Schlesinger denied having knowledge of the break-in to the Democratic party offices and said he was outraged by the act. The event led Schlesinger to call for reports of any activities that went against the charter of the CIA.

As a result, the Office of the Inspector General provided Schlesinger with a 693-page report of "potential flap activities" that became known as the "family jewels."

He said the course was a "tricky" one and that it was difficult "to preserve the agency under those circumstances."

Soon after being replaced as director of the CIA, Nixon appointed Schlesinger as secretary of defense in July of 1973.

In 1973, Schlesinger said he would recommend U.S. bombing if the North Vietnamese launched an attack on their South Vietnamese neighbors.

Two years later, they did begin an offensive. But the U.S. could do little to help because the South Vietnamese army had collapsed.

The invasion of Cambodia in 1975 also took place during Schlesinger's reign as secretary of defense.

Throughout his tenure, Schlesinger pushed for a larger Department of Defense budget and military action in Southeast Asia in order to reverse the downward trend in U.S. military strength and maintain a force that was at least equivalent to that of the Soviet Union.

He said his hands were tied because he could not use military force and that this made it "a tricky, tricky thing getting people out of Southeast Asia."

Schlesinger's beliefs were opposite those of his classmate Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger '50--a man who favored negotiation over the deployment of forces.

Despite his professed bipartisanship, Schlesinger continued to push for a larger Department of Defense budget and argue with those who opposed it in Congress.

Some have suggested that his opinions, his lack of personal rapport, which has been noted by many, and President Ford's willingness to compromise led to the failure of Schlesinger's push for increased military spending. In November of 1975, the differences between Ford and Schlesinger finally resulted in his departure.

Critical Mass

Earlier in the decade, from 1971 to 1973, Schlesinger served as chair of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and he would return to energy concerns after his dismissal from the Ford administration.

Eventually the energy crisis sparked the creation of the Energy Department during the Carter administration.

According to Schlesinger, both the Democrat and Republican parties called for the creation of a Department of Energy, and then President Jimmy Carter endorsed it. Schlesinger was then given the charge to form the department.