Article Contributed on: 5/13/2008 9:12:18 AM
Though few young people from this generation recognize the name of
Richard V. Allen, he is an influential figure in Washington politics, who rose to the top of his profession as the national security advisor of the Reagan administration, beginning in 1977.
On April 16, Allen came to the Arapahoe High School forum to talk to
Brad Meyer's AP government classes about his history in the
Nixon and
Reagan administrations, his political ties and experiences throughout his life, and his views on world and domestic issues.
"I loved it. It was better than I anticipated, partly because the students thought it was better than anticipated as well," Brad Meyer, AP government teacher, said. "I'll put it in the words of
Jake Kilbarger; 'That was better than any other day of class all year long."
Arapahoe received this opportunity through the family of senior
Brittany Limes. Her father worked with Richard Allen for a number of years. Through this, Limes was able to schedule a time when Allen was able to come to Arapahoe and share his history.
"I always ask my students if they have any connections that would be worthwhile," Meyer said. "Brittany just came to me after class one day and introduced the idea."
Those in our school who were cognizant of the influence of this man on America were awestruck and honored to stand before such a figure.
Allen began the discussion by explaining to students the most important rules he has learned in his life.
"From my father I learned some basic rules that have served me in everything I have ever done. They are three simple rules: Always look the person you are speaking to in the eye, give a firm handshake and always ask for the sale," Allen said.
Allen heeded the advice that PresidentReagan also taught his closest advisors.
"Reagan believed in the Oval Office you never took your jacket off out of respect for the office. No flip flops, no dungarees, none of that," Allen said.
Allen also gave insight into times in America that many students in the room had never had the chance to learn about firsthand before.
"I can remember Dec. 7, 1941, when they attacked Pearl Harbor, when they attacked America. The next day war was declared. I can remember traveling throughout America during war when gasoline was rationed, meat, sugar, everyone was allocated stamps, red stamps or blue stamps that dictated how much gasoline you got," Allen said.
Over the years, Allen has created his own theories on life and how it should be lived. Based on his experiences, he believes in some very basic ideals that can unite people of all kinds. "Presidents put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you and I. I have seen all kinds [of presidents]," Allen said.
Allen does not let his political associations get in the way of his decisions. Though a life-long republican, he acknowledges the accomplishments of democrats and finds Denver mayor
John Hickenlooper to be an apt and effective mayor.
"We had a Democratic mayor who is a terrific mayor, I would vote for him again in a heartbeat. Is he off my beat? Yes he is. But there is no Democratic or Republican way to build a highway," Allen said.
When it comes to the presidential race today, Allen is unhappy about the political separation present in the 2008 election, yet he has chosen his candidate.
"I believe in
John McCain. I have known him for a long time," Allen said. "[The political divisiveness] is worse than it has ever been before."
Allen also recognizes the
Hillary Clinton and
Barack Obama campaigns, and demonstrates that he is not close-minded when it comes to politics.
"Hillary's campaign chairman is one of the meanest guys in politics but one of my very good friends," Allen said. "I would much rather spend a night arguing with some raging liberals instead of all my conservative friends."
Throughout his time in the Nixon administration, one of the most significant personal predicaments Allen had to deal with was the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal, which began in 1972, revolved around the Nixon re-election committee breaking into the Democratic National Party headquarters in the Watergate hotel. Previous to the break-in, Allen was offered a position with Nixon's re-election committee, but declined.
"I have to believe that I don't need that job, any job. I have always felt that there will never be a job that is worth my personal integrity," Allen said.
Allen believes that the Watergate scandal could have been avoided if Reagan had simply confessed to his wrongdoing upfront.
"Nixon did not authorize the break in of Watergate. What got Nixon in the end? Not telling the truth up front," Allen said. "A week after Watergate the burglary was discovered, President Nixon should have said get me five minutes on TV tomorrow night, he would sit down in the desk and say: 'fellow Americans, you have all heard about the break in, I condemn this, it's on my watch, my committee for re-election was involved in this. I denounce it and I am sorry for it, I apologize; I can assure you it will never again happen on my watch.' It would change the course of our domestic history."
Allen went into great detail, setting the scene for the day of the attempted Reagan assassination by
John Hinkley of Evergreen.
