The Dean Acheson Lecture
With the Honorable Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense
October 15, 2008 | Washington, D.C.
About Dean Acheson and the Lecture Series
Dean Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman during 1949–1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War. He likewise played a central role in the creation of many important institutions, including Lend Lease, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the early organizations that later became the European Union.
In honor of Dean Acheson’s service to the United States and the cause of peace and innovation in peacemaking, the United States Institute of Peace initiated this lecture series to deal with the important topics of the day.
The lecture series helps call attention to topics that further the mission of the Institute of Peace: preventing and resolving violent international conflicts, promoting post-conflict stability and development, and increasing conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide.
Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense from 2006 to the present, gave the first presentation on October 15, 2008. Secretary Gates has established a speaking record on the need to properly train and equip military and civilian capacities dealing with conflict prevention and resolution, as well as post-conflict stabilization. His outspokenness on this issue supports the Institute’s goal to establish and grow the Education and Training Center.
The Inagural Dean Acheson Lecture was sponsored by LMI Government Consulting, American International Group, Inc. (AIG), The Coca-Cola Company and Covington & Burling LLP. We thank them for their support.
