Brent Scowcroft, national security advisor to Presidents George H. W. Bush and Gerald R. Ford, died on August 6, 2020. 

Scowcroft, a former Air Force general, is perhaps best remembered as a key figure during the Bush 41 administration at the end of the Cold War and the launch of the Gulf War, a period that also included the Tiananmen Square incident in China, the invasion of Panama, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These extraordinary events are chronicled in the recent PBS film Statecraft: The Bush 41 Team, directed by Lori Shinseki and produced by the Miller Center and VPM. During the film, his colleagues celebrated his many decades of service:

"Brent Scowcroft was an American patriot and public servant of the highest order with an extraordinary military and government service career spanning over 60 years," read a statement issued on behalf of General Scowcroft’s family. "His entire professional life was devoted to how best to protect America and advance its interests."

For more on Scowcroft, read the two oral history interviews (Part I and Part II) he conducted with Miller Center scholars.

Read this New York Times account of Scowcroft's Miller Center oral history that he only wanted released upon his death.

And watch Statecraft online.