Donald H. Rumsfeld

Donald Henry Rumsfeld resigned his position of Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense on November 8, 2006. Rumsfeld served during both the first and second George W. Bush administrations. Like his former second in charge Paul Dundes Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld is a neo-conservative.

On November 8, 2006, President George W. Bush nominated former CIA Director Robert M. Gates as his replacement.

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Affiliations

Rumsfeld has strong ties to the Intelligence Community, as well as to the Atlantic Institute, and is a member of the Bilderberg group. He is a financial supporter for the Center for Security Policy. Rumsfeld was one of the signers of the January 26, 1998, Project for the New American Century (PNAC) letter sent to President William Jefferson Clinton. [1]

According to a December 28, 2000, report by CNN, "Rumsfeld's nomination also appeared to settle a disagreement among those advisers over the defense post. Colin Powell reportedly wanted Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge for the job, while Dick Cheney and other congressional Republicans supported Daniel R. Coats. But aides close to Bush said the president-elect did not feel comfortable with the former Indiana senator; Cheney then recommended Rumsfeld, his old boss" in the George H.W. Bush administration. [2]

In his March 9, 2003, article "Family ties connect US right, Zionists", Jim Lobe wrote:

"As godfather of the [neo-con] movement, Irving Kristol played mentor to Norman Podhoretz, the long-time but now-retired editor of Commentary, the influential monthly publication of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Originally identified with the anti-war left in the mid-1960s, Podhoretz converted to neo-conservatism late in the decade and transformed the magazine into a main source of neo-conservative writing, despite the overwhelming majority of the Jewish community itself rejecting those positions.

"Podhoretz and his spouse, Midge Decter, a polemical powerhouse in her own right, created a formidable political team in the 1970s as they deserted the Democratic Party, and then, as leaders of the Committee on the Present Danger -- like PNAC a coalition of mainly Jewish, neo-conservatives and more traditional right-wing hawks like Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld -- helped lay the foreign-policy foundation for the rise of Ronald Reagan. After Reagan's victory, Decter and Rumsfeld co-chaired the international offshoot of the committee, called the Coalition for the Free World."

On 6 May, 2004, "Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld amid Congressional outrage over the Pentagon's handling of charges of prison abuse by U.S. soldiers." [3]

"I think that this rises to the point that it's a high crime and misdemeanor if he disappointed the president, kept information from the Congress and kept this information from the American people," Rangel said on the House floor.

Rumsfeld & Big Pharma

Rumsfeld has served on the boards of pharmaceutical companies Gilead Sciences, Pfizer Inc., and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, according to Open Secrets.

Gilead Sciences

"Rummy was Chair of the Board of Directors at Gilead Sciences until named to the Bush cabinet and, like [Vice President Dick] Cheney, still has ties that bind to the 'old company.' Now isn't it an 'amazing coincidence' that the drug Tamiflu patented by Gilead Sciences is being pushed by the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases as the NUMBER ONE choice for flu, which, wonder of wonders, is sweeping through in one epidemic after another," Free Market News related October 21, 2005, from a January 2004 web posting.

As of September 22, 2004, Rumsfeld held a "stake in Gilead Sciences Inc. worth $5 million to $25 million." [4]

Incidentally, Newsday reported October 22, 2005, that, according to drug makers, Tamiflu "will remain in short supply for as long as a year because of the drug's complicated chemistry."

The delay is perhaps related to the controversy over property rights to the Tamiflu patent. See Dr. Joseph Mercola's "Who Owns the Rights on Tamiflu: Rumsfeld To Profit From Bird Flu Hoax," Global Research, October 26, 2005: "Since Rumsfeld holds major portions of stock in Gilead, he will handsomely profit from the scare tactics of the government that is being used to justify the purchase of $2 billion of Tamiflu."

According to its January 3, 1997, press release announcing Rumsfeld's ascension to Chairman of the Board, Rumsfeld had been with Gilead Sciences "as a stalwart board member since the company's earliest days" in 1988.

"Gilead is fortunate to have had Don Rumsfeld," said Michael L. Riordan, M.D., "who founded Gilead in 1987 and [had] served as Chairman since 1993," ... "and we are very pleased that he has accepted the Chairmanship. ... He has played an important role in helping to build and steer the company. His broad experience in leadership positions in both industry and government will serve us well as Gilead continues to build its commercial presence.'"

Rumsfeld served as Gilead's Chairman of the Board until January 22, 2001. Upon his departure, John C. Martin, Ph.D., Gilead's President and CEO, said "Don Rumsfeld’s insight and contributions over the last twelve years have been invaluable as Gilead has evolved from a promising biotech company into the worldwide biopharmaceutical corporation it is today." [5]

G.D. Searle & Company/Pfizer Inc

The 1997 Gilead Sciences press release stated that from 1977 to 1985, Rumsfeld had "served as chief executive officer of G.D. Searle [bought out by Pfizer Inc.], a worldwide pharmaceutical company ... During this time, his stewardship of Searle earned him awards as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the pharmaceutical industry in 1980 and 1981."

