AboutTed Nesbitt Expertise I will answer short, to-the-point questions on all aspects of
American politics -- legislative, executive, and judicial for
the federal government and all fifty states. I use the Lexis-Nexis
database for information concerning court cases in the state courts,
the U. S. District Courts, and the U. S. Supreme Court.
I do NOT have the time to work with lengthy problems or to read
and evaluate papers.
Experience I have been politically in a PAC since 1986 and have served state
government in an information capacity since 1980.
I have been a volunteer at the grammar and writing site at allexperts.com for more than two years.
Question Hello. In the year 1980 there were 4 secretary of state in a span of 1 week. There names were Warren Christopher, David Newsom, and Richard N. Cooper. I would like to know what was the reason for that and the likelyhood of that happening again.
Thanks for your time
Answer Dear Wilkin:
Here's the story, as I understand it from doing some research:
Cyrus Vance was the Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter. Vance was a man of principles -- highly moral. When the Carter administration began, he immediately began having problems with other members of Carter's cabinet . . . and with President Carter himself.
In April of 1980, Vance, who had already decided that he would NOT serve in a second Carter administration, if Carter were re-elected, was on vacation in Florida.
Fifty-two Americans were taken hostage in Iran. Carter's people began negotiations of all kinds, trying to free them. Vance was not informed of what was going on, even though he WAS the Secretary of State. He was kept "out of the loop," a serious error in judgment on Carter's part.
When Vance learned what was going on, he immediately returned to Washington and tried to get Carter to change his opinion and his strategy. Carter refused. Vance thought that Carter had betrayed him, which, in fact, Carter had. Vance resigned on April 21 -- effective on April 28, 1980.
Since there must ALWAYS be a Secretary of State, the job fell -- temporarily -- to the various Deputy Secretaries of State, who took turns. Warren Christopher served from April 28 through May 2. David Newsom's turn was May 2 through part of May 3. Richard N. Cooper served the rest of May 3, and Newson returned to "duty" on May 3 and served until May 4, when Christopher took over again, serving until May 8.
Christopher reliquished the position, when Ed Muskie was approved by the Senate as the new Secretary of State. Muskie finished the term.
Carter's ineptitude cost him re-election, because the Iran hostage fiasco destroyed any confidence the American people had left in him.
Ronald Reagan was swept into office in November of 1980.
Having four "acting" Secretaries of State has never happened before and probably will never happen again. Carter's "legacy" suffered, and he has been trying to regain his stature ever since.
Here is some information about the situation:
Vance's tenure was troubled by rivalry with Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's national security adviser, who spoke out in provocative ways, frequently without consulting Vance. Moreover, he often took hawkish and anti-Soviet positions that ran counter to Vance's quieter efforts to seek consensus with Moscow.
Carter was forced to intervene, but the rivalry persisted, and Vance, weary of the infighting and under pressure from his wife to return to private life, confided that he intended to leave at the end of Carter's first term.
But in late 1979, the hostage crisis broke out. Pressure to win the hostages' release was enormous. Carter authorized the rescue mission at a meeting attended by Brzezinski but not Vance, who was vacationing in Florida. Vance rushed back and asked for a chance to argue against it.
At a following meeting, he insisted that the mission would anger American allies who had agreed to impose sanctions on Iran only after the administration had promised to give them a chance to work. Vance also argued that risks to the hostages and bystanders were too great. But his arguments failed.
You can read more about the situation with Vance and his letter of resignation at this site:
