Jack Brennan
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Vincent Brennan (born August 16, 1937) is a retired American
United States Marine Corps Reserve
officer and political aide. He is best known as President
Richard Nixon
's post-resignation
chief of staff
.
and attended Providence College
, a Catholic
college
in Providence
, Rhode Island
, where he graduated in 1959. He served with the United States Marine Corps Reserve
during the Vietnam War
, where he earned a Bronze Star
and Purple Heart
at the Battle of Khe Sanh
.
Brennan was appointed as a Marine Corps Aide to President Nixon; during that time he rose to Colonel
. During his time as Marine Corps Aide, Brennan accompanied Nixon on his historic trip to China
in 1972, which opened up the country to the United States; he was the first Marine to set foot in the People's Republic of China
, and he met Mao Zedong
.
He made a positive impression on Soviet General Secretary
Leonid Brezhnev
, who described Brennan as having "machismo
." In addition, he met Pope Paul VI
; he later said that, as a Catholic, it was a special honor for him. Brennan remained attached to Nixon during his resignation after the Watergate scandal
in 1974; he was aboard the helicopter and airplane that flew the Nixon family back to their home state of California
.
in San Clemente, California
, nicknamed the "The Western White House" during his administration, Brennan left the Marines and served as the ex-president's chief of staff. He originally refused the position after some of Nixon's associates made it sound like a business proposal; the financial aspect was not of interest to Brennan. However, after repeated requests from Nixon, Brennan agreed to leave his career of over 16 years and join the former president's staff. In the role of chief of staff, Brennan managed the small staff, appointments, mail and budgets, and was the liaison to the General Services Administration
and members of the United States Congress
who wanted information for any ongoing investigations from the former President's Administration. Due to the circumstances of Nixon's departure, he did not receive the level of information and courtesy offered to previous former presidents. During this period he was also Nixon's golf
ing partner and confidant.
During his time with the Nixons, Brennan helped the family with two major health crises: Richard Nixon suffered from a dangerous case of phlebitis
in 1974, and former First Lady
Pat Nixon
suffered a stroke
in 1976. Both recovered. When Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein
released their 1976 book, The Final Days
, Brennan felt that it did not correspond with his own time with the former President, but he stated "as a fictitious novel, it reads well."
with British journalist David Frost
; the interviews paid Nixon $600,000, equal to approximately $2 million in 2009. Brennan was initially concerned because Frost had the right to edit the interview tapes however he wanted, and could thus edit them to change the focus of what was said and potentially make Nixon look bad; however, he was able to relax his concerns upon getting to know Frost. The initial 24 hours of recorded interviews did not go well for either side: Frost's side did not gain any new, meaningful information on the Watergate scandal, while Nixon's side realized they had not offered anything that would begin to repair his shattered reputation. Frost's producer, John Birt, approached Brennan about extending the interview. Brennan originally turned the idea down, but after discussing the situation with his staff, agreed that Nixon should voluntarily go further and that some expression of regret for Watergate needed to be put on record. Nixon himself was resistant to the idea. Brennan explained to him "if this ends the way it has, the world is going to say, there goes the same old Nixon." Nixon was eventually convinced to offer one more additional interviewing session; in the time in between, Brennan observed Nixon prepare himself for a difficult statement that would not be a confession or an admission of guilt, yet would express regret for what had happened. However, once the final interview began, Nixon became resistant again. Concerned that the interviews would again be disappointing, Brennan held up a hand-written notice to Frost that read "Let him talk." Frost misread the sign as "Let us talk" and called for a break. During the short interval, Nixon's team persuaded him to overcome his reticence and make a statement of regret; Frost, meanwhile, was persuaded to take a more sympathetic tone. On return from the break, Frost coaxed Nixon into conceding that he had participated in the cover up and lied to the world about it, and that he had "let the American people down." Frost's top researcher, Robert Zelnick
, credited the moment to Nixon's staff.
The Nixon interviews drew the largest television audience for a political interview in history. Those interviews became the basis for a 2006 Tony Award
-winning play, entitled Frost/Nixon, which itself was turned into a 2008 Academy Award-nominated movie of the same name
. Brennan felt Frost's own book about the interviews, which served as writer Peter Morgan
's basis for the play and movie, was "fairly accurate"; however, he felt Morgan's scripts were "a complete fiction" based on actual events.
