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Article: Gen. Maxwell Taylor Dies Here at Age 85; World War II Hero Advised Presidents During Vietnam War
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 21, 1987
- Author:
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Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, 85, a paratroop hero in World War II and
a principal adviser to two administrations during the massive
American buildup in Vietnam, died Sunday at Walter Reed Army Medical
Center. He had been hospitalized since January with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Taylor capped a brilliant military career by serving as chief of
staff of the Army from 1955 to 1959, when he retired. In that year
he published "The Uncertain Trumpet," a forthright criticism of the
U.S. policy of relying on the nuclear threat to deter communism.
Instead, he argued, the country should build up conventional forces
so that it could launch a "flexible ...