View source for Robert McFarlane (American government official)

{{Short description|American Marine Corps officer and National Security Advisor (1937–2022)}}
{{Other people||Robert MacFarlane (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Bud McFarlane
| image               = Robert McFarlane, Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs ME278-2 (cropped).jpg
| office              = 12th [[National Security Advisor (United States)|United States National Security Advisor]]
| president           = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| term_start          = October 17, 1983
| term_end            = December 4, 1985
| predecessor         = [[William P. Clark Jr.]]
| successor           = [[John Poindexter]]
| office1             = 12th [[Deputy National Security Advisor (United States)|United States Deputy National Security Advisor]]
| president1          = Ronald Reagan
| term_start1         = April 4, 1982
| term_end1           = October 17, 1983
| predecessor1        = [[James W. Nance|James Nance]]
| successor1          = John Poindexter
| office2             = 20th [[Counselor of the United States Department of State|Counselor of the Department of State]]
| president2          = Ronald Reagan
| term_start2         = February 28, 1981
| term_end2           = April 4, 1982
| predecessor2        = [[Rozanne L. Ridgway]]
| successor2          = [[James L. Buckley]]
| birth_name          = Robert Carl McFarlane
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1937|7|12}}
| birth_place         = Washington, D.C., U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2022|5|12|1937|7|12}}
| death_place         = [[Lansing, Michigan]], U.S.
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse              = Jonda Riley<ref name="nyt-obit"/>
| education           = {{ubl|[[United States Naval Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])|[[Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies|Geneva Graduate Institute]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]])|[[National Defense University]]}}
| allegiance          = <!-- United States -->
| branch              = [[United States Marine Corps]]
| serviceyears        = 1959–1979
| rank                = {{Dodseal|US O-5|18px}} [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]]
| battles             = [[Vietnam War]]
| mawards             = {{ubl|[[Distinguished Service Medal (United States Navy)|Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] (with [["V" Device|valor]])|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]|[[Commendation Medal|Navy Commendation Medal]] (with [["V" Device|valor]])|[[Secretary's Distinguished Service Award]]|[[Navy Distinguished Public Service Award]]}}
}}
'''Robert Carl''' "'''Bud'''" '''McFarlane''' (July 12, 1937 – May 12, 2022) was an [[United States of America|American]] [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] officer who served as [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] to President [[Ronald Reagan]] from 1983 to 1985. Within the [[Reagan administration]], McFarlane was a leading architect of the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]], a project intended to defend the US from [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] ballistic missile attacks.<ref>Smith, R. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20121105141837/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1278872.html McFarlane Calls SDI Pitch Misleading]", Washington Post (1988-09-15) (via HighBeam.com): "Robert C. McFarlane, a key architect of President Reagan's 'Star Wars' plan to develop sophisticated defenses against Soviet ballistic missiles, said he has concluded 'There is no current basis for confidence that a survivable defensive shield is within reach' and that Reagan's announcement of it was misleading and simplistic."</ref> He resigned as National Security Adviser in late 1985 because of disagreements with other administration figures but remained involved in negotiations with Iran and with [[Hezbollah]].
McFarlane was a central figure in the [[Iran–Contra affair]], an operation in which the Reagan administration funneled weapons to Iran and diverted the profits to illegally fund [[Contras|right-wing rebels in Nicaragua]]. When the scheme came to light, administration officials implemented a plan to insulate Reagan and senior officials by focusing blame on McFarlane.<ref name="wapo-obit">{{cite news | newspaper = Washington Post | title = Robert 'Bud' McFarlane, Reagan national security adviser, dies at 84 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/05/13/robert-bud-mcfarlane-iran-contra-dead/ | date = May 13, 2022 | first = Jerrold | last = Schechter | access-date = May 13, 2022 | archive-date = May 13, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220513170103/https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/05/13/robert-bud-mcfarlane-iran-contra-dead/ | url-status = live }}</ref> He ultimately pleaded guilty to four [[misdemeanor]] counts and admitted that he had hidden information about the Reagan administration's support of the Contras from Congress. Suffering from guilt over his role in the scheme and feeling betrayed by Reagan, who, McFarlane later wrote, "approved every single action I ever took" but "lacked the moral conviction and intellectual courage to stand up in our defense and in defense of his policy." McFarlane attempted suicide in 1987.<ref name="wapo-obit"/><ref name="nyt-obit"/> He was later [[Federal pardons in the United States|pardoned]], along with several other figures in the Iran-Contra scandal, by President [[George H. W. Bush]] shortly before he left office.
After his pardon, McFarlane operated a consulting business. He was investigated by the [[FBI]] in 2009 over concerns that he was illegally lobbying on behalf of the [[Sudan]]ese government of [[Omar al-Bashir]] but was not charged with any crime.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper = Washington Post | title = Probe of former national security adviser's relationship with Sudan ends without charges | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/probe-of-former-national-security-advisers-relationship-with-sudan-ends-without-charges/2013/11/27/fc279458-5799-11e3-ba82-16ed03681809_story.html | first = Matt | last = Zapotosky | date = November 27, 2013 | access-date = September 10, 2017 | archive-date = January 6, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180106030337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/probe-of-former-national-security-advisers-relationship-with-sudan-ends-without-charges/2013/11/27/fc279458-5799-11e3-ba82-16ed03681809_story.html | url-status = live }}</ref> McFarlane died in [[Lansing, Michigan]], on May 12, 2022, from a lung condition.<ref name="nyt-obit">{{cite news | work = New York Times | title = Robert C. McFarlane, Top Reagan Aide in Iran-Contra Affair, Dies at 84 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/us/robert-c-mcfarlane-dead.html | first = Neil | last = Lewis | date = May 13, 2022 | access-date = May 16, 2022 | archive-date = May 16, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220516060946/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/us/robert-c-mcfarlane-dead.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
==Early life and education==
McFarlane was the son of Texas Democratic Congressman [[William D. McFarlane|William McFarlane]]. After graduating high school, McFarlane entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] at [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]] in 1955, where he graduated in 1959. He was the third member of his family to attend the Academy, after his uncle Robert McFarlane (1925) and his brother Bill (1949). At the academy he graduated in the top 15 percent of the class and [[Letterman (sports)|lettered]] twice in [[gymnastics]]. He received an honorary doctorate from the [[Institute of World Politics]] in Washington, D.C., in 2014. He sang in the Chapel Choir, and was a Brigade Administrative Officer and 14th Company Commander. He married his high school sweetheart, Jonda Riley.<ref name="nyt-obit"/>
==Marine Corps service==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2023}}
Following graduation from the Naval Academy in 1959, McFarlane was commissioned a [[second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the Marine Corps, where he served as a field artillery officer.
As a Marine Corps officer, McFarlane commanded [[platoon]]s, a battery of field artillery [[howitzer]]s and was the Operations Officer for an artillery regiment. He taught [[Artillery|Gunnery]] at the Army Advanced Artillery Course. He was the executive assistant to the Marine Corps' Operations Deputy from 1968–1971, preparing the deputy for meetings with the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]. During this assignment he was also the Action Officer in the Marine Corps Operations Division for Europe/[[NATO]], the Middle East, and Latin America.
McFarlane served two combat tours in the [[Vietnam War]]. In March 1965, he commanded an artillery battery in the first landing of U.S. combat forces in Vietnam. While deployed during his first tour, McFarlane was selected for graduate studies as an [[The Olmsted Scholar Program|Olmsted Scholar]]. McFarlane received a master's degree (License) in [[strategic studies]] with highest honors from the [[Graduate Institute of International Studies]] (''Institut de Hautes Etudes Internationales'', HEI) in [[Geneva, Switzerland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Robert McFarlane |url=https://www.londoncenter.org/fellows/5F7336F4-3ED7-11EA-8423-A9FC50FABE79/profile |website=London Center for Policy Research |access-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501203623/https://www.londoncenter.org/fellows/5F7336F4-3ED7-11EA-8423-A9FC50FABE79/profile?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com |url-status=live }}</ref>
After attending the Graduate Institute of International Studies, McFarlane returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1967–1968 as a Regimental Fire Support Coordinator for the [[3rd Marine Division (United States)|3rd Marine Division]] deployed along the [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone]] during the [[Tet Offensive]]. He organized all fire support ([[B-52 Stratofortress|B-52s]], naval gunfire from the [[USS New Jersey (BB-62)|USS ''New Jersey'' (BB-62)]], and artillery) for forces deployed at [[Con Thien]], [[Cam Lo]], [[Dong Ha]], [[The Rockpile]], [[Khe Sanh]], and points between. McFarlane received a [[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] and a [[Navy Commendation Medal]], both with [[Valor device]].
