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David E. McGiffert | |
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| Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs | |
| In office April 4, 1977 – January 20, 1981 | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Eugene V. McAuliffe |
| Succeeded by | Bing West |
| United States Under Secretary of the Army | |
| In office November 1965 – February 1969 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Stanley Rogers Resor |
| Succeeded by | Thaddeus Beal |
| Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs | |
| In office August 8, 1962 – June 30, 1965 | |
| President | John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Norman S. Paul |
| Succeeded by | Jack L. Stempler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1926-06-27)June 27, 1926 Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 2005(2005-10-12) (aged 79) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Enid |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (BA,LLB) University of Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1944-1946 |
| Rank |  Radio Technician |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
David Eliot McGiffert (June 27, 1926 – October 12, 2005) was a United Stateslawyer andPentagon official who dealt with domestic security during the social upheavals of the late 1960s.
David E. McGiffert was born inBoston on June 27, 1926. After high school, he enrolled at theUniversity of California, Berkeley, but left without taking a degree in 1944. He then enlisted in theUnited States Navy and served as aradio technician duringWorld War II. Upon leaving the Navy in 1946, he attendedHarvard University; he graduated with aB.A. in 1949. He spent the 1949-50 school year atCambridge University and then attendedHarvard Law School, receiving hisLL.B. in 1953.[1]
After graduating from law school, McGiffert took a job as anassociate attorney atCovington & Burling inWashington, D.C. He spent 1956 as alecturer at theUniversity of Wisconsin Law School, and then returned to Covington & Burling from 1957 to 1961.
In 1962,President of the United StatesJohn F. Kennedy named McGiffertAssistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, serving underUnited States Secretary of DefenseRobert McNamara. He held this position until 1965, at which time PresidentLyndon B. Johnson named himUnited States Under Secretary of the Army.
He served as Under Secretary of the Army from November 1965 until February 1969. During his time as Under Secretary of the Army,protests against the Vietnam War broke out in force, and there were calls on the army to supportdesegregation andequal rights.
During the1967 Newark riots (July 12–17, 1967) and the1967 Detroit riot (July 23, 1967), ill-preparedArmy National Guard troops were despatched to suppress the riots.
On October 21, 1967, some 35,000 anti-war protesters organized by theNational Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, gathered for a demonstration at the Defense Department (the "March on the Pentagon"), where they were confronted by some 2,500 armed soldiers. During the protest, a famous event occurred, whereGeorge Harris placedcarnations into the soldiers' gun barrels.Abbie Hoffman declared the group's intention of levitating the Pentagon 300 feet (90 m) by means of meditation, wobbling it once in mid-air in order to exorcise evil spirits. In the wake of these protests McGiffert took the lead in organizing the Directorate for Civil Disturbance Planning and Operation, a "domestic war room" at the Pentagon. About this time, the Pentagon also set up a large computer database containing the names of individuals suspected of fostering domestic disturbances. (This controversial program would be shut down in 1970.)
At Secretary McNamara's direction, McGiffert then headed a civil disturbance steering committee to examine the domestic use of theUnited States Armed Forces.United States Deputy Attorney GeneralWarren Christopher also served on this committee. In the tense atmosphere, further heightened by theassassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, and theassassination of Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, this committee undertook detailed intelligence and tactical planning based on "worst case" domestic scenarios.
Regular Army troops were also used to provide security at the1968 Republican National Convention (August 5–8, 1968) and the disastrous1968 Democratic National Convention (August 26–29, 1968).
Upon leaving theUnited States Department of the Army in 1969, McGiffert returned to Covington & Burling as apartner. He was active in theDemocratic Party, serving on the Defense and Arms Control Study Group of the Democratic Party's Foreign Affairs Task Force from 1974 to 1976.
With the election ofJimmy Carter in the1976 election, McGiffert contributed position papers to President Carter's transition team. On February 25, 1977, President Carter nominated McGiffert asUnited States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. In this capacity, McGiffert would be responsible for overseeing military security in theMiddle East.
With the end of theCarter administration, McGiffert returned to Covington & Burling and practiced law there until his retirement in 1995.
He was a member of theCouncil on Foreign Relations and served on the boards of theAtlantic Council and theCenter for Naval Analyses.
McGiffert died of a heart ailment on October 12, 2005, at his home inWashington, D.C. He was 79 years old.
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| Preceded by | United States Under Secretary of the Army November 1965 – February 1969 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
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