Rudolph Winnacker
Chief Historian –
Office of the Secretary of Defense
November 25, 1949 –
June 30, 1973
Chief DOD Historian 24
years
Rudolph Winnacker
Past Chief Historian
November 25, 1949 – June 30, 1973
Rudolph A. Winnacker served as the first Historian
for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and remained in that position for 24
years, establishing a firm foundation for the office and achieving a remarkable
record of accomplishment.
Winnacker was exceptionally well qualified for the
position. His academic background included a Harvard history Ph.D. and more
than 10 years of teaching experience at the Universities of Michigan and
Nebraska. During World War II he performed research work for the Office of Strategic
Services. After an assignment as historian in the Office of the Secretary of
War, he served on the faculty of the National War College and with the Army
Historical Division.
As OSD Historian, Winnacker played a notably
prominent role, particularly during the 1950s. In 1953 he was a staff member
and advisor to the Rockefeller Committee whose report led to a major
reorganization of the Department of Defense. Subsequently, at the express
direction of Secretary Neil McElroy, Winnacker drafted DoD Directive 5100.1
that implemented the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958. During
these years he sometimes acted as a spokesman for the Secretary of Defense,
holding press conferences on matters about which he could speak with authority.
In 1955, once again at the direction of the
secretary, Winnacker coordinated and compiled work by military service
historians to produce a detailed report entitled The Entry of the Soviet
Union into the War Against Japan. The report received much public attention and
laid to rest a long-existing controversy, particularly in Congress. Winnacker
also had responsibility for important ongoing functions, including publication
of the Annual Report of the Secretary of Defense, and the Annual
Public Statements of the Secretary of Defense. Of special note was his
persistent and successful collection of DoD and other documents and materials
that formed the core of the current Historical Office Archives – a valuable
research collection. Not the least of his multiple activities was his service
for 20 years on the National Historical Publication and Records Commission as
representative of the Secretary of Defense. In one of his final contributions,
Winnacker oversaw the review for declassification and release of the Pentagon
Papers on the Vietnam War.
All of these and many other activities were
accomplished with the help of no more than two professional assistants and a
secretary. For Winnacker it was a labor of love. He often expressed
astonishment that he was being paid for doing something that he found so
enjoyable and rewarding.
Alfred Goldberg (Col.
USAFR)
Chief DOD Historian 34 years
Alfred Goldberg
Past Chief Historian
October 28, 1973 – November 28, 2007
Dr. Alfred Goldberg, an eminent and respected
military historian, served as the Chief Historian for the Office of the
Secretary of Defense for 34 years. He began his service to the United States in
1942 with the U.S. Army, rising from the rank of private to captain and
deploying overseas with the Army Air Forces to England and France. He worked in
various capacities, ultimately as a field historian. He left active duty in
1946, but remained in the reserves and retired from the Air Force in 1978 as a
colonel.
From 1946 to 1965, Dr. Goldberg worked for the U.S.
Air Force Historical Division as a senior historian. During that period, in
addition to earning a Ph.D. in history from The Johns Hopkins University in
1950, he was a Visiting Fellow at Kings College, University of London in
1962–63; a lecturer at the University of Maryland for many years; and a
recipient of a Social Science Research Council Fellowship. In 1964 Chief
Justice Earl Warren brought him onto the Warren Commission staff, where Dr.
Goldberg served as a historical advisor and as co-author and co-editor of the
Warren Commission Report. From 1965 to 1973, Dr. Goldberg was a senior staff
member at RAND and also lectured at the University of Southern California and
the University of California at Los Angeles.
In 1973, Dr. Goldberg assumed duties as the chief
historian with OSD. He received the Department of Defense Distinguished
Civilian Service Award and the Presidential Meritorious Award. He was a
long-time member of the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission, whose members include distinguished historians, archivists, and
members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.
Keenly aware of the historic significance of the attack on the Pentagon on
September 11, 2001, Dr. Goldberg joined with other military historians in
documenting the event and its effect on the Pentagon and the military and
civilian workforce.
Dr. Goldberg is the author or editor of numerous
historical books and articles, many of which have earned special recognition
and prizes. Most notably, he is co-author of the Army Air Forces in World
War II (7 volumes); editor and co-author of A History of the U.S. Air
Force 1907–1957; co-editor of the Department of Defense: Documents on
Establishment and Organization, 1947–1978; co-author of The Department of
Defense, 1947-1997—Organization and Leaders; author of The Pentagon: The
First Fifty Years; general editor, History of the Office of the Secretary
of Defense (5 volumes); and co-author of Pentagon 9/11. In 2011, Dr.
Goldberg received the American Historical Association's Herbert Feis Award for
distinguished contributions to public history.
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