Following his second tour in Vietnam and a tour at [[Headquarters Marine Corps]], in 1971 he was named a [[White House Fellow]]. He was the first Marine Corps officer selected for the program.
McFarlane was assigned to the [[White House Office of Legislative Affairs]] and at the conclusion of that assignment was selected as the Military Assistant to [[Henry Kissinger]] at the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]]. In this post, McFarlane dealt with intelligence exchanges with the People's Republic of China from 1973 to 1976, giving detailed intelligence briefings to the PRC at the time of the [[Sino-Soviet split]]. He also accompanied Kissinger on his [[1972 Nixon visit to China|visits to the PRC]]. In addition, McFarlane dealt with other aspects of foreign policy, including the Middle East, [[Soviet Union–United States relations|relations with the Soviet Union]], and [[arms control]]. McFarlane was appointed by President [[Gerald Ford]] as his Special Assistant for National Security Affairs while a Lieutenant Colonel and was awarded the [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]] in 1976.
Upon leaving the White House, McFarlane was assigned to the [[National Defense University]], where he co-authored a book on crisis management while concurrently receiving a diploma from the [[National War College]].
He ended his Marine Corps career on [[United States Forces Japan|Okinawa]] as Operations Officer for the 12th Marine Regiment. McFarlane retired in 1979 as a lieutenant colonel.
==Civilian posts==
In 1979, McFarlane was appointed by U.S. Senator [[John Tower]] to the staff of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]], where he was responsible for staffing Senate consideration of the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks#SALT II Treaty|SALT II Treaty]] from 1979 to 1981. He also authored much of [[Ronald Reagan]]'s foreign policy platform during the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential campaign]].
In 1981, President Reagan appointed and the Senate confirmed McFarlane as Counselor at the Department of State.<ref name=ReaganCounselor1981>{{cite web
|access-date=March 23, 2009
|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=43990
|format=Press Release
|author=The White House
|title=Nomination of Robert C. McFarlane To Be' Counselor of the Department of State
|date=January 29, 1981
|work=The American Presidency Project
|archive-date=May 20, 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520130118/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=43990
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In this post he assisted Secretary of State [[Alexander Haig]].
In 1982, Reagan appointed McFarlane as Deputy National Security Advisor responsible for the integration of the policy recommendations of the Departments of State, [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury]], and [[United States Department of Defense|Defense]]. In 1983, he was appointed by the president as his Special Representative in the Middle East responsible for [[Arab–Israeli conflict|Israeli-Arab negotiations]].<ref name=ReaganMiddleEast1983>{{cite web
|access-date=March 23, 2009
|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=41628&st=McFarlane&st1=
|format=Press Release
|author=The White House
|title=Appointment of Robert C. McFarlane as the President's Personal Representative in the Middle East
|date=July 22, 1983
|work=The American Presidency Project
|archive-date=May 20, 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520130113/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=41628&st=McFarlane&st1=
|url-status=live
}}</ref>
McFarlane was criticized for having involved the United States armed forces in the [[Lebanon Civil War]] with [[gunship]] bombardment of Lebanese opposition forces which may have led to the [[1983 Beirut barracks bombing]] where 241 American servicemen were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/29/lesson_unlearned |title=Lesson Unlearned |first=Nir |last=Rosen |date=October 29, 2009 |work=[[Foreign Policy]] |access-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-date=January 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107034943/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/29/lesson_unlearned |url-status=live }}</ref>
Following that assignment, he returned to the White House and was appointed President Reagan's [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]].<ref name=ReaganNSA1983>{{cite web
|access-date=March 23, 2009
|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40655&st=McFarlane&st1=
|format=Press Release
|title=Appointment of Robert C. McFarlane as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
|date=October 17, 1983
|author=The White House
|work=The American Presidency Project
|archive-date=May 20, 2009
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520130108/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40655&st=McFarlane&st1=
|url-status=live
}}</ref> In that post, he was responsible for the development of U.S
foreign and defense policy. He was a supporter of the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] (SDI or "Star Wars").
