III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 472 

Honoring Dr. James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense, Secretary 

of Energy, and Director of Central Intelligence. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 11, 2014 

Mr. SESSIONS (for himself, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. REED, 

Mr. MCCAIN, Mrs. FISCHER, and Mr. LEAHY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring Dr. James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy, and Director of Central Intelligence. 

Whereas the Honorable Dr. James Rodney Schlesinger was 

born in New York City, New York, on February 15, 

1929, and died in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 27, 

2014, at the age of 85; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger married Rachel Line Mellinger in 

1954 and remained her devoted husband until her death 

in 1995; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger is survived by his 8 children, Cora 

Schlesinger, Charles Schlesinger, Ann Schlesinger, William Schlesinger, Emily Schlesinger, Thomas Schlesinger, 


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Clara Schlesinger, and James Schlesinger, Jr., and 11 

grandchildren; 

Whereas, in 1950, Dr. Schlesinger graduated summa cum 

laude from Harvard University, where he was elected Phi 

Beta Kappa and awarded the Frederick Sheldon Travel 

Fellowship; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger subsequently earned master’s and 

doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a generous patron of the arts, 

and was instrumental in establishing the Rachel M. 

Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Alexandria, 

Virginia; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a generous sponsor of higher 

education, serving on the International Council at the 

Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of 

Harvard University, endowing the Julius Schlesinger 

Professorship of Operations Management at New York 

University Stern School of Business and the James R. 

Schlesinger Distinguished Professorship at the Miller 

Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, 

and sponsoring an ongoing music scholarship at Harvard 

College in honor of his beloved wife; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was a distinguished statesmanscholar of great integrity, intellect, and insight who dedicated his life to protecting the security and liberty of the 

United States and the people of the United States 

throughout a highly-decorated and distinguished career 

that spanned 7 decades; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger’s intellectual contributions to the 

fields of economics and national security include serving 

as professor of economics at the University of Virginia 


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from 1955 until 1963, serving at the RAND Corporation 

from 1963 until 1969, including a term as the director 

of strategic studies, and authoring numerous important 

scholarly publications, such as The Political Economy of 

National Security: A Study of the Economic Aspect of 

the Contemporary Power Struggle (1960), Defense Planning and Budgeting: The Issue of Centralized Control 

(1968), American Security and Energy Policy (1980), 

America at Century’s End (1989), and, most recently, 

Minimum Deterrence: Examining the Evidence (2013); 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger’s service in the Federal Government 

began in 1969, when he took a lead role on defense matters as the assistant director and acting deputy director 

of the United States Bureau of the Budget; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger served as a member and chairman 

of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) from 1971 

until 1973, working tirelessly to implement extensive organizational and management changes to strengthen the 

regulatory performance of the Commission; 

Whereas, as Director of Central Intelligence in 1973, Dr. 

Schlesinger focused on the agency’s adherence to its legislative charter; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was confirmed as the Secretary of 

Defense in 1973 at age 44, a position he held until 1975; 

Whereas, during his tenure as Secretary of Defense, Dr. 

Schlesinger contributed to the national security of the 

United States by authoring the ‘‘Schlesinger Doctrine’’, 

which instituted important reforms strengthening the 

flexibility and credibility of the United States nuclear deterrent to prevent war, reassure the allies of the United 

States, and protect the liberties of all people of the 


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United States, and by taking action, including overseeing 

the successful development of the A-10 close-air support 

aircraft and the F-16 fighter aircraft, to ensure that the 

United States maintained ‘‘essential equivalence’’ with 

the Soviet Union’s conventional military forces and surging nuclear capabilities; 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger was highly regarded by the uniformed services, and led the Department of Defense with 

great skill and prescience through numerous challenges, 

including the 1973 Yom Kippur War, in which he was 

key to the United States airlift that, according to Israeli 

Prime Minister Golda Meir, ‘‘meant life for our people’’, 

the 1974 Cyprus Crisis, the closing phase of the Indochina conflict, and the 1975 Mayaguez incident, in which 

his actions helped save the lives of United States citizens 

held by the Khmer Rouge, the withdrawal of the United 

States Armed Forces from Vietnam, and cuts to the 

budget of the Department of Defense; 

Whereas, in light of his realistic views of the power and intentions of the Soviet Union, Dr. Schlesinger was invited 

to China as a private citizen in 1975 at the personal request of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, and upon Mao’s death, was the only foreigner invited by the Chinese leadership to lay a wreath 

at Mao’s bier; 

Whereas, in 1976, during a difficult period of oil embargoes 

and fuel shortages, President-elect Jimmy Carter invited 

Dr. Schlesinger to serve as his special advisor on energy 

to establish a national energy policy and create the charter for the Department of Energy; 

Whereas President Carter appointed Dr. Schlesinger as the 

first Secretary of Energy in 1977, and in this role Dr. 


