Tom braden biography

Thomas Braden is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He studied Political Science and entered the fleet as a Naval Aviator. After earning his wings of gold, he flew SHB and MHR Seahawk helicopters, deploying to the Northern Arabian Gulf. His shore tours included Washington, D.C. and Naples, Italy. Selected to the inaugural cohort of the “Navy D.C. Intern” Program, he completed his Master’s degree in Organizational Management from The George Washington University in He is passionate about the opportunities that the U.S. Navy has afforded him: piloting aircraft around the world; serving as a White House Social Aide under President Clinton and President Bush; acting as the Chief of Naval Operations’ Foreign Liaison Officer, where, in the truest sense of foreign liaison, het met and married, Ms. Kirsty McLean, formerly of Brisbane, Australia. Following his retirement from active duty in , his international adventures continued, following his wife’s civil service career to Jakarta, Indonesia. Here, he had the opportunity to serve with USAID, as a Human Resources Advisor, implementing a new merit-based evaluation and compensation system. In his initial assignment to the civil service, he will serve as the NATO Policy Specialist for the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, Africa and the Commander of the U.S. Navy, Sixth Fleet, in Naples, Italy. Thomas is an avid yogi. He loves good food and outdoor photography. He is happily married with two sons, Connor and Chase.

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JFKOH-TWJB

Interviewee(s)

Braden, Joan R.,

Braden, Thomas W.,

Biographical Note

Thomas Braden was editor and publisher of the Blade Tribune in Oceanside, California (); a columnist for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate (); and a Commentator on CNN, CBS, and NBC (). Joan Braden was an aide to Nelson A. Rockefeller; presidential campaign staff member for John F. Kennedy () and Robert F. Kennedy (); and coordinator of consumer affairs and special assistant to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the State Department ().

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The Bradens discuss their roles in John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign and Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign; California politics; humorous anecdotes about the Kennedy family; and Robert F. Kennedy’s speech in Indianapolis on the night Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, among other issues.

Date(s) of Materials

Donated to the United States

Series

Series 1. John F. Kennedy Oral History Interviews,

Preferred Citation

Thomas W. and Joan R. Braden, recorded interview by Dennis O&#;Brien, October 11, , (page number), John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.

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Some of the archival materials in this collection may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

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October 28, AM EDT

Tom Braden was for many years the editor and publisher of the Oceanside, California, Blade Tribune , and is now active in and around Washington, D.C. With the late Stewart Alsop he was the co-author of Sub Rosa: The OSS and American Espionage .

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Tom Braden dies at 92; former CIA operative became columnist and talk show co-host

Tom Braden, a former CIA operative who became a syndicated newspaper columnist, liberal co-host of the CNN talk show “Crossfire” and author of “Eight Is Enough,” a memoir that spawned the popular television series, died of natural causes Friday at his Denver home, his family said. He was

Braden was the father of eight children whose misadventures provided amusing grist for many of his newspaper columns and led to the ABC comedy-drama “Eight Is Enough,” which aired from to and starred Dick Van Patten as Tom Bradford, a Sacramento columnist with a brood of children ages 8 to

But Braden was also prominent as one of the original co-hosts of “Crossfire,” the topical show that made its debut in and pitted him against former Nixon aide and political commentator Pat Buchanan.

His varied careers also included a Cold War-era stint with the CIA’s International Organizations Division, which secretly funded anti-communist front groups and promoted American culture in Europe by sponsoring visits of American symphonies and publishing Encounter magazine. He defended the covert operations in a controversial article in the Saturday Evening Post titled “Why I’m Glad the CIA Is Immoral.”

Braden was born in Greene, Iowa, on Feb. 22, His father worked a variety of jobs, including at a tie store and a bank. His mother was a writer for American Mercury, the magazine founded by H.L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan.

Braden dropped out of high school during the Depression and worked briefly for a printing press in New York. He wanted to go to college and applied to Dartmouth, which was one of the few schools that accepted students without a high school degree. He was interested in journalism and became editor of the campus newspaper. He graduated in

In , he went to England and was among a small group of Americans who enlisted in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps in the British Army to fig