Allen had just finished meetings with the Japanese prime minister, where they were negotiating automobile imports. Allen took a dip in the pool at his health club, swimming laps during his lunch hour to work off stress. "My driver grabbed my by the hair and pulled me out of pool and said 'boss we gotta get back. Something terrible happened at White House.' We nearly hit another car with two of my colleagues who were rushing to hospital because Reagan had been shot," Allen said.
When Allen returned to the White House office, he came back to a frightening scene.
"There was general pandemonium in the office, recognizing there was considerable chaos, I selected four of my senior colleagues, and we went down to the Situation Room. It is a very secure place, the walls lined with lead so there can be no eavesdropping. It is meant for very secretive discussions. Only cabinet members could go through those doors. We had two armed military personnel stationed outside the doors and our meeting lasted for six hours," Allen said.
The events that day only worsened as White House staff could not find the vice president,
George H.W. Bush, who would have stepped in as president if Reagan had been killed.
"The vice president was on an airplane in Texas, without a secure voice connection, so we could not contact him, we did not know if there was a conspiracy," Allen said.
Although the shooting came as a shock to the administration as well as the rest of the nation, Allen and the other staffers were relatively prepared to handle such an event.
"Four days before the shooting I had gotten the president to sign off on a memo on how to handle crises, out of sheer coincidence," Allen said.
Allen ended his incredible stories of the past with questions about the present politics and issues going on throughout the world. Reflecting on history and sharing his stories was part of the discussion, but Allen also discussed current events as well. He had some choice words about the 2008 Summer Olympics and the controversy surrounding the Chinese handling of Tibet.
"While it is disruptive, unfriendly, even unseemly, my prayer is that the demonstrations continue. I think the moral pressure needs to be kept on China because China is cruel, unfair, harsh and totalitarian," Allen said.
Along with the Tibetan oppression, Allen believes there could be more trouble to come.
"Uighurs in far Western China are starting to rumble. There will be more problems ahead," Allen said.
Allen hopes that not only will some nations boycott the Olympics, but some athletes as well.
"I hope for a protest by some heroic and principled athlete with enough moral fiber who will stand up and criticize the Chinese authoritarian government," Allen said.
"I suspect there will be protests world-wide, even heavily in Hong Kong. I am not sure in my own mind whether President Bush needs to stay away as a symbol of his own distaste."
Allen has had firsthand experience analyzing the Iraq war. "I was convinced that
Saddham Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Allen said. "I support it. I saw the intelligence that everyone else saw. The secret intelligence. I saw everything that
Donald Rumsfeld saw, everything the vice president saw, everything the President saw."
Allen has personal connections to the ongoing conflict in Iraq. "The owner of Blackwater is a young friend of mine. The answer to that controversy in my view is that because we don't have enough troops on the ground we had to hire private contractors," Allen said.
"The corruption inside Iraq is extraordinary in itself. I don't think private military contractors are corrupt but they did behave in a dishonorable manner."
Allen believes that the conflict in Iraq is far from over. "We will be there for a long time. We will not get out despite whatever people tell you," Allen said.
Being a very successful political official, Allen was able to sum up his life in one short metaphor. Based on opportunities given to him along with making his own success story, Allen described his experiences in life as a turnstile.
"I have developed a certain theory for life that works for me. If you have ever seen a turnstile, you put your token in, and there are two possibilities I see here. Number one, you earned the token yourself by work or dedication. You put it in and go on to the next turnstile," Allen said. "Next possibility- someone gave you the token to use in advance. So whenever you go through turnstile, remember that if you did it yourself you just keep right on going but if you were given that token you turn around, thank them and never forget that person who gave it to you."
Serving as a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace, at Stanford University (1966 -present), a Member of the Advisory Board with the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington; a Member of the Board of Trustees of The Intercollegiate Studies Institute; a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a Member of the Advisory Board, The Nixon Center, Washington; an Honorary Fellow in Politics at The University of Otago, New Zealand and Co-Chair of The U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Allen has made his life a success.
These endeavors only being a few of his accomplishments, Allen is very well known throughout the world. From 2001-2007, he was a Member of the Defense Policy Board with the Department of Defense, which advises the U. S. Secretary of Defense.
"There are an infinite number of ways to serve our community," Allen said. "The concept of service is more important and more needed today than ever before."
The AP government classes were ecstatic to see someone with such a reputation, that had so much insight into the history of the United States.
As Meyer said, "That was better than learning about anything out of a textbook."