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Alexander Haig I Am in Charge Here Speech

by Amy Judd | February 20, 2010 at 08:52 am

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Alexander Haig, the former US Secretary of State appointed by President Nixon has died at the age of 85. For many what he is perhaps best known for is his "I am in charge here speech" made to reporters after Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

Some reports claim he said "I am in charge here" while others report "I am in control here."

In a Time Magazine article Haig's speech was recorded as:

Constitutionally, gentlemen, you have the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State in that order, and should the President decide he wants to transfer the helm to the Vice President, he will do so. He has not done that. As of now, I am in control here, in the White House, pending return of the Vice President and in close touch with him. If something came up, I would check with him, of course.

This statement was controversial however, as Haig was not the Vice President who would be in control of the office if something happened to the President. He later had to explain his statement and in an interview with 60 minutes in 2001 he stated:

I wasn't talking about transition. I was talking about the executive branch, who is running the government. That was the question asked. It was not, "Who is in line should the President die?"

Haig is credited with effectively running the government at the end of the Nixon administration.