Brennan was consulted for the film version. His input led the set designer to remove a bar from the Nixon house set (Nixon almost never drank); he also met with actor Kevin Bacon
, who played him in the film (he was played by Corey Johnson
in the original stage play). While accepting the film as a work of fiction, he was displeased with two particular aspects of the film: the film shows Nixon drunk at one point, and it showed him using more frequent and different profanity than the real person ever used. He also noted that a scene in the film, where he is portrayed threatening Frost over the phone if he got the facts wrong, never occurred and made up by Morgan for dramatic purposes; however, at the time he did warn Frost, in person over lunch, not to re-edit the footage to change the focus to make Nixon look bad. Journalist Diane Sawyer
, who helped Nixon prepare for the interviews in 1977, noted that, unlike his portrayal as a stern military personality in the film, Brennan is "the funniest guy you ever met in your life, an irreverent, wonderful guy."
and spends summers in Little Compton, Rhode Island
. He is a booster
for the Providence College Friars
and donated his papers from his work for Nixon to the school's archives. At his request, a Friars basketball jersey was placed in his office set in the film Frost/Nixon, but it was not visible in the film.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
United States Marine Corps Reserve
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command in the U.S...
officer and political aide. He is best known as President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's post-resignation
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
.
Early life
Brennan was born on August 16, 1937 in Fall River, MassachusettsFall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
and attended Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, where he graduated in 1959. He served with the United States Marine Corps Reserve
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command in the U.S...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, where he earned a Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
and Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
at the Battle of Khe Sanh
Battle of Khe Sanh
The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam , between 21 January and 9 July 1968 during the Vietnam War...
.
Marine Corps Aide to the President
In 1969, then-MajorMajor (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
Brennan was appointed as a Marine Corps Aide to President Nixon; during that time he rose to Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
. During his time as Marine Corps Aide, Brennan accompanied Nixon on his historic trip to China
1972 Nixon visit to China
U.S. President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to the People's Republic of China was an important step in formally normalizing relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China. It marked the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC, who at that time considered the U.S. one...
in 1972, which opened up the country to the United States; he was the first Marine to set foot in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and he met Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
.
He made a positive impression on Soviet General Secretary
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the title given to the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. With some exceptions, the office was synonymous with leader of the Soviet Union...
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
, who described Brennan as having "machismo
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
." In addition, he met Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
; he later said that, as a Catholic, it was a special honor for him. Brennan remained attached to Nixon during his resignation after the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
in 1974; he was aboard the helicopter and airplane that flew the Nixon family back to their home state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Nixon's Chief of Staff
When Nixon returned to La Casa PacificaLa Casa Pacifica
La Casa Pacifica is a mansion located in the Cottons Point Estates gated community on the beaches of San Clemente, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean...
in San Clemente, California
San Clemente, California
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census. Located on the California Coast, midway between Los Angeles and San Diego at the southern tip of the county, it is known for its ocean, hill, and mountain views, a pleasant climate and its Spanish...
, nicknamed the "The Western White House" during his administration, Brennan left the Marines and served as the ex-president's chief of staff. He originally refused the position after some of Nixon's associates made it sound like a business proposal; the financial aspect was not of interest to Brennan. However, after repeated requests from Nixon, Brennan agreed to leave his career of over 16 years and join the former president's staff. In the role of chief of staff, Brennan managed the small staff, appointments, mail and budgets, and was the liaison to the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
and members of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
who wanted information for any ongoing investigations from the former President's Administration. Due to the circumstances of Nixon's departure, he did not receive the level of information and courtesy offered to previous former presidents. During this period he was also Nixon's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
ing partner and confidant.
During his time with the Nixons, Brennan helped the family with two major health crises: Richard Nixon suffered from a dangerous case of phlebitis
Phlebitis
Phlebitis is an inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs.When phlebitis is associated with the formation of blood clots , usually in the deep veins of the legs, the condition is called thrombophlebitis...
in 1974, and former First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Pat Nixon
Pat Nixon
Thelma Catherine "Pat" Ryan Nixon was the wife of Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States, and was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974. She was commonly known as Patricia or Pat Nixon.Born in Nevada, Pat Ryan grew up in Los Angeles, California...
suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in 1976. Both recovered. When Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
released their 1976 book, The Final Days
The Final Days
The Final Days is a 1976 non-fiction book written by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. A follow up to their book All the President's Men, The Final Days concerns itself with the final months of the Richard Nixon presidency....
, Brennan felt that it did not correspond with his own time with the former President, but he stated "as a fictitious novel, it reads well."
