of His Majesty as a sovereign ruler." That position still fell short of the U.S. "unconditional surrender" demand, retaining the sticking point that had held up the war's conclusion for months. Strong voices within the administration, including Secretary of State James F. Byrnes , counseled fighting on. At that point, "Forrestal came up with
6888-646: Was rechristened Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, combining the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center with the National Naval Medical Center. WRNMMC serves as the location of the headquarters for the National Capital Region Medical Directorate , a tri-service task force providing command and control for most medical treatment facilities in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia , Maryland , Pennsylvania , West Virginia , and New Jersey . The WRNMMC continues to provide all
6972-609: Was tendered on March 28, 1949, and his condition steadily deteriorated. On the day of Forrestal's resignation from office, he was reported to have gone into a daze and was flown on a Navy airplane to the estate of Under Secretary of State Robert A. Lovett in Hobe Sound, Florida , where Forrestal's wife, Josephine, was vacationing. William C. Menninger of the Menninger Clinic in Kansas was consulted and he diagnosed "severe depression" of
7056-454: Was the next choice. Michael Hogan downplays Forrestal's achievements: Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey was expected to win the presidential elections of 1948 . Forrestal met with Dewey privately, and it was agreed he would continue as Secretary of Defense under a Dewey administration. Unwittingly, Forrestal would trigger a series of events that would not only undermine his already precarious position with Truman but also contribute to
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