A Daughter Reflects on Her Father’s Life of Service
by Shelley Dutton
It’s no surprise that Kristin Carlucci Weed '98 chose to work with Disruption Books, an independent publisher whose catalog focuses on nonfiction, to get her first book into print. After all, Disruption’s website expresses the company’s purpose this way: “Our books present big ideas that start conversations, shift perspectives, and influence outcomes.” That’s exactly what Kristin had in mind when she wrote Get Me Carlucci, which hit bookstores nationwide this January.
Kristin’s book chronicles the career of her late father, Frank C. Carlucci III, whose work in government spanned more than three decades under seven presidents. It’s a story of patriotism, courage, and an unfailing commitment to public service. It’s also a story of much that has been lost – or at least severely diminished – in government today, and Kristin hopes that her book will inspire conversation about the qualities that can empower individuals to work together effectively in service of the nation. She says, “In our modern era of bitter bipartisanship, the way my father lived and the manner in which he moved through Washington, working under leaders from both parties, offer lessons we can all learn from.”
Frank Carlucci completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University in 1952, served two years in the United States Navy, then attended the Harvard School of Business Administration. He began his career in public service at the State Department in 1956; during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations, Carlucci worked as a foreign service officer in hot spots around the world, including South Africa, the Congo, Zanzibar, and Brazil.
In 1969, at the start of Richard Nixon’s presidency, Carlucci left State to become assistant director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. A year later, he was promoted to director. His next role was deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, after which he was named undersecretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
During the Ford and Carter administrations, Frank Carlucci served as U.S. Ambassador to Portugal, where he played a key role in supporting the country’s transition to democracy.
In 1978, President Carter appointed Carlucci deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency. And during the Reagan administration, he served first as deputy Secretary of Defense then, during the height of the Iran-Contra scandal, as National Security Advisor. Carlucci completed his career in government as United States Secretary of Defense after his predecessor, Caspar Weinberger, resigned in the wake of Iran-Contra.
Ordinarily, one might view a career that involves moving from position to position, with tenures of just a year or two in each role, as a reflection of instability, even failure. But Frank Carlucci’s peripatetic journey through Washington reflects something entirely different. It was the career of a man of impressive discipline and unwavering dedication, a leader who could be relied upon to go where he was most needed, sorting out problems, restoring confidence, and increasing effectiveness across complex government systems. Presidents of both parties were known to pick up the phone in moments of crisis and order, “Get me Carlucci!”
When Frank Carlucci passed away in 2018, The New York Times wrote, “In posts that carried him into international controversies, occasional dangers and Washington’s highest echelons, Mr. Carlucci was a daredevil diplomat, an expert budget-whacker and, to presidents and cabinet secretaries, the indispensable No. 2 man who ran things: the day-to-day affairs of America’s anti-poverty programs; its health, education and welfare systems; its intelligence services; and its military operations.” The Washington Post also eulogized Carlucci, calling him “a soft-spoken but hard-driving manager of crises” and a reliable “tamer of federal bureaucracies.” Clearly, Frank Carlucci had a wide-ranging impact on American government. Yet today, his name is not well known.
Kristin says, “Unlike some of his more colorful contemporaries, my father never sought the spotlight. He was humble and reserved. His focus was always on getting the job done, and for much of his career, that meant making things happen behind the scenes.” She adds, “This is one reason I wrote the book. I believe that my dad’s life and work merit wider recognition – not only because of his many accomplishments but also because of the example that his dedicated, nonpartisan approach to public service provides.”
Unlike many others who have held senior government posts, Frank Carlucci never published an autobiography or memoir. Well – almost never. There is the little book that he put together for his family...
Kristin recalls, “My father didn’t like writing. In fact, he thought of me as the writer in the family. I worked as a researcher at RAND for a number of years, and he always said my writing was beautiful. Nonetheless, in the latter part of his life, I encouraged him to write an account of his career, to get the memories down on paper – at least for our family. My dad was struggling with Parkinson’s at that time, so he dictated his thoughts and recollections and had a typist prepare the pages.” She adds ruefully, “He would send those to me now and then, and I – a busy professional with young children – would respond with ‘Dad, this is great. Keep going; write more!’ I wish now that I had taken the opportunity to work with him on that project.”
