Rumsfeld to offer insight into the Bush administration, 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Philadelphia, PA (January 25, 2011) – Marking the first stop on his highly-anticipated national book tour, former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will join the National Constitution Center on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 6:30 p.m.  In a wide-ranging dialogue, Rumsfeld will discuss previously undisclosed details and insight into the Bush administration, the attacks on September 11, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The conversation will draw on themes from Rumsfeld’s new book, Known and Unknown, which chronicles his long career in public service, including his four terms in Congress and his service in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George W. Bush.  Presidential historian Michael Beschloss will facilitate the conversation.

The event will take place on the Center’s Grand Hall Overlook.  Admission is $15 for non-members, $9 for members, $7 for students and teachers, and free for 1787 Society members.  Reservations are required and can be made by calling 215.409.6700 or online at www.constitutioncenter.org. 

Donald Rumsfeld was the 13th and 21st U.S. Secretary of Defense.  He was a Naval aviator; served in Congress starting at age 30; held cabinet-level positions in the Nixon, Ford, and Bush White Houses; worked on assignments in the Reagan administration; and was a successful business executive in the private sector.  He currently chairs the Rumsfeld Foundation, which supports leadership and public service in the U.S. and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad.  The Rumsfeld Foundation funds microfinance development projects, fellowships for graduate students interested in public service, the development of young leaders from Central Asia and the Caucasus, and charitable causes that benefit the men and women of the U.S. armed forces and their families.

Michael Beschloss has written eight books on American presidents and is NBC News’ Presidential Historian, as well as a contributor to PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.  Newsweek has hailed him as “the nation’s leading presidential historian.”

A book sale and signing will follow the program, courtesy of Joseph Fox Bookshop. 

The National Constitution Center, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents.  The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues.  The museum dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising.”  The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education.  Also, as a nonpartisan forum for constitutional discourse, the Center presents – without endorsement – programs that contain diverse viewpoints on a broad range of issues.  For more information, call 215.409.6700 or visit www.constitutioncenter.org.