Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimsonwas an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He served as Secretary of Warunder Republican William Howard Taft, and as Governor-General of the Philippines. As Secretary of Stateunder Republican President Herbert Hoover, he articulated the Stimson Doctrine which announced American opposition to Japanese expansion in Asia. He again served as Secretary of Warunder Democrats Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, and was a leading hawk calling for war against Germany. During...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionStatesman
Date of Birth21 September 1867
CountryUnited States of America
The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him.
When the news first came that Japan had attacked us my first feeling was of relief that ... a crisis had come in a way which would unite all our people. This continued to be my dominant feeling in spite of the news of catastrophes which quickly developed.
We face the delicate question of the diplomatic fencing to be done so as to be sure Japan is put into the wrong and makes the first bad move. ... The question was how we should maneuver them [the Japanese] into the position of firing the first shot.
Honor begets honor; trust begets trust; faith begets faith; and hope is the mainspring of life.
Gentlemen don't read each other's mail.
The chief lesson I have learned in a long life is that the only way you can make a man trustworthy is to trust him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him.