Role in Frost/Nixon interviews
While chief of staff, Brennan negotiated the 1977 Nixon InterviewsThe Nixon Interviews
The Nixon Interviews were a series of interviews of former United States President Richard Nixon conducted by British journalist Sir David Frost, and produced by John Birt. They were recorded and broadcast on television in four programs in 1977...
with British journalist David Frost
David Frost
Sir David Frost is a British broadcaster.David Frost may also refer to:*David Frost , South African golfer*David Frost , classical record producer*David Frost *Dave Frost, baseball pitcher...
; the interviews paid Nixon $600,000, equal to approximately $2 million in 2009. Brennan was initially concerned because Frost had the right to edit the interview tapes however he wanted, and could thus edit them to change the focus of what was said and potentially make Nixon look bad; however, he was able to relax his concerns upon getting to know Frost. The initial 24 hours of recorded interviews did not go well for either side: Frost's side did not gain any new, meaningful information on the Watergate scandal, while Nixon's side realized they had not offered anything that would begin to repair his shattered reputation. Frost's producer, John Birt, approached Brennan about extending the interview. Brennan originally turned the idea down, but after discussing the situation with his staff, agreed that Nixon should voluntarily go further and that some expression of regret for Watergate needed to be put on record. Nixon himself was resistant to the idea. Brennan explained to him "if this ends the way it has, the world is going to say, there goes the same old Nixon." Nixon was eventually convinced to offer one more additional interviewing session; in the time in between, Brennan observed Nixon prepare himself for a difficult statement that would not be a confession or an admission of guilt, yet would express regret for what had happened. However, once the final interview began, Nixon became resistant again. Concerned that the interviews would again be disappointing, Brennan held up a hand-written notice to Frost that read "Let him talk." Frost misread the sign as "Let us talk" and called for a break. During the short interval, Nixon's team persuaded him to overcome his reticence and make a statement of regret; Frost, meanwhile, was persuaded to take a more sympathetic tone. On return from the break, Frost coaxed Nixon into conceding that he had participated in the cover up and lied to the world about it, and that he had "let the American people down." Frost's top researcher, Robert Zelnick
Robert Zelnick
Robert Zelnick is an American journalist, author and professor of journalism at the Boston University College of Communication. Zelnick was a correspondent for ABC News for more than twenty years. His assignments included national political and congressional affairs , The Pentagon , Israel and...
, credited the moment to Nixon's staff.
The Nixon interviews drew the largest television audience for a political interview in history. Those interviews became the basis for a 2006 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning play, entitled Frost/Nixon, which itself was turned into a 2008 Academy Award-nominated movie of the same name
Frost/Nixon (film)
Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
. Brennan felt Frost's own book about the interviews, which served as writer Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan
Peter Morgan may refer to:* Peter Morgan , British sports car manufacturer* Peter Morgan , 1978 British Formula Ford champion* Peter Morgan , Wales and British lions international...
's basis for the play and movie, was "fairly accurate"; however, he felt Morgan's scripts were "a complete fiction" based on actual events.
Brennan was consulted for the film version. His input led the set designer to remove a bar from the Nixon house set (Nixon almost never drank); he also met with actor Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
, who played him in the film (he was played by Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson is an American actor largely active in the United Kingdom. Johnson was born John Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana....
in the original stage play). While accepting the film as a work of fiction, he was displeased with two particular aspects of the film: the film shows Nixon drunk at one point, and it showed him using more frequent and different profanity than the real person ever used. He also noted that a scene in the film, where he is portrayed threatening Frost over the phone if he got the facts wrong, never occurred and made up by Morgan for dramatic purposes; however, at the time he did warn Frost, in person over lunch, not to re-edit the footage to change the focus to make Nixon look bad. Journalist Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
, who helped Nixon prepare for the interviews in 1977, noted that, unlike his portrayal as a stern military personality in the film, Brennan is "the funniest guy you ever met in your life, an irreverent, wonderful guy."
Later years
Brennan currently resides in Palm Springs, CaliforniaPalm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
and spends summers in Little Compton, Rhode Island
Little Compton, Rhode Island
Little Compton is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. Its population was 3,492 at the time of the 2010 census. Little Compton is located in southeastern Rhode Island, between the Sakonnet River and the Massachusetts state border...
. He is a booster
Booster club
A booster club is an organization that is formed to support an associated club, sports team, or organization. Booster clubs are popular in American schools at the high school and university level...
for the Providence College Friars
Providence Friars
The Providence Friars is the name of the athletic teams of Providence College. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East and in women's volleyball, where they compete in the America East Conference...
and donated his papers from his work for Nixon to the school's archives. At his request, a Friars basketball jersey was placed in his office set in the film Frost/Nixon, but it was not visible in the film.