Lawrence Eagleburger

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Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger

62nd United States Secretary of State
In office December 8, 1992 – January 23, 1993
Preceded by	James Baker
Succeeded by	Warren Christopher

Born	August 1, 1930 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Marlene Ann Heinemann
Profession	political analyst

Lawrence Sidney Eagleburger (born August 1, 1930), is an American statesman and diplomat who served as The United States Secretary of State under President George H. W. Bush. Previously, he had served in lesser capacities under Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

1 Governmental career
2 International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims
3 Stance on Middle Eastern conflict
4 Other information
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Governmental career

Originally hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he graduated from high school in Stevens Point then attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point before earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1957, he joined the US Foreign Service, and served in various posts in embassies, consulates, and the State Department. From 1961 to 1965 he served as a staffer at the US Embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Starting in 1969, he served in the Nixon administration as an assistant to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. He stayed in this appointment until 1971; thereafter he took on several positions, including advisor to the US Mission to North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, and, following Kissinger's appointment as Secretary of State, a number of additional posts in the State Department.

Following Nixon's resignation, he briefly left government service, but was soon appointed as ambassador to Yugoslavia by Jimmy Carter, a post he held from 1977 to 1980.

In 1982, Reagan appointed him as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs (the State Department's third-ranking position), a position he held for several years. In 1989, Bush appointed him Deputy Secretary of State (the Department's second-ranking position); he also served as the President's primary advisor for affairs relating to the quickly disintegrating Yugoslavia. On August 23,1992, James A. Baker resigned as Secretary of State (to head up Bush's unsuccessful re-election campaign), and Eagleburger served as Acting Secretary of State until Bush gave him a recess appointment for the remainder of his administration.

His period as advisor for Yugoslavian affairs from 1989 to 1992 was highly controversial. He gained a reputation for being a strong Serbian partisan, most controversially denying that Serbian paramilitaries and the Yugoslav National Army had committed atrocities in the breakway republic of Croatia. This perceived partisanship led the European press to dub him Lawrence of Serbia (a reference to Lawrence of Arabia).

[edit] International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims

Eagleburger became chairman of the International Commission on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims, or ICHEIC, which was set up in 1998. The purpose of the Commission was to resolve unpaid Nazi-era insurance claims for survivors of the Holocaust. In 2005 Eagleburger announced that the ICHEIC was offering approximately 16 million dollars to Holocaust victims and their heirs, noting as he did so the research ability of the ICHEIC staff which allowed them to evaluate claims from companies which no longer existed. ^[1] In the years prior to this there had been some controversy about the Commission, including reports that it was over-budgeted and too slow, and that insurance companies which had previously agreed to work with the ICHEIC had failed to disclose policyholder lists.^[2] Eagleburger responded to these accusations by saying, among other things, that it was difficult to work quickly when many of the claimants lacked basic information such as the name of the insurance company involved.^[3]

[edit] Stance on Middle Eastern conflict

After serving in the Foreign Service for 27 years, Eagleburger retains an interest in foreign policy and is a familiar figure on current events talk shows. He has caused some discussion with public comments about President Bush’s foreign policy. In August 2002, Eagleburger questioned the timing of possible military action in Iraq, saying, "I am not at all convinced now that this is something we have to do this very moment."^[4] He did indicate he believed that Iraqi regime change could be a legitimate US endeavor at some point, but that at that time he did not believe the administration was fully prepared for such a conflict.^[5] In April 2003, following warnings by the Bush administration to the government of Syria, Eagleburger condemned the possibility of military action in Syria or Iran, saying that public opinion would not support such a move and that "If President Bush were to try it now, even I would feel he should be impeached."^[6]

After the election of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Eagleburger seemed to think that Iran was moving in a direction which may at some point call for military action, saying in an interview that while "we should try everything else we can first," at some point it would probably be necessary to use force to ensure that Iran did not obtain or use nuclear weapons.^[7]

[edit] Other information

On January 5, 2006, he participated in a meeting at the White House of former Secretaries of Defense and State to discuss United States foreign policy with Bush administration officals. On November 10, 2006 it was announced that he would replace Secretary of Defense designate Robert Gates in the Iraq Study Group.^[8]

He has three sons, all of whom are named Lawrence Eagleburger, though they have different middle names. ^[9]

He is currently a member of the Board of Visitors at the College of William and Mary.

On May 6, 1995, he delivered the commencement address to the 1995 graduating class of James Madison University.^[10]

[edit] References

^ ICHEIC offers additional $16 million to holocaust era insurance claimaints, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Webpage of Representative Henry Waxman, Justice delayed and justice denied, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Holocaust insurance body blasted for not paying claims, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Eagleburger questions possible Iraqi move, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Transcript: Lawrence Eagleburger on FNS, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Bush’s call to Syrians, accessed May 31, 2006
^ Interview With Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, accessed May 31, 2006
^ "Eagleburger to join U.S. Iraq study group", Reuters, November 10, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2006.
^ The role of the press in the anti-terrorism campaign ,accessed May 31, 2006
^ "JMU Graduation Speakers"

[edit] External links

Preceded by John C. Whitehead	United States Deputy Secretary of State 1989–1992	Succeeded by Clifton R. Wharton Jr.
Preceded by Secretary James Baker	Acting United States Secretary of State August 23, 1992–December 8, 1992	Succeeded by Himself
Preceded by Himself	United States Secretary of State December 8, 1992-January 20, 1993	Succeeded by Warren Christopher

Members of the Iraq Study Group
Baker (Co-chair) • Hamilton (Co-chair) Eagleburger • Jordan • Meese • O'Connor • Panetta • Perry • Robb • Simpson Former members: Gates • Giuliani