Related Links

• News Release: "Donald H. Rumsfeld Named Chairman of Gilead Sciences," Gilead Sciences, Inc., January 3, 1997.
• News Release: "Gilead Board of Directors Appoints James M. Denny as Chairman," Gilead Sciences, Inc., January 22, 2001: Rumsfeld "has held the position of Chairman since 1997. Mr. Rumsfeld, a member of Gilead’s Board since 1988, has resigned from the Board to serve the Bush Administration as Secretary of Defense." [6]
• Andrew Stein, "Favorite Stock: Gilead Sciences," CNN (Europe), October 9, 2001. Article incorrectly states Rumsfeld was chairman 1997-2000.
• Cheryl Seal, "Deals with the Devil - the Great Antibioterrorism Drug Scam," DC Indymedia, December 12, 2003. Also posted by Baltimore Indymedia.
• Dr. Joseph Mercola, "Rumsfeld To Profit From Avian Flu Hoax," mercola.com, October 19, 2005.
• "Tamiflu Gilead Chair Was ... Rummy," FreeMarketNews.com, October 21, 2005.
• kallisti, "Tamiflu and Rumsfeld," Daily Kos, October 25, 2005.
• Steve, "Death, Tamiflu, Donald Rumsfeld, Bird Flu and other Nonsense!" Ontic Blogspot, October 26, 2005.
• Nelson D. Schwartz, "Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu. Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing," Fortune (CNN Money), October 31, 2005.
• Press Release: "Bird Flu Hoax Makes Donald Rumsfeld $1 Million Richer," PR Web, November 1, 2005.
• F. William Engdahl, "Tamiflu, Lies and GMO," Financial Sense University, November 1, 2005.
• F. William Engdahl, "Rummy's bird flu bonanza," Asia Times, November 4, 2005.
• F. William Engdahl, "Tamiflu, Vistide and the Pentagon Agenda," Current Concerns, November 6, 2005.
• John Gonsalves, "Alfred Hitchcock born again. Bush's avian flu rap is attempt to blind America with fear," Cape Cod Times (Working for Change), November 9, 2005.
• Nelson D. Schwartz, "The Tamiflu Tug of War," Fortune (Online), November 14, 2005 (issue).
• Julie Schmit, "Roche, Gilead Sciences resolve Tamiflu conflict," USA Today, November 16, 2005 (updated November 17, 2005).
• "The Rumsfeld Flu," Martini Republic, November 26, 2005.
• John Stanton, "Big Stakes in Tamiflu Debate," Roll Call, December 15, 2005. Subscription required.
• Vera Hassner Sharav, "Sec Defense Rumsfeld Tamiflu Holdings," Alliance for Human Research Protection, January 21, 2006.
• Geoffrey Lean and Jonathan Owen, "Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug," The Independent (UK), March 12, 2006.

Shareholder

During the summer of 2004, Rumsfeld sold shares he held "in at least five companies after they were identified as doing business with the Pentagon, according to his latest financial disclosure form," Jim Wolf reported in the September 22, 2004, Boston Globe.

As of June 28, 2004, Rumsfeld had sold all his shares in defense contractors Chemicals Inc., St Paul Companies Inc., Sonoco Products Co., VF Corp. and Zebra Technologies Corp..

On July 27, 2004, "Rumsfeld's designees were 'in discussions' about divesting his shares in Community Health Systems Inc., which also was identified as a Pentagon contractor, according to the Pentagon's Standards of Conduct Office, which reviewed Rumsfeld's report for any perceived conflicts of interest. Community Health Systems was held via a venture called FLC Partnership," Wolf wrote.

Member of the Boards

Open Secrets reports that Rumsfeld has also served on the boards of ABB Ltd. (Asea Brown Boveri), Gulfstream Aerospace, Motorola (bought out General Instrument), General Dynamics, Allstate, Kellogg, Sears, Roebuck & Co., and Tribune Company. In 1997, Gilead Sciences reported that Rumsfeld was then an adviser to Metricom, Inc..

A December 28, 2000, CBS News report on Rumsfeld stated that he was not only serving as chairman of the board of directors of Gilead Sciences, but was also serving "as a member of the boards of directors of ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) Ltd., Tribune Company and RAND Corporation"; was "currently chairman of the Salomon Smith Barney International Advisory Board"; served as a member of the board of directors of Amylin Pharmaceuticals (1991-1996); chairman and chief executive officer of General Instrument Corporation (October 1990 to August 1993); and "served as a senior advisor to William Blair & Co., an investment banking firm" (1985-1990)."

