In the Arena: A Memoir of the 20th Century

Rating:
Summary: Fine memoir of an exemplary public servant
Review: Caspar Weinberger is one the most intelligent man to have served in government in the past 20 years. He has written an interesting and at times moving account of his life at the centre of American public policy - but it lacks meat in his discussion of his government service, and therefore does not entirely do justice to the quality of his thinking. A further frustration with the book is that Weinberger clearly feels he has some debts of friendship to discharge, with the result that he has hardly a harsh word to say about anyone (save the zealous independent counsel and the feckless President Clinton). This is taken to extreme lengths with the long passages detailing the merits of his colleagues: perhaps they were all as good as Weinberger claims, but the editor's pencil should have gone through much of this.

Most readers will turn immediately to the chapters concerning Weinberger's office under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, but the earlier chapters recounting his active service in the Pacific and his early legislative career in Californian politics are well-written and engaging, and it would be a pity to miss them. He also has an excoriating chapter later in the book that recounts the aftermath of the Iran-Contra affair, in which he argues - convincingly, in my judgement - that an 'overzealous independent counsel' demeaned his office and damaged the American polity. Weinberger recounts, with greater pleasure, the award to him of an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth, primarily - and deservedly - for the assistance given to this country when we were liberating the Falkland Islands from Argentine imperialism in 1982.

Weinberger's account of his service as a budget-cutter and framer of social policy under Nixon, and as Defence Secretary under Reagan, makes up, ironically perhaps, the least satisfactory part of the book. There were conflicts within these administrations that Weinberger must have been central to, yet he gives no hint of them. Nixon was an activist President in domestic policy with a legislative programme that was far removed from the principles of fiscal conservatism that Reagan later espoused, yet the book gives no indication of what Weinberger thought of this. Weinberger praises Reagan's prosecution of the Cold War, yet his portrayal of Reagan's policies overstates their consistency. There were indeed two Reagans: the staunch anti-Communist, who with remarkable foresight predicted the end of Communism in Europe; and the idealist who openly favoured the abolition of nuclear weapons. In his book Diplomacy, Henry Kissinger comments at length on this seeming contradiction, and some members of the Reagan administration (e.g. Kenneth Adelman) have also referred sceptically to Reagan's passionate belief in nuclear disarmament, yet Weinberger does not go deeply into the vicissitudes of Reagan's thinking at all. This is a shame. It seems almost certain that Weinberger was far more in accord with the views of Margaret Thatcher, who - rightly, in my view - maintained that nuclear disarmament would entail a highly unstable global order, than he was to Reagan's notion that missile defence would render nuclear weapons obsolete. (The tension in Reagan's policy is also well-discussed in Beth A.Fischer's 1997 book, The Reagan Reversal. I have never seen a comment on this thesis by a member of the administration, but it is clear that Reagan shifted his emphasis after about 1983, when he concentrated more on the risks of nuclear war.)

I have no doubt, however, of the highlight of the book. Weinberger recounts a debate he took part in at the Oxford Union in 1984 with the Marxist historian E.P.Thompson, then a leading figure in the British and European anti-nuclear movement. Weinberger gives a nice vignette of the debate - in which Thompson proposed the motion that there was no moral difference between the foreign policies of the United States and the Soviet Union - and quotes his own speech at length on the fundamental difference between an open society and a totalitarian one. Weinberger remarks accurately and with incontrovertible logic, "[Y]ou can't have a moral foreign policy if the people cannot control it."

I attended this debate and recall Weinberger's speech well. He was outstanding; to the surprise of many, and against the advice of the US Embassy not to take part, he won the debate. I was Chairman of the Oxford University Labour Club at the time, when the Labour Party was far to the Left of where it stands now and was formally committed to removing American nuclear bases from British soil. I am relieved to recount that, having already made my break with the Marxist and anti-American Left, I had just enough grasp on reality to vote on Weinberger's side that evening. But never before had I heard so plausible and articulate a defence of western defence and foreign policy, and so principled a grounding of collective security in the very notion of political liberty. It is this aspect of Weinberger - his willingness to take on the intellectual arguments of his opponents, wherever they may be, and defeat them with cool rationality - that is a particularly attractive feature of the man. (Famously, Weinberger did the same with the historian Theodore Draper - a far more formidable critic of US defence policy than Thompson - in the pages of the New York Review of Books, where he presented a cogent and effective refutation of the many misconceptions Draper had been labouring under.)

This is, in summary, an interesting memoir by a good man and an immensely effective politician. But if you are looking for novel insights into the foreign and defence policies of the Reagan administration, you may be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, Intimate View of History...& a History Maker
Review: Caspar Weinberger is the epitome of a dedicated, effective public servant. He's a professional in this work, rather than a political hack who appears when it's convenient for him. We've heard Weinberger's name for decades, as he served in cabinet positions for three United States presidents. Most notable was his seven years as Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Defense. There is no question that he's had a significant impact on history.

This is the sort of autobiography that might be interesting, I thought, as I opened the cover and began reading. My first reaction was "uh oh. We're going 'way back into his childhood. That concern was quickly dissolved as I was absorbed in the feeling that Weinberger and I were settled down into a couple of comfortable easy chairs discussing his experiences as a consummate public servant. I learned about his education (Harvard), his military service (infantry, World War II, including time on MacArthur's intelligence staff), and service as a California legislator. This book easily held my attention, page after page. Most of the twentieth century came alive before my eyes.

As he moves through history, Weinberger tells about his pivotal roles with fascinating detail. The reader gains an inside perspective of what was behind historical events that are very familiar to us, and some that are not so familiar. Using the autobiographer's license, Weinberger shares his opinions about people and events. A number of times, I had a sense that I was right there in the room with him as history was being made. He gives just enough detail to paint illuminating pictures of facts, emotions, decisions, and the flow of history; yet the book never drags with a sense that he's using space unproductively.

I enjoyed reading about his views on the Cold War, Saddam Hussein, Iran-Contra, the day Reagan was shot, Watergate, MacArthur, Colin Powell, Bill Clinton's legacy, and Nixon's resignation. As I finished the book, I had a feeling of satisfaction, respect, and appreciation for Caspar Weinberger and his life. A warm feeling, a good feeling. I like getting that from a good book. You will, too.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I copyedited this book and found it really fascinating and amazingly time-relevant [I was working on it 9/11/01] as "Cap" discussed the demise of the country's defense during the Clinton years. I enjoyed Cap's personal insights into the workings of politics and the anecdotes about Reagan and Rumsfeld and other people who are now back in government. It's easy to read and I really felt like he was telling me his story, personally.

Rating:
Summary: Start on Page 269
Review: I preface my comments about "In The Arena" by stating my belief that most people interested in this memoir are attracted by Weinberger's tenure at the helm of the DOD. That being the case, one could simply skim through the first three-fifths of the book. This comprises a mildly interesting, at times desultory, review of Cap's education at Harvard, service in World War II, early California legislative career, private legal practice, work at Bechtel Corp, and service in both Governor Reagan's and President Nixon's administrations. The accounts of Cap's modestly successful efforts to rein in Federal spending as Nixon's OMB Director and to reform health care while heading HEW don't exactly lend themselves to riveting prose.

However, the action and the interest really pick up when Weinberger turns his attention the Reagan administration and his essential role in resuscitating the U.S. military. Particuarly valuable are Weinberger's explanation of the hows and whys behind his metamorphosis from "Cap The Knife" to "Cap The Builder;" his observations on the reasons for the Soviet Union's demise, and his skepticism about Gorbachev's role in that historic event.

This is definitely not a memoir in the "kiss-and-tell" genre. Weinberger offers only cursory insights into policy formulation and the battles with Congress over funding. He expresses veneration for most of his former colleagues, including Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Rich Armitage, Frank Carlucci, Will Taft and Jim Webb. He evinces no animus toward George Shultz, saying they often disagreed, especially on the deployment of armed forces, and is only mildly critical of the imperious demeanor of Al Haig. Weinberger reserves his opprobrium for three people: Bud MacFarlane for his ill-considered counsel to Reagan in the arms-for-hostages scheme; Lawrence Walsh for his baseless, heavy-handed witch-hunt during the Iran-Contra investigation; and former President Clinton for his pursuit of a feckless, irresolute foreign policy and excessive de-funding of the armed services.

Weinberger's account of his "nightmare" year (1992) makes a cogent argument against the ill-conceived Special Prosecutor statute, an argument that the Congressional Democrats bought into only after the glare of its prosecutorial powers was shone on one of its own.

All in all, a fast, engaging read, but one that breaks little new ground.

Rating:
Summary: Start on Page 269
Review: I preface my comments about "In The Arena" by stating my belief that most people interested in this memoir are attracted by Weinberger's tenure at the helm of the DOD. That being the case, one could simply skim through the first three-fifths of the book. This comprises a mildly interesting, at times desultory, review of Cap's education at Harvard, service in World War II, early California legislative career, private legal practice, work at Bechtel Corp, and service in both Governor Reagan's and President Nixon's administrations. The accounts of Cap's modestly successful efforts to rein in Federal spending as Nixon's OMB Director and to reform health care while heading HEW don't exactly lend themselves to riveting prose.

However, the action and the interest really pick up when Weinberger turns his attention the Reagan administration and his essential role in resuscitating the U.S. military. Particuarly valuable are Weinberger's explanation of the hows and whys behind his metamorphosis from "Cap The Knife" to "Cap The Builder;" his observations on the reasons for the Soviet Union's demise, and his skepticism about Gorbachev's role in that historic event.

This is definitely not a memoir in the "kiss-and-tell" genre. Weinberger offers only cursory insights into policy formulation and the battles with Congress over funding. He expresses veneration for most of his former colleagues, including Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Rich Armitage, Frank Carlucci, Will Taft and Jim Webb. He evinces no animus toward George Shultz, saying they often disagreed, especially on the deployment of armed forces, and is only mildly critical of the imperious demeanor of Al Haig. Weinberger reserves his opprobrium for three people: Bud MacFarlane for his ill-considered counsel to Reagan in the arms-for-hostages scheme; Lawrence Walsh for his baseless, heavy-handed witch-hunt during the Iran-Contra investigation; and former President Clinton for his pursuit of a feckless, irresolute foreign policy and excessive de-funding of the armed services.

Weinberger's account of his "nightmare" year (1992) makes a cogent argument against the ill-conceived Special Prosecutor statute, an argument that the Congressional Democrats bought into only after the glare of its prosecutorial powers was shone on one of its own.

All in all, a fast, engaging read, but one that breaks little new ground.

Rating:
Summary: A fine autobiography by a dedicated public servant
Review: IN THE ARENA explores the life of a man who has dedicated his life to making America a better, safer, stronger nation.

Beginning with his wartime service in the U.S. Army in the jungles of New Guinea (he still dislikes palm trees to this day), Mr. Weinberger's public service moves to the California State Assembly where he gains notoriety as a reformer. Soon, he is picked up by California's new governor, Ronald Reagan, who makes him director of finance. His skill at his job attracts notice from President Nixon, who calls him to be the budgeter at OMB, then the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. President Ford's defeat in 1976 brought him a few years of high-paid relief from public service at Bechtel. Then, in 1981, President Reagan called him to service once again as the Secretary of Defense, a post he held longer (almost seven years) than any other SECDEF.

Throughout the book, one is struck by Mr. Weinberger's selfless dedication - something the reader comprehends without the author's directly saying so. One hopes that, post 9-11, such dedication to public service will make a comeback. In the meantime, Mr. Weinberger's autobiography will serve as a primer for those who want to make a difference and change the world.

For me, it was an especially warm read as I had the honor of serving in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1986 through 1988. During that time I met Mr. Weinberger once and participated in a few meetings in his office. Even though his wife, Jane, was in ill health at that time, I found Mr. Weinberger to be friendly, humorous, and extremely focused and smart - all traits amply shown in his book, IN THE ARENA.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Be Played For A Fool
Review: Pity poor Cap Weinberger. Once a Renaissance Man, steeped in art, literature and music, he now spends his twilight years rewriting his legacy. "In The Arena" is a carefully crafted and minutely calculated piece of revisionist history written by a thoroughly corrupt politician beyond redemption. Even if you don't know the facts, Weinberger's prose gives him away, filled as it is with qualifiers, deliberate misstatements and classic Weinberger Distancing Maneuvers. An expert dissembler, Cap has scattered misleading scenarios and outright falsehoods all through the manuscript; it becomes tiresome. Are his memoirs worth reading? If you like being an armchair detective, absolutely. This book challenges discerning and informed readers to unravel a fascinating web of deceit and half-truths. It also contains interesting anecdotes from a simpler time and a glimpse into an honorable world that no longer exists. It's too bad Weinberger hasn't appropriated the values of that world into his own life.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Be Played For A Fool
Review: Pity poor Cap Weinberger. Once a Renaissance Man, steeped in art, literature and music, he now spends his twilight years rewriting his legacy. "In The Arena" is a carefully crafted and minutely calculated piece of revisionist history written by a thoroughly corrupt politician beyond redemption. Even if you don't know the facts, Weinberger's prose gives him away, filled as it is with qualifiers, deliberate misstatements and classic Weinberger Distancing Maneuvers. An expert dissembler, Cap has scattered misleading scenarios and outright falsehoods all through the manuscript; it becomes tiresome. Are his memoirs worth reading? If you like being an armchair detective, absolutely. This book challenges discerning and informed readers to unravel a fascinating web of deceit and half-truths. It also contains interesting anecdotes from a simpler time and a glimpse into an honorable world that no longer exists. It's too bad Weinberger hasn't appropriated the values of that world into his own life.

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading!
Review: Upon the recent passing of one of our greatest Presidents, it makes sense to hear from perhaps the best Secretary of Defense (War) in our nation's history. Without boring the reader to death with details, suffice it to say that Caspar W. Weinberger took over our nation's defenses at the weakest they had been since 1939, transformed them into a world-class military power and probably prevented a nuclear war with the former Soviet Union as a consequence.
This autobiography is fascinating and understated, as Secretary Weinberger walks us through his career of public service beginning as an intelligence officer for General Douglas MacArthur to his 8 years of outstanding leadership as the boss over at the Pentagon. Reagan had a gift for picking the right people at the right time and Caspar Weinberger was at the head of his class.
You may be alive today, because of him.

Rating:
Summary: Required Reading!
Review: Upon the recent passing of one of our greatest Presidents, it makes sense to hear from perhaps the best Secretary of Defense (War) in our nation's history. Without boring the reader to death with details, suffice it to say that Caspar W. Weinberger took over our nation's defenses at the weakest they had been since 1939, transformed them into a world-class military power and probably prevented a nuclear war with the former Soviet Union as a consequence.
This autobiography is fascinating and understated, as Secretary Weinberger walks us through his career of public service beginning as an intelligence officer for General Douglas MacArthur to his 8 years of outstanding leadership as the boss over at the Pentagon. Reagan had a gift for picking the right people at the right time and Caspar Weinberger was at the head of his class.
You may be alive today, because of him.