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Schlesinger successfully initiated new conservation standards, the gradual deregulation of oil and natural gas industries, and the unification of United States policies 

with respect to energy and national security; 

Whereas following his return to private life in 1979, Dr. 

Schlesinger continued to work tirelessly in a wide array 

of public service and civic positions, including as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Strategic Forces, a member of Virginia Governor Charles 

Robb’s Commission on Virginia’s Future, chairman of 

the board of trustees for the Mitre Corporation, a member of the Defense Policy Board and co-chair of studies 

for the Defense Science Board, chairman of the National 

Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) 

Board, a director of the Sandia National Corporation, a 

trustee of the Atlantic Council, a trustee of the Nixon 

Center, a trustee of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 

and an original member of the Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board; 

Whereas, in the recent past, Dr. Schlesinger was appointed 

by President George W. Bush to the Homeland Security 

Advisory Board, invited by Secretary of Defense Robert 

Gates to lead the Schlesinger Task Force to recommend 

measures to ensure the highest levels of competence and 

control of the nuclear forces of the United States, and invited by Congress to serve as the Vice Chairman of the 

Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of 

the United States, which produced the 2009 study 

‘‘America’s Strategic Posture’’ that served as the blueprint for the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review of the Department of Defense; 


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Whereas in addition to Dr. Schlesinger’s earned doctorate 

from Harvard University, he was awarded 13 honorary 

doctorates, and was the recipient of numerous prestigious 

medals and awards, including the National Security 

Medal (presented by President Carter), the Defense 

Science Board’s Eugene G. Fubini Award, the United 

States Army Association’s George Catlett Marshall 

Medal, the Air Force Association’s H. H. Arnold Award, 

the Navy League’s National Meritorious Citation, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots’ James H. Doolittle 

Award, the Military Order of World Wars’ Distinguished 

Service Medal, the Air Force Association’s Lifetime 

Achievement Award, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation’s Henry M. Jackson Award for Distinguished Public 

Service; and 

Whereas Dr. Schlesinger’s monumental contributions to the 

security and liberty of the United States and Western 

civilization, and to the betterment of his local community, 

should serve as an example to all people of the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) has heard with profound sorrow and deep 

3 regret the announcement of the death of the Honor4 able Dr. James R. Schlesinger, former Secretary of 

5 Defense, Secretary of Energy, and Director of Cen6 tral Intelligence; 

7 (2) honors the legacy of Dr. Schlesinger’s com8 mitment to the liberty and security of the United 

9 States and Western civilization, the betterment of 

10 his local community, and his loving family; 


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1 (3) extends its deepest condolences and sym2 pathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Dr. 

3 Schlesinger who have lost a beloved father, grand4 father, and leader; 

5 (4) honors Dr. Schlesinger’s wisdom, discern6 ment, scholarship, and dedication to public service 

7 that greatly benefited his community, country, and 

8 Western civilization; 

9 (5) recognizes with great appreciation that, 

10 while serving as a public servant under President 

11 Nixon, President Ford, and President Carter, Dr. 

12 Schlesinger contributed significantly, thoughtfully, 

13 and directly to the betterment of the policies and 

14 practices of the United States in the areas of na15 tional defense, energy, and intelligence; 

16 (6) recognizes with great appreciation that, 

17 after returning to private life, Dr. Schlesinger con18 tinued to serve the United States selflessly through 

19 bipartisan contributions to the reasoned public dis20 course of issues and his leadership on high-level 

21 studies sponsored by the Executive, the Department 

22 of Defense, the Department of State, and the Con23 gress; 

24 (7) recognizes with great appreciation Dr. 

25 Schlesinger’s exemplary life, which was guided by his 


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1 commitment to the continuing security and liberty of 

2 the United States, and by his honor, duty, and devo3 tion to country, family, scholarship, and personal 

4 moral integrity; 

5 (8) expresses profound respect and admiration 

6 for Dr. Schlesinger and his extraordinary legacy of 

7 commitment to the people of the United States, 

8 United States military personnel, and all those who 

9 help safeguard the Nation; and 

10 (9) directs the Secretary of the Senate to trans11 mit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family 

12 of the Honorable Dr. James R. Schlesinger. 

Æ 


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