==Iran-Contra affair and resignation==
[[File:Robert McFarlane 1987.jpg|thumb|left|McFarlane in 1987]]
The [[Iran-Contra affair]] involved secretly selling arms to Iran and funneling the money to support the [[Contras]] in Nicaragua. As National Security Adviser, McFarlane urged Reagan to negotiate the arms deal with Iranian intermediaries, but McFarlane said that by late December 1985 he was urging Reagan to end the arms shipments.<ref>Shenon, Philip. "[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0715FC38590C708EDDA80894D1484D81 Ex-Official Says Bush Urged End to Iran Arms Shipments]", New York Times (1989-01-23): "Robert C. McFarlane, the former adviser, said in a telephone interview that although Vice President Bush rarely expressed an opinion at such meetings, he supported Mr. McFarlane in urging that the shipments be stopped....At the December 1985 meeting, Mr. McFarlane recalled, he advised Mr. Reagan to end the arms operation....Mr. Bush, he said, made a similar brief statement at a White House meeting after Mr. McFarlane went to Teheran in May 1986."</ref> McFarlane resigned on December 4, 1985,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Letter Accepting the Resignation of Robert C. McFarlane as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs|url=http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/120485d.htm|access-date=2012-12-04|archive-date=March 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320212108/http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1985/120485d.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=United States v. Robert C. McFarlane|publisher=Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra Matters|year=1993|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/reports/1993/walsh/chap_01.htm|access-date=June 7, 2008|archive-date=December 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208210354/http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/reports/1993/walsh/chap_01.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> citing that he wanted to spend more time with his family;<ref>*{{Cite book|author=Reagan, Ronald|author-link=Ronald Reagan|year=1990|location=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster|page=509|title=An American Life}}</ref> he was replaced by Admiral [[John Poindexter]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/profile-poindexter.php|title=Understanding the Iran-Contra Affairs – The Legal Aftermath|website=brown.edu|access-date=May 17, 2022|archive-date=May 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517095623/https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/profile-poindexter.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
The Iran-Contra affair came to light in November 1986 and a political scandal ensued. Disheartened, feeling abused by his former colleagues, and in depression over the embarrassment for the president that his actions had contributed to, McFarlane attempted suicide with an overdose of 25 to 30 [[valium]] tablets and was admitted into the hospital just two hours before his scheduled testimony before the Blue Ribbon panel appointed by President Reagan to investigate Iran-Contra known as the Tower Commission on February 9, 1987, saying he had failed his country.<ref name=WashingtonPost_Okie-Spolar_19870210>
{{cite news|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1305409.html
|title=McFarlane Takes Drug Overdose; Iran Probe Figure Hospitalized Shortly Before Testimony Due|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008195917/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1305409.html |archive-date=October 8, 2016
|newspaper=The Washington Post | date=February 10, 1987|author1=Okie, Susan |first2=Chris |last2=Spolar |name-list-style=amp |via=HighBeam.com }}</ref>
In 1988, he pleaded guilty to four [[misdemeanor]] counts of withholding information from [[United States Congress|Congress]] as part of the Iran-Contra cover-up.<ref name=WashingtonPost_Pichirallo_19880312>
{{cite news
|title=McFarlane Enters Guilty Plea Arising From Iran-Contra Affair; Former Reagan Adviser Withheld Information From Congress
|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 12, 1988| first=Joe |last=Pichirallo}}</ref>  He was sentenced to two years' probation and a $20,000 fine but was pardoned by President [[George H. W. Bush]] on Christmas Eve 1992.
