John O. Koehler Asked To Resign Less Than