Dean Rusk

Dean Rusk served as Secretary of State throughout the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, from 1961 to 1969. A Georgia native, Rhodes Scholar, teacher, and Army officer during the Second World War, he worked in the State Department before becoming president of the Rockefeller Foundation. His earlier government service included responsibility for East Asian affairs during the Korean War. ¹

Rusk regarded the secretary’s role as advising the president and carrying out the resulting decisions. That approach led him to defend administration policy even when he had reservations, including during the failed Bay of Pigs operation. He also favored assistance to newly independent states and maintained channels of communication with the Soviet Union. His work during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the negotiations for the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty formed part of an effort to manage confrontation while reducing specific nuclear dangers. ¹

The Vietnam War came to dominate his public reputation. Rusk supported Johnson’s commitment to South Vietnam and defended escalation as necessary to maintain American obligations and credibility. As the war expanded, that position drew sustained criticism. His support for negotiation with Moscow therefore coexisted with a persistent defense of a costly war in Southeast Asia. After leaving office, he taught international law at the University of Georgia and helped establish the Dean Rusk Center. ¹