Civil-Military Relations and Gen. Maxwell Taylor: Getting It Right and Getting It Wrong!

Abstract

Professor Richard Kohn argues that powerful military officers pose a threat to the U.S. because their voice is too strong in the decisions the government makes. This paper contests this view. It looks at two situations involving a very powerful general officer, Maxwell Taylor, to show that strong military men pose no danger to the well-being of the United States when they do the job for which they are paid. In the first situation, Taylor got his civil-military relations right, even though he fought a losing battle with President Eisenhower over Ike's dangerous defense strategy of 'massive retaliation.' He was forced to retire over the fight, but the nation's best interests were protected. In the second situation, Taylor got it wrong: He was recalled to active duty by JFK and became so close to the Kennedys that he could not tell the President 'no,' even when the nation's defense stakes were high. 'Vietnam' as we have come to know and hate it may be the result.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 07, 1997
Accession Number
ADA326488

Entities

People

  • Randal G. Tart

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Power
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Military Advisors
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • South Vietnam
  • Students
  • United States
  • Universities
  • Vietnam
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Strategic Security Studies