Ultimately, Frank Carlucci finished his memoir and had several copies of the little book put together for members of his family. Kristin says, “A couple of years after my dad died, my husband and kids and I moved back to DC. Around that same time, another family member passed away, and when I was cleaning out her house, I came across her copy of my father’s memoir. A friend who was helping me leafed through it and said, ‘What is this? Was it ever published? Wow, this is really interesting!’”
“That was a turning point for me,” Kristin reflects. “In that moment I knew that I had to find a way to share my dad’s story.”
If you happen to see Get Me Carlucci in a bookstore or on Amazon, you’ll notice that there are two authors listed on the cover: Kristin Carlucci Weed and Frank C. Carlucci III. This is because the book is built around excerpts from the memoir Frank Carlucci wrote for his family, with context provided by his daughter.
Kristin explains, “The book combines his voice and mine. My role was to provide information that would help readers better understand my dad’s personal narrative. Since he was talking about his own experiences and had a lot of insider knowledge, I had to kind of fill in the blanks. I wanted to highlight the magnitude of the challenges that our country and the world faced during those decades and the contributions my father made to addressing those challenges.”
To develop that context, Kristin spent more than two years doing background research. She says, “My dad had boxes with thousands of newspaper articles chronicling his years in government. Those were a great resource. I also interviewed people who had worked with him in various capacities. For example, when my father was National Security Advisor, he appointed Colin Powell as his deputy. Powell later succeeded my father as NSA. They had a very close working relationship and great mutual respect. So Colin Powell was one of the people I talked with to get added perspective on my father’s work.”
Writing a book and getting a publisher is only the start of an author’s journey. Next comes marketing. Kristin says, “This is a whole new world for me, but I’ve been working with Disruption Books’ marketing person to generate interest. At first, I thought that virtual promotion would be the way to go; I knew about social media book-discussion groups and thought that sort of thing might provide opportunities. But it turns out that those are mostly focused on fiction. For nonfiction, in-person events seem to be most effective.”
So now, in the weeks following Get Me Carlucci’s release, Kristin is doing signings at independent bookstores and presentations for various groups. She notes, “Given the topic, my book is of particular interest to people in Washington. So I’ll be speaking at places like the Ronald Reagan Institute, the Army and Navy Club in DC, the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. I’ll also be coming to Potomac on March 26, to speak with students during the day and the rest of the community that evening; I’m really looking forward to that!”
Kristin adds, “The United States Embassy in Portugal has requested a visit and book tour. This year marks the country’s 50th anniversary of democracy, and the embassy will be commemorating the United States’ role in that transition, including the contributions of my father, who was U.S. Ambassador to Portugal at that time.”
She notes, “I’m sure there will be additional opportunities to talk about the book. Presidential libraries tend to be interested in this kind of topic, and podcasts and op-eds are good ways to get the word out about a book that has important things to say. So we continue looking at a variety of options.”
Reflecting on this part of her journey as an author, Kristin admits, “Public speaking isn’t exactly my wheelhouse. I’ve had to expand those skills and push forward.” But, she adds, “I feel like it’s going pretty well so far.”
So what, in his daughter’s estimation, are the greatest lessons of Frank Carlucci’s life? Kristin says, “My dad always emphasized a healthy mind and a healthy body. Clearly, he had a strong intellect; he couldn’t have done so many complex jobs effectively without that. But he also focused on keeping his body strong. My dad exercised every day – running, swimming, playing tennis.”
She adds, “I inherited that last interest from him. I played on the varsity tennis team all four years of high school at Potomac.” Laughing, she recalls, “When I was in college, my dad would call me up and ask if I was studying and exercising. I told him – as all college kids tell their parents – ‘You don’t need to remind me. I have it under control!’”
Kristin reflects, “After leaving government, my father served on the board of The Carlyle Group for 10 years, first as vice chairman and then as chairman. Carlyle is one of the world’s largest private equity firms, and my father was proud to be associated with the company. Yet, in his memoir, he devoted just one short chapter to that part of his life. I think that reflects what was really important to him. He was proudest of his time serving our country, and his sharpest memories were of tackling problems and creating solutions for the American people.”
Kristin concludes, “I think the biggest lesson of my father’s life and career is this: In pursuit of a worthy cause, it is possible – and necessary – to see beyond political affiliations and other perceived differences. In life as in tennis, you can only achieve success if you refuse to be distracted; you have to keep your eye on the ball.”