COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES JOHN C. STENNIS, Mississippi, Chairman RICHARD B. RUSSELL, Georgia MARGARET CHASE SMITH, Maine PETER H. DOMINICK, Colorado GEORGE MURPHY, California EDWARD W. BROOKE, Massachusetts RICHARD S. SCHWEIKER, Pennsylvania T. EDWARD BRASWELL, Jr., Chief of Staff CONTENTS Buzhardt, J. Fred, Jr., nominee for General Counsel, Department of Dole, Hon. Robert J., U.S. Senator from Kansas. Murphy, Hon. George, U.S. Senator from California_ Thurmond, Hon. Strom, U.S. Senator from South Carolina. Trent, Darrell M., nominee for Deputy Director, Office of Emergency NOMINATIONS NOMINATION OF J. FRED BUZHARDT, JR., OF SOUTH CAROLINA, TO BE GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NOMINATION OF DARRELL M. TRENT, OF KANSAS, TO BE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1970 UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D.C., The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., in room 212, Old Senate Office Building, Senator John Stennis (chairman), presiding. Present: Senators Stennis, Byrd, Jr., of Virginia, and Goldwater. Of the staff of the Committee on Armed Services: T. Edward Braswell, Jr., chief of staff; LaBre R. Garcia, professional staff member, and Herbert S. Atkinson, acting chief clerk. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will please come to order. We meet this morning in open session, to consider nominations to which I will refer, as well as a number of small matters in executive session. The Senator from Maine, Mrs. Smith, and also the Senator from South Carolina, Senator Thurmond, are unavoidably detained this morning and express their regrets that they cannot attend. We will first consider the nomination of Mr. J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., of South Carolina, to be General Counsel to the Department of Defense. Many of us know him personally and on behalf of the committee I congratulate him on his nomination by the President. The Chair wishes to observe that the background and experience of Mr. Buzhardt makes him eminently qualified for the position for which he is nominated. He served on active duty during World War II and subsequently from 1946 through 1950. He was engaged in the general practice of law in South Carolina during two separate periods-from 1952 to 1958 and from 1966 to 1969. He served on the staff as staff assistant to Senator Thurmond from 1958 to 1966. Beginning in February 1969 and until the present time he served in various capacities in the Department of Defense and for the past year was the special assistant to the chairman of the Blue Ribbon Defense Panel which recently issued what has become known as the Fitzhugh report. Mr. Buzhardt, we welcome you to the committee today and inasmuch as Senator Thurmond was unavoidably detained he asked that his statement on behalf of Mr. Buzhardt be inserted in the record. We will be glad to receive any statement you wish to make. STATEMENT OF HON. STROM THURMOND, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support the nomination of J. Fred Buzhardt as General Counsel for the Department of Defense. As the members of the committee know, Mr. Buzhardt was formerly my administrative assistant here in the Senate and just recently completed service as staff director of the blue ribbon defense panel. This panel issued a study and series of recommendations on the organization and operations of the Department of Defense. President Nixon could not have selected a better qualified individual for this important position. I am confident Mr. Buzhardt will render our Nation a distinct service as General Counsel of the Department of Defense. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and first honor graduate of the University of South Carolina Law School. Also, he has served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and has practiced law in South Carolina. In addition to these outstanding qualifications, Mr. Buzhardt is a man of exceptional intellect and staunch character. He is a Godfearing man and his life is an open book of sacrifice and dedication to his country. I have nothing but admiration and respect for this nominee. He has a broad knowledge of national defense matters and will render a unique and vital service in the capacity of General Counsel for the Department of Defense. The CHAIRMAN. We will put in the record the nomination reference and biographical sketch of Mr. Buzhardt. (The documents referred to follow.) NOMINATION REFERENCE AND REPORT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, Ordered, That the following nomination be referred to the Committee on Armed Services: J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr., of South Carolina, to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense. BIOGRAPHY Name: J. Fred Buzhardt, Jr. Born: Greenwood, S.C., February 21, 1924. Parents: J. Fred Buzhardt and Edna (Hardin) Buzhardt. Education: Wofford College, 1941-1942; B.S. in Military Engineering, U.S. Military Academy, 1946; LL.B., University of South Carolina, 1952. Military service: U.S. Army Air Corps, October, 1942 to July, 1943; U.S. Air Force, 1946-1950, rank of First Lieutenant. General practice-Law: Buzhardt and Buzhardt (father), 1952-1958, McCormick, S.C. Staff assistant: U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, 1958-1966. General practive-Law: Buzhardt, McCormick, South Carolina, 1966-1969. |