Richard V. Allen
Encyclopedia
Richard Vincent Allen was the United States National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan
from 1981 to 1982.
Allen was born in 1936 in Collingswood, New Jersey
. A graduate of Saint Francis Preparatory School in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
, Allen received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Notre Dame
. He served as a senior staff member of President Nixon
's National Security Council
in 1968 and served various Republican
administrations up to and including that of President Reagan.
In November 1981, while serving as Reagan's National Security Advisor, Allen was accused of receiving a bribe
from a journalist from Japan
for setting up an interview in January 1981 with First Lady Nancy Reagan
. Ronald Reagan said, in his diary, that the Japanese magazine gave cash gifts to people that it interviewed, and that Allen had stepped in to intercept the check to avoid embarrassment for Nancy Reagan, then gave the check to his secretary, who put it in an office safe. Then when Allen changed offices, the check was found left in the safe. The FBI
cleared everyone involved, then the Justice Department
began its own investigation, and the story got leaked to the press. Reagan believed it was just political sabotage behind leaking the story. Although the claims were never proven, Allen was eventually pressed into resigning his position.
He is currently a senior fellow at Stanford University
's Hoover Institution
, and a member of the Heritage Foundation
's Asian Studies Center Advisory Council, the Council on Foreign Relations
, the United States Defense Policy Board, the American Alternative Foundation, and the United States National Security Advisory Group. He also serves on the advisory council of the Nixon Center.
Allen is president of the Richard V. Allen Company, a Washington-based consulting services firm. He provides consulting services to international companies and organizations. He currently serves on APCO Worldwide's Iraq
reconstruction task force and is considered one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington for South Korea
n interests.
Richard Allen is also a fellow of St. Margaret's College, one of New Zealand's most prestigious residential colleges.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
from 1981 to 1982.
Allen was born in 1936 in Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,926....
. A graduate of Saint Francis Preparatory School in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
Spring Grove is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,167 at the 2010 census.-History:The site of Spring Grove was laid out in 1747 on the banks of Codorus Creek, midway between York and Hanover, by a surveyor for the Penns. Its growth since that time falls...
, Allen received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He served as a senior staff member of President Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's National Security Council
National Security Council
A National Security Council is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security...
in 1968 and served various Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
administrations up to and including that of President Reagan.
In November 1981, while serving as Reagan's National Security Advisor, Allen was accused of receiving a bribe
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
from a journalist from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for setting up an interview in January 1981 with First Lady Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
. Ronald Reagan said, in his diary, that the Japanese magazine gave cash gifts to people that it interviewed, and that Allen had stepped in to intercept the check to avoid embarrassment for Nancy Reagan, then gave the check to his secretary, who put it in an office safe. Then when Allen changed offices, the check was found left in the safe. The FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
cleared everyone involved, then the Justice Department
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
began its own investigation, and the story got leaked to the press. Reagan believed it was just political sabotage behind leaking the story. Although the claims were never proven, Allen was eventually pressed into resigning his position.
He is currently a senior fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
's Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
, and a member of the Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
's Asian Studies Center Advisory Council, the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, the United States Defense Policy Board, the American Alternative Foundation, and the United States National Security Advisory Group. He also serves on the advisory council of the Nixon Center.
Allen is president of the Richard V. Allen Company, a Washington-based consulting services firm. He provides consulting services to international companies and organizations. He currently serves on APCO Worldwide's Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
reconstruction task force and is considered one of the most influential lobbyists in Washington for South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n interests.
Richard Allen is also a fellow of St. Margaret's College, one of New Zealand's most prestigious residential colleges.
External links
- Richard V. Allen profile, NNDB.
- Statement of Richard Allen before the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, October 11, 2001.
- Letter to President Bush on the War on Terrorism, signed by Richard V. Allen, September 20, 2001.
- Interview with Miller Center of Public Affairs - Presidential Oral History Program.