==Other activities==
[[File:Former Reagan National Security Advisor Robert "Bud" McFarlane in his Washington Office (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|200px|McFarlane in 1994]]
McFarlane co-founded and served as CEO of McFarlane Associates Inc., an international consulting company.
[[File:Robert Mcfarlane IAGS.jpg|thumb|200px|right|McFarlane in 2011]]
He was also a Co-founder and Director<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ip3international.com/team/|title=Our Team – IP3 Int'l|date=2019-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731185611/http://ip3international.com/team/|access-date=2019-07-31|archive-date=July 31, 2019}}</ref> of [http://ip3international.com/ IP3 International] (short for "International Peace Power & Prosperity"<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021|title=Whistleblowers: Flynn backed plan to transfer nuclear tech to Saudis|date=February 19, 2019|publisher=NBC News|language=en|access-date=2019-07-31|archive-date=February 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220024045/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/flynn-backed-plan-transfer-nuclear-tech-saudis-may-have-broken-n973021|url-status=live}}</ref>), a consortium of firms wanting to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia that is led by retired U.S. military commanders and former White House officials.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-saudi-nuclearscheme-idUSL2N24T07M|title=Trump billionaire friend aimed to profit from Mideast nuclear deal...|date=2019-07-29|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-07-31|language=en|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731201514/https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-saudi-nuclearscheme-idUSL2N24T07M|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/trump-barrack-saudi-nuclear-deal-ip3|title=Report Accuses Trump Allies of Conspiring to Profit Off Saudi Nuclear Deal|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=July 30, 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-07-31|archive-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923110024/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/07/trump-barrack-saudi-nuclear-deal-ip3|url-status=live}}</ref>  [[Michael Flynn]] has described himself as an adviser to IP3, which the company denies.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190219006081/en/Statement-Nuclear-Energy-IP3-International|title=Statement on Nuclear Energy from IP3 International {{!}} Business Wire|date=2019-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220050608/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190219006081/en/Statement-Nuclear-Energy-IP3-International|access-date=2019-07-31|archive-date=February 20, 2019}}</ref>  In May 2019, McFarlane wrote an [[op-ed]] in ''[[The Washington Times]]'' advocating for developing nuclear power generation in the Middle East titled "The New Imperialism".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/23/with-focus-and-good-will-the-obstacles-to-nuclear-/|title=The New Imperialism|publisher=The Washington Times|language=en-US|access-date=2022-05-21|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731193641/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/23/with-focus-and-good-will-the-obstacles-to-nuclear-/|url-status=live}}</ref> This proposal, dubbed "Middle East Marshall Plan" by its backers,<ref name="auto"/> was detailed in a March 2017 White Paper written by [[Tom Barrack]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/Appendix%20A.pdf|title=Whistleblowers Raise Grave Concerns with Trump Administration's Efforts to Transfer Sensitive Nuclear Technology to Saudi Arabia Prepared for Chairman Elijah E. Cummings Interim Staff Report Committee on Oversight and Reform U.S. House of Representatives Appendix A|access-date=July 31, 2019|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810071255/https://oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/Appendix%20A.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> the chairman of [[Donald Trump]]'s 2017 Presidential [[first inauguration of Donald Trump|Inaugural]] Committee, a senior adviser to Trump's presidential campaign, and a long-time close friend of and fundraiser for Donald Trump. In 2021, McFarlane co-wrote with David Gattie a piece for ''The National Interest'', titled, "China and the Importance of Civil Nuclear Energy," which extended his ideas on nuclear energy to the geopolitical outlook for China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robert McFarlane |first=David Gattie |date=2021-10-15 |title=China and the Importance of Civil Nuclear Energy |url=https://nationalinterest.org/feature/china-and-importance-civil-nuclear-energy-195100 |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=The National Interest |language=en |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520194023/https://nationalinterest.org/feature/china-and-importance-civil-nuclear-energy-195100 |url-status=live }}</ref>
McFarlane was a member of the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] (WINEP) Board of Advisors, was president of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, was on the Board of Advisors, and was a founding member of the [[Set America Free Coalition]]. He was also an Advisory Board member for the [[Partnership for a Secure America]], a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.
