Caspar Weinberger RIP

Reuters: Former defense chief Caspar Weinberger dies at 88

Caspar Weinberger, who as Ronald Reagan’s defense secretary oversaw a massive U.S. military buildup, died on Tuesday at age 88.

Caspar Weinberger Jr. said his father had been suffering from pneumonia and high fever for about a week and died at 5 a.m. EST in the intensive-care unit of Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, about 40 miles from his home in Mount Desert.

Weingberger’s wife of 63 years, Jane, his son and daughter, Arlin, were at his bedside when he died.

“He was just a worn-out guy,” his son, Caspar Weinberger Jr., told Reuters.

As head of the Pentagon, Weinberger strongly opposed concessions to Moscow in arms control negotiations and pushed hard for increased defense spending, such as Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, a program to develop a land-and space-based missile shield commonly known as “Star Wars.”

“He should be remembered as a world statesman, a great American patriot,” the son said. “What he did with Reagan really brought down the Soviet Union. They stuck to their plan and simply outspent the Soviets despite all sorts of doubts here.”

Cap will be among friends, Presidents Nixon and Reagan, and join Lyn Nofziger who passed away yesterday.

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