In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Biographical Sketches of PfiaB members david manker abshire—member 1981–1983 David Manker Abshire was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 11, 1926. He attended the University of Chattanooga briefly before joining the U.S. Army in 1945. During his time in the military, Abshire graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy in 1951 and was awarded a Bronze Star for service as a company commander and division assistant intelligence officer in the Korean War. After leaving the army in 1956, Abshire obtained his doctorate in history from Georgetown University in 1959. Abshire was the director of the American Enterprise Institute until 1962, when he cofounded the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC–based think tank and policy research institute then affiliated with Georgetown. In addition to working in the field of policy research, Abshire had extensive government experience. He served as assistant secretary of state for congressional affairs under President Richard Nixon. He also served on the Murphy Commission from 1973 until 1975, headed the U.S. Board for International Broadcasting during President Gerald Ford’s tenure in office, and was on the Naval War College board. After Ronald Reagan’s victory in 1980, Abshire headed the national security group transition office. He left the PFIAB in 1983 to become the U.S. ambassador to NATO.1 Given this government experience, Abshire was a strong candidate for appointment to the board. Stephen ailes—member 1976–1977 Stephen Ailes was born in Romney, West Virginia, on March 25, 1912. In 1933, he graduated from Princeton University before earning a law degree from West Virginia University in 1936. After law school, Ailes joined the District of Columbia and West Virginia bars. In addition to practicing law, Ailes was an assistant professor of law at West Virginia University from 1937 to 1940. In 1942, Ailes began his public service career on the legal staff of the Office of Price Administration, where he was promoted to assistant general counsel in 1946. The following year, Ailes became the counsel for the American Economic Mission in Greece. In 1961, President 348 • Biographical Sketches of PFIAB Members John F. Kennedy appointed Ailes as undersecretary of the army. President Lyndon Johnson made Ailes secretary of the army in January 1964, a position he held until July 1965. On January 1, 1970, Ailes was appointed as the president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Railroads. In addition to the American Bar Association, he was a member of the National Institute of Social Sciences, the National Defense Transportation Association, the Washington Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the American Law Institute.2 Given his national security experience, Ailes was a solid candidate for the board. gen. lew allen jr.—member 1990–1999 Lew Allen Jr. was born in Miami, Florida, on September 30, 1925. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy and received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force on June 4, 1946.3 Serving as a pilot at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, Allen later became one of the air force’s first qualified nuclear weaponeers. He enrolled at the University of Illinois for graduate study, earning his master’s and doctorate in physics in 1952 and 1954. After graduation, Allen was transferred to Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he took part in nuclear tests in Nevada and Bikini Atoll.4 Allen later served as the science adviser at Kirkland Air Force Base from 1957 to 1961 and in the Office of Special Technology at the Department of Defense from 1961 to 1965. He spent eight years in the office of the secretary of the air force, first as a deputy director for advanced plans, then as deputy director and director of space plans. During that time he was involved with the Dyna-Soar, Manned Orbital Laboratory , and Blue Gemini programs. After leaving the office of the secretary of the air force, Allen worked as director of the National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade, MD, from 1973 until 1977. He was the first NSA director ever to testify before Congress. In 1977, he briefly worked as the commander of the Air Force Systems Command. Before being named chief of staff of the air force in 1978, Allen spent a few months as vice chief of staff. He remained chief of staff until July 1, 1982, when he retired from the air force and accepted positions as director...

Share