H
Haig, Alexander
Identification Secretary of state under Ronald
Reagan from January 22, 1981, to July 5, 1982
Born December 2, 1924; Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Haig was a vocal and controversial figure, who brought
significant political baggage to the Department of State
when he took its helm in 1981. He set the foreign-relations
tone for the first eighteen months of Ronald Reagan’s presi-
dency and ultimately resigned when the administration
sought a new voice to represent it to the world.
Alexander Haig’s nomination as Ronald Reagan’s
secretary of state raised eyebrows in Washington and
around the world as soon as it was announced. The
former chief of staff to Richard M. Nixon was con-
sidered a controversial figure whose military back-
ground and forceful personality made him a curious
choice, despite his recent experience as commander
of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
forces. Since he had retired from the military only
two years earlier in 1979, his confirmation required
the U.S. Senate to grant an exception to a law requir-
ing officers to be retired for at least five years before
serving as head of the Department of State.
Pundits who predicted a rocky tenure for Haig
soon proved correct. On more than one occasion,
he managed to upstage other cabinet officers and
even the president with his bold pronouncements
and demand for the spotlight. Haig’s most memora-
ble gaff occurred shortly after President Reagan was
shot by John Hinckley, Jr., on March 30, 1981. Vice
President George H. W. Bush was not in Washington
at the time. To calm concerns that Americans and
the country’s allies might have about the function-
ing of government while the president was undergo-
ing surgery, Haig agreed to address the media. His
pronouncement that “I am in charge here” was in-
tended to indicate that until Bush could reach the
White House, Haig would handle affairs in the exec-
utive branch. Unfortunately, he expounded on his
statement by explaining erroneously the order of
succession to the presidency, putting himself after
the vice president and ahead of the Speaker of the
House and the president pro tempore of the Senate.
The same kind of response characterized many of
Haig’s other activities in the office. He was con-
stantly butting heads with other cabinet officers, and
it was considered ironic that when British forces in-
vaded the Falkland Islands off the coast of Argentina
in 1982, Haig put himself forward as a mediator be-
tween the two countries. His strong anti-Soviet stance
did little to relieve Cold War tensions. His vocal
support of Israel also pitted him against others in the
administration who were urging a more balanced
approach in dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Finding himself repeatedly thwarted by Reagan loy-
alists such as Michael Deaver and First Lady Nancy
Reagan, Haig tendered his resignation in June, 1982,
and was replaced by George P. Shultz.
Impact Haig’s brief tenure as secretary of state
caused considerable consternation among the presi-
dent’s top aides, but the brash former general man-
aged to remind his colleagues in the administration
that Reagan would have to pay attention to foreign
affairs even if domestic issues were to be his top pri-
ority in the early months of his presidency. In 1988,
Haig sought the Republican nomination for presi-
dent, but his candidacy drew little support.
Further Reading
Haig, Alexander.Inner Circles: How America Changed
the World—A Memoir. New York: Time Warner,
1992.
Morris, Roger.Haig: The General’s Progress. New York:
Playboy Press, 1982.
Strober, Deborah, and Gerald Strober.The Reagan
Presidency: An Oral Histor y of the Era. Rev. ed. Wash-
ington, D.C.: Brassey’s, 2003.
Laurence W. MazzenoSee also Bush, George H. W.; Cold War; Elections
in the United States, 1980; Elections in the United