James Forrestal
James Vincent Forrestal was a significant figure in American military and political history, serving as the last Secretary of the Navy during World War II and the first Secretary of Defense in the post-war era. A former naval aviator, he transitioned into New York state politics and became a close associate of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Appointed as Secretary of the Navy in 1944, Forrestal played a crucial role in the promotion of peaceful negotiations to end the war in the Pacific, as well as overseeing the Navy during the challenging period of demobilization.
In 1947, he was appointed Secretary of Defense by President Harry S. Truman, where he championed the racial integration of the armed services, a move that predated the broader Civil Rights Movement. However, his tenure was marred by controversy and scrutiny, especially following revelations about his private meetings with political figures, which ultimately led to his resignation. After leaving office, Forrestal entered psychiatric care, struggling with depression. His death in 1949, ruled as a fall, sparked widespread speculation and conspiracy theories regarding the circumstances, including suggestions of suicide. Forrestal's legacy includes the establishment of the Department of Defense and the naming of the Forrestal class of aircraft carriers in his honor.
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Subject Terms
James Forrestal
- Born: February 15, 1892
- Birthplace: Matteawan, New York
- Died: May 22, 1949
- Place of death: Bethesda, Maryland
Identification U.S. secretary of the Navy, 1944-1947, and secretary of defense, 1947-1949
As the last secretary of the Navy, Forrestal oversaw the racial integration of the Navy; as the first secretary of defense, he campaigned for the integration of all the armed services. He presided over the end of World War II and in 1949 committed suicide under what some consider suspicious circumstances.
A former naval aviator, James Vincent Forrestal entered New York state politics after World War I, making friends with future president Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1940, Roosevelt named Forrestal a special administrative assistant, and then undersecretary of the Navy. Forrestal replaced Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox upon the latter’s death in 1944, and he saw out the end of World War II in that position, promoting peaceful negotiations with Japan in an effort to end the war in the Pacific. He also headed the Navy during the difficult years of demobilization.
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman named Forrestal to the new position of secretary of defense. Forrestal promoted a full racial integration of the armed services, which was accomplished in 1949. As defense secretary, he argued against a partition of Palestine in 1947-1948 and strongly opposed the spread of communism and Soviet power after the war. He also fought against reductions in defense spending during the Truman administration.
Forrestal’s service as defense secretary was short-lived. After privately meeting with New York governor Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican presidential candidate expected to defeat Truman in the 1948 election, Forrestal became the target of syndicated columnist Drew Pearson, who revealed Forrestal’s meetings with Dewey. As a result, Truman asked Forrestal to resign his position as secretary of defense. Forrestal subsequently entered into psychiatric care at Bethesda Naval Hospital, where Navy captain George N. Raines was the chief psychiatrist. Forrestal’s official condition was announced as exhaustion, though Raines privately diagnosed him with depression.
Though Forrestal seemed to be recovering, on May 22, 1949, his body was found on the roof of the third floor at the hospital. (Forrestal’s room was on the sixteenth floor.) The Navy convened an official review board that concluded only that Forrestal had died from the fall. The general consensus, however, was that Forrestal had committed suicide. Conspiracy theories abounded about Forrestal’s death and were magnified by the fact that the Navy did not release any of its findings until 2004. Some of these theories hypothesized that Forrestal had been assassinated by Palestinian or Zionist extremists or by Soviets.
Impact
Forrestal’s greatest impact was the racial integration of the armed forces years before the Civil Rights movement began. As the first secretary of defense, Forrestal also presided over the creation of the Department of Defense, which unified the armed forces. Forrestal’s influence on the Navy resulted in the naming of the Forrestal class aircraft carriers.
Bibliography
Hoopes, Townsend, and Douglas Brinkley. Driven Patriot: The Life and Times of James Forrestal. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2000.
Simpson, Cornell. The Death of James Forrestal. Boston: Western Islands, 1966.