159. Editorial Note
According to a study prepared in 1991 by the Historical Division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Chief of Naval Operations from July 1970 to June 1974, “concluded that the Nixon– Kissinger approach was to ‘divide and conquer’ the bureaucracy by selectively withholding information. To overcome it, Zumwalt related years later, he resorted to (1) occasional private lunches with Dr. Kissinger, (2) assigning carefully chosen lieutenants to serve as Kissinger’s aides, and (3) frequent meetings with Admiral Welander and his predecessor [in the JCS liaison office at the National Security Council], Rear Admiral Rembrandt Robinson. General Alexander M. Haig, who was Dr. Kissinger’s Deputy, performed a similar service for General Westmoreland.” The quoted passage is footnoted as follows: “Written comment by ADM Zumwalt on draft manuscript, 12 Apr 90.” (Historical Division, Joint Secretariat, Joint Staff, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy, Volume X: 1969–1972, page 9)