Frank Carlucci - Administration

Administration

During the early 1970s Donald Rumsfeld became Mr. Carlucci's protégé as Mr. Carlucci showed him the ropes. Carlucci was Undersecretary of Health, Education and Welfare when Caspar Weinberger was secretary during the Nixon administration. Carlucci became Ambassador to Portugal, and served in this position from 1974 until 1977. He is still very fondly remembered in Portugal among the winners of the November 25 Coup d'État. Carlucci was Deputy Director of the CIA from 1978–1981, under CIA Director Stansfield Turner. Carlucci was deputy defense secretary from 1981 until 1983, national security advisor from 1986 until 1987, and defense secretary in 1987, following the resignation of Weinberger, his nomination by President Ronald Reagan and his confirmation in the Senate by a vote of 91 to 1. He was reportedly less hard-line in policies toward the Soviet Union than Weinberger.

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 officials.