McFarlane served on a number of boards including:
* [[Aegis Defence Services]]&nbsp;– [[Non-executive director]]
* [[Partnership for a Secure America]]&nbsp;– Advisory Board
* [[Fuel Freedom Foundation]] – Advisory Board
* Myriant Incorporated&nbsp;– Advisory Board
* Member of the [[Committee on the Present Danger]]
* [[Alphabet Energy]] – advisory board<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alphabetenergy.com/company/about-us/ |title=About Us &#124; Alphabet Energy |access-date=2014-07-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727214848/http://www.alphabetenergy.com/company/about-us/ |archive-date=July 27, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
He was an advisor to [[John McCain 2008 presidential campaign|John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign]].
From 2009 on, McFarlane worked in the southern region of [[Sudan]] and [[Darfur]] on intertribal relations and development projects.  On September 30, 2009, the ''[[Washington Post]]'' published a story suggesting that McFarlane's contract for this work, which was supported by the [[government of Qatar]], was the result of a request by Sudanese officials.  McFarlane denied any improper contact with Sudanese officials or efforts to avoid disclosure of his work.  The ''Washington Post'' article reported that some persons involved in peacemaking efforts in the [[Geography of Sudan|southern Sudan]] region questioned the source and helpfulness of McFarlane's activities.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903840.html?nav=emailpage | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Former Reagan Aide Robert McFarlane's Dealings With Sudan Raise Questions | first=Dan | last=Eggen | date=September 30, 2009 | access-date=September 10, 2017 | archive-date=May 19, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519102458/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/29/AR2009092903840.html?nav=emailpage | url-status=live }}</ref>  That article prompted FBI investigators to review McFarlane's activities in the Sudan. After an exhaustive probe that lasted three years and included search of his trash, email, and personal belongings, investigators concluded  their search and did not file any criminal charges.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/probe-of-former-national-security-advisers-relationship-with-sudan-ends-without-charges/2013/11/27/fc279458-5799-11e3-ba82-16ed03681809_story.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Probe of former national security adviser's relationship with Sudan ends without charges | first=Matt | last=Zapotosky | date=November 27, 2013 | access-date=September 10, 2017 | archive-date=January 6, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106030337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/probe-of-former-national-security-advisers-relationship-with-sudan-ends-without-charges/2013/11/27/fc279458-5799-11e3-ba82-16ed03681809_story.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
In July 2011, McFarlane, in cooperation with former [[CIA director]] [[Jim Woolsey]], co-founded the United States Energy Security Council,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usesc.org/energy_security/index.php|title=United States Energy Security Council – Home|website=usesc.org|access-date=July 28, 2011|archive-date=July 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717142013/http://www.usesc.org/energy_security/index.php|url-status=live}}</ref> sponsored by the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.
==Death==
McFarlane died on May 12, 2022, at a hospital in [[Lansing, Michigan]], from complications of a lung condition at the age of 84. He lived in Washington, D.C., but was visiting family in Michigan at the time of his death.<ref name="wapo-obit"/> On July 27, 2022, the Congressional Record published, "Remembering the Honorable Robert C. "Bud" McFarlane," commemorating the respect he commanded around the world for his diverse leadership roles.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 27, 2022 |title=Remembering the Honorable Robert C. 'Bud' McFarlane |url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-168/issue-125/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E788-2 |journal=[[Congressional Record]] |volume=168 |issue=125 |access-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019135833/https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-168/issue-125/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E788-2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Awards and decorations==
{|
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|other_device=v|ribbon=Bronze Star ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] with [[Valor device]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|other_device=v|ribbon=Navy and Marine Corps Commendation ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Navy Commendation Medal]] with Valor device
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Army Commendation Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Combat Action Ribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Combat Action Ribbon]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=USA - DOS Distinguished Service Award.png|width=80}}
|Secretary of State [[Secretary's Distinguished Service Award|Distinguished Service Award]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=US Navy Distinguished Public Service Award Ribbon-vector.svg|width=80}}
|[[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[Navy Distinguished Public Service Award|Medal for Distinguished Public Service]]
|-
|[[File:US - Presidential Service Badge.png|75px]]
|[[Presidential Service Badge]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=noribbon.svg|width=80}}
|[[Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement]] (1979)
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=noribbon.svg|width=80}}
|American-Swiss Friendship "Man of the Year" Award (1985)
|}
==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Iran–United States relations]]
* [[List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States]]
== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}
== General and cited references ==
* "Complaint That Donald Regan May Be Placing Blame for the Iran Initiative on Robert McFarlane," Secret PROFS email (November 7, 1986).  Original source: US National Security Council.
* Kornbluh, Peter and Malcolm Byrne, eds. ''The Iran-Contra Affair: The Making of a Scandal, 1983–1988 (Document collection)''. Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey; Washington, D.C.: National Security Archive, 1990.
* Kornbluh, Peter and Malcolm Byrne, eds. ''The Iran-Contra Scandal: The Declassified History''. New York: New Press, Distributed by W. W. Norton, 1993.
* Walsh, Lawrence E. ''Firewall: The Iran-Contra Conspiracy and Cover-up''. New York: Norton, 1997.
* [[Robert Timberg|Timberg, Robert]], ''[[The Nightingale's Song]]''.  New York: Free Press, 1996.
* {{cite web
|url=http://www.brook.edu/fp/research/projects/nsc/transcripts/20010418.pdf
|title=Assessing the Bush Foreign Policy Transition
|publisher=American Enterprise Institute
|location=Washington, D.C.
|date=April 18, 2001
|last1=Daalder
|first1=Ivo H.
|author2=James M. Lindsay, Robert C. "Bud" McFarlane, Carla Anne Robbins (panelists)
|access-date=August 23, 2006
|archive-date=July 8, 2004
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040708171911/http://www.brook.edu/fp/research/projects/nsc/transcripts/20010418.pdf
|url-status=dead
}}
* McFarlane, Robert C.; Smardz, Zofia (1994). ''Special Trust: Pride, Principle and Politics Inside the White House''. New York: Cadell & Davies.
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/nightingalessong00timb
|url-access=registration
|title=The Nightingale's Song
|first=Robert |last=Timberg
|publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=1996 |isbn=0-684-82673-9}} Tells the stories of John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North, Robert McFarlane, and John Poindexter; the impact of the Vietnam War.
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_kFA6DGrlG8C
|title=Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years
|first=Haynes Bonner |last=Johnson
|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |year=2003 |isbn=0-393-32434-6}} Discussion of Iran-Contra and McFarlane's role in the Reagan administration.
==External links==
{{Commons Category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081227112613/http://psaonline.org/userdata_display.php?modin=51&uid=20 Official Web Site of the Partnership for a Secure America]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150813124828/http://committeeonthepresentdanger.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1744&Itemid=89  Official Web Site of the Committee on the Present Danger]
* [http://www.iwp.edu  Institute of World Politics]
* {{C-SPAN|2194}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Rozanne L. Ridgway]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Counselor of the United States Department of State|Counselor of the Department of State]]|years=1981–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[James L. Buckley]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[James W. Nance|James Nance]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy National Security Advisor (United States)|Deputy National Security Advisor]]|years=1982–1983}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[John Poindexter]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[William P. Clark Jr.|William Clark]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]]|years=1983–1985}}
{{s-end}}
{{NSAA}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarlane, Robert}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Foreign Policy Research Institute]]
[[Category:Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Iran–Contra affair]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Texas]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Reagan administration controversies]]
[[Category:People pardoned by George H. W. Bush]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]
[[Category:Texas Republicans]]
[[Category:The Washington Institute for Near East Policy]]
[[Category:United States Deputy National Security Advisors]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps officers]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:United States National Security Advisors]]
[[Category:United States Naval Academy alumni]]
[[Category:White House Fellows]]