"As a director for Gulfstream Aerospace, his stock in the company reportedly was valued at $11 million when the company was acquired by defense contractor General Dynamics in 1999. But Rumsfeld scrupulously avoided any direct dealings with defense companies, either serving on boards or purchasing stock, a decision that helped to avoid the appearance of impropriety when he was asked to lead the Defense Department again," Open Secrets reports.

The 9/11 Souvenir

John Solomon, writing March 12, 2004, for the Associated Press, reported that "Rumsfeld Kept 9-11 Souvenir", an act which BuzzFlash characterizes as both "macabre and disgusting."

"The Justice Department investigation that criticized FBI agents for taking souvenirs from the World Trade Center site also found that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and a high-ranking FBI official kept items from the Sept. 11 attack scenes.

"The final investigatory report said the Justice Department inspector general confirmed Rumsfeld 'has a piece of the airplane that flew into the Pentagon.'

"The Justice Department investigation also collected testimony that Pasquale D'Amuro, FBI Director Robert Mueller's executive assistant director for terrorism until last summer, asked a supervisory agent to 'obtain a half dozen items from the WTC debris so the items could be given to dignitaries.'"

Profiles

"Prior to being sworn in as the 21st Secretary of Defense, Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was in private business. He served on a number of boards, including service as non-executive Chairman of Gilead Sciences Inc. Previously, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument Corporation from 1990 to 1993." [7]

"Secretary Rumsfeld held a variety of positions in the Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon Administrations. From 1974 until 1977, he served under President Ford as the youngest Secretary of Defense in the country's history, Chief of Staff of the White House and Chairman of the transition to the Presidency of Gerald Ford. From 1969 to 1974, he served President Nixon as U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Director of the Economic Stabilization Program and Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois in 1962, at the age of 30, and was re-elected in 1964, 1966 and 1968. Secretary Rumsfeld was a naval aviator from 1954 to 1957. He is a graduate of Princeton University."[8]

Quotes

• "We know where [Iraq's WMD] are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat." - March 30, 2003, in statements to the press.
• "As we know, There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know There are known unknowns. That is to say We know there are some things We do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, The ones we don't know We don't know." - February 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing
• "Once in a while, I'm standing here, doing something. And I think, 'What in the world am I doing here?' It's a big surprise." -- May 16, 2001, interview with the New York Times.
• "The absence of evidence is not necessarily the evidence of absence" [9]
• "'I don't know. Isn't that clear? You don't understand English?' ... telling a German reporter he was unaware of a new White House Iraq policy group." USNews.com, October 20, 2003

Also see

• the BBC/UK's Donald Rumsfeld "Library of Quotations".
• Other quotes from Slate.
• "That's Life"
• Rumsfeld's free-speaking verse
• Timeline of monthly quotes on the buildup of Iraqi security forces, to 200,000 by March 2004, at which time "the Pentagon released a chart summarizing the numbers of Iraqi security force troops. It tells a different story from the one peddled by Rumsfeld. The summary notes that 75,844 Iraqis were on the payroll as police officers, but only 2,865 were fully qualified and on duty."

Photo Ops

• Rumsfeld: "Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein: The U.S. Tilts toward Iraq, 1980-1984" from the National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 82, Edited by Joyce Battle, February 25, 2003. Article inlcudes link to Washington Post article Iraq: Declassified Documents of U.S. Support for Hussein with Joyce Battle.

SourceWatch Resources

• Abu Ghraib / Abu Ghraib: The Rumsfeld Factor
• Bush Administration War Crimes in Iraq
• Loose Cannon Pentagon
• Neo-conservative External Links
• Robert Gates
• Rumsfeld Memo 16 October 2003
• Pentagon's Papers
• The case for impeachment of President George W. Bush
• The Cheney-Rumsfeld Cabal Deception
• The Cheney-Rumsfeld Cabal Deception: SourceWatch Resources
• The Cheney-Rumsfeld Cabal Deception: People, Organizations and Events Useful to the Cabal
• Also see "What Links Here".

External Links

Profiles

• Wikipedia - Donald Rumsfeld
• PBS Frontline - Rumsfeld's War October 2004 documentary
• Washington Post - Rumsfeld's War archives 2001-2004 with video and discussions
• "Reflecting on Rumsfeld", Stan Goff.

Publications

• Donald Rumsfeld, "Rumsfeld's Rules", First Edition 1974, Copyright 1980; Revised February 2001. The "rules, reflections and quotations came from my role as Chairman of the 'transition team' for President Gerald R. Ford and my service as White House Chief of Staff. Others came from experiences as a U.S. Naval Aviator, a Member of Congress, Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Secretary of Defense, Presidential Middle East Envoy, business executive, Chairman of the U.S. Ballistic Missile Threat Commission, and other experiences."

Articles & Commentary

2006

• Donald H. Rumsfeld, "War in the Information Age: In a 24/7 world, the U.S. isn't keeping up with its enemies in the communication battle", Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2006.
• James Carroll, "Rumsfeld and the Big Picture," Boston Globe (Common Dreams), March 27, 2006.
• Michael Scherer and Mark Benjamin, "What Rumsfeld knew. Interviews with high-ranking military officials shed new light on the role Rumsfeld played in the harsh treatment of a Guantánamo detainee," Salon, April 14, 2006.
• Martin Sieff, "The Cost of Keeping Rumsfeld," UPI (Monsters and Critics (UK)), April 19, 2006.
• "Time for him to go. George Bush is a fool for keeping Donald Rumsfeld in his job," The Economist, April 20, 2006.
• Geoff Elliott, "Rumsfeld still dodging bullets," The Australian, April 20, 2006.
• "VIDEO: Rumsfeld Called Out On Lies About WMD," Think Progress, May 4, 2006.
• "Rumsfeld heckled over war in Iraq," BBC, May 5, 2006.
• "Ex-CIA analyst: Rumsfeld 'should have owned up'. 'It's a matter of telling the truth,' man says after Iraq questioning," CNN, May 5, 2006.
• Peter Spiegel, "Former CIA analyst grills Rumsfeld at Atlanta talk," Los Angeles Times (Seattle Times), May 5, 2006.
• William M. Arkin, "Rumsfeld Didn't Lie, But He Should Still Go," Washington Post, May 5, 2006.
• Will Dunham, "Rumsfeld heckled over Iraq war 'lies'," The Age (Australia), May 6, 2006.
• Andrew Buncombe and Stephen Khan, "CIA in disarray as Rumsfeld starts turf war with rival," The Independent (UK), May 7, 2006. re CIA and John D. Negroponte
• Sidney Blumenthal, "George Bush Sr. asked retired general to replace Rumsfeld. The former president's secret campaign to oust the secretary of defense was rebuffed by President Bush, a source says," Salon, June 8, 2006. Preview or registration required.
• Judd Legum, "What’s Happened In Iraq Since The Last Time Rumsfeld Testified," Think Progress, August 3, 2006.
• "Rumsfeld: ‘I Have Never Painted A Rosy Picture’ About Iraq," Think Progress, August 3, 2006.
• Joe Sudbay, "Rummy's testifying after all," AMERICAblog, August 3, 2006.
• John Amato, "Rumsfeld says war critics are Nazi appeasers," Crooks and Liars, August 29, 2006.
• Ann Scott Tyson, "Rumsfeld Assails Critics of War Policy," Washington Post, August 30, 2006.
• Leonard Pitts, Jr., Opinion: "Don't believe Rumsfeld's fantasy," Detroit Free Press, September 2, 2006.
• David W. Chen, "G.O.P. Hopeful Says Rumsfeld Should Resign," New York Times, September 3, 2006. re Thomas H. Kean Jr.
• Cragg Hines, "Playing politics with Iraq? Where'd you get that idea?" Houston Chronicle, September 3, 2006.
• Susan Cornwell, "Democrats see support for anti-Rumsfeld vote," Reuters (Washington Post), September 4, 2006.
• Dilip Hiro, "Sitting on defence. Targeting Donald Rumsfeld with a no-confidence vote would be a clever move by Democratic members of Congress," comment is free .../Guardian Unlimited (UK), September 4, 2006.
• Eric Pfeiffer, "Democrats plan a vote on Rumsfeld," Washington Times, September 4, 2006.
• "House, Senate Democrats write Bush on Iraq, Rumsfeld," The Raw Story, September 4, 2006.
• Joe Gandelman, "Baggage, Fighting Fascism And Donald Rumsfeld," The Moderate Voice, September 4, 2006.
• Marjorie Cohn, "Donald Rumsfeld: The War Crimes Case," The Jurist, November 9, 2006.
• Adam Zagorin, "Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse. A lawsuit in Germany will seek a criminal prosecution of the outgoing Defense Secretary and other U.S. officials for their alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo," TIME Magazine, November 10, 2006.
• "Rumsfeld may face abuse charges," BBC, November 11, 2006: "A complaint has been launched by the US-based Center for Constitutional Rights, representing a Saudi detained in Cuba and 11 Iraqis held in Baghdad. ... German law allows the pursuit of cases originating anywhere in the world."
• Joe Sudbay, "When Condi knifed Rummy or how the Sec. of State disposed of the Sec. of Defense (and Cheney)," AMERICAblog, November 12, 2006. re Condoleezza Rice
• "Rumsfeld, others sued for 'war crimes'," UPI, November 14, 2006.

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NOTE: An internet search for Coalition for the Free World directs back to the Jim Lobe article. However, an internet search for Coalition for a Free World links it to "Moonie" organizations and recruiting "fronts". No address or other information attaches to the name.