Remember the Rostow Gang (TX)

WALTER ROSTOW (1916-2003). A Yale Ph.D. (1940) and Rhodes scholar, he served (1942–45) with the covert Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Assistant to the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe, in 1947 and was involved in the development of the Marshall Plan. Was rejected 3 times for employment during Eisenhower administration, failing background checks. One of the architects and passionate defenders of the Vietnam War as an adviser to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Years later stating the failure in VN was out of his control, not due to his ideology. (Walt memo discussing aid to Israel in 1967 and Dimona inspection.) Wife Elspeth Davies Rostow, Council on Foreign Relations, Vice Chairman during Clinton administration.

EUGENE ROSTOW (1913-2002). Brother of Walter. Graduated from Yale in 1933. Rostow served (1966-69) as undersecretary of state for political affairs under President Lyndon B. Johnson, where he too was an articulate defender of the government's Vietnam policy. Under President Ronald Reagan he was (1981-83) the director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the highest ranking Democrat to serve in the administration. Eugene stated in the 1980s "We are living in a pre-war, not a post-war, period," which led to arms buildup. Super-hawk. Sons Victor and Charles Nicholas.

C. NICHOLAS ROSTOW. General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor to the Ambassador, U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Appointed in 1989 Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The BNL (Banca Nazionale del Lavoro). "Nick Rostow, the General Counsel to the NSC. Mr. Rostow's previous experience includes playing a key role in the White House efforts to cover up the Iran-Contra scandal and to obstruct a 1988 GAO investigation of then-Vice President Bush's ties to Panamanian leader and drug lord, one Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega."

NICHOLAS ROSTOW. U.S. Department of State Thinking Ethically about Preemption "Existing international law is up to the terrorism challenge. The questions and issues raised by the events of September 11, 2001, are not new; what has changed is the technological context. Certain states and groups regard terrorism as a cheap, effective weapon and use it with no notice and to devastating effect. The questions today include what constitutes an immediate threat and what kinds of weapons are at issue. International law recognizes a right of anticipatory self-defense when it is reasonable under the circumstances. Those circumstances include policies of hostility to the United States and willingness to use terrorists and weapons of mass destruction."

VICTOR ROSTOW. A Pentagon policy official (April 2003) who is serving as a liaison to the Iraqi team, said its task would be to help General Garner "turn over functioning ministries to the new Iraqi interim authority after a period of time."

Marketing war must be genetic.