---
born: 1929-02-15
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 2014-03-27
location: New York City, New York
summary: Secretary of Defense under Nixon and Ford who observed Kissinger's strategy
  during the 1973 Yom Kippur War of wanting Israel to succeed but bleed.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

James R. Schlesinger served as the Secretary of Defense under President [Richard Nixon](/people/richard-nixon/) and later President [Gerald R. Ford](/people/gerald-r-ford/). During the 1973 [Yom Kippur War](/events/yom-kippur-war/), [Henry A. Kissinger](/people/henry-a-kissinger/) told Schlesinger that his goal was to "let [Israel](/places/israel/) come out ahead, but bleed." Schlesinger noted that [Israel](/places/israel/)'s ammunition consumption rate was gauged for a seven-day war, reflecting [Washington, D.C.](/places/washington-dc/)'s confidence in the Israeli military. However, Kissinger's sudden and massive push for resupply led Schlesinger to conclude that Israeli use of a nuclear weapon was not out of the question, and that there was an assumption that [Israel](/places/israel/) had a few nukes and might use them if there was a collapse.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 17.