Robert Komer

Robert Komer
Komer meeting with President Lyndon Johnson.
Born	(1922-02-23)February 23, 1922 Chicago, Illinois
Died	April 9, 2000(2000-04-09) (aged 78)

Robert William "Blowtorch Bob" Komer (February 23, 1922 – April 9, 2000) was a key figure in the pacification effort to win South Vietnamese "hearts and minds" during the Vietnam War, heading Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support.

Born in Chicago, Illinois but raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Komer graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School, served in World War II and joined the Central Intelligence Agency in its infancy in 1947.

Komer served on the staff of the National Security Council, which was led by McGeorge Bundy. After Bundy's departure, Komer briefly succeeded Bundy as interim National Security Advisor, before he was assigned to the Vietnam pacification campaign.

While with the NSC, Komer and others negotiated with Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol a memorandum of understanding (MOU) about Israeli nuclear capabilities. The March 10, 1965, MOU, variously interpreted since, said 'Israel would not be the first country to "introduce" nuclear weapons to the Middle East'.

Komer arrived in South Vietnam in May 1967 as the first head of the newly created Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support program, the most controversial aspect of which was the Phoenix program, which William Colby later testified resulted in 20,587 deaths. CORDS was an agency with a staff of both civilians and military personnel, but it fell under the authority of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson had sent Komer to South Vietnam to provide impetus to the nation-building efforts of the new organization. Komer was known for his brusque management style, which had endeared him to the president and earned him the nickname "blowtorch Bob" from U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.. As head of CORDS, he commanded all pacification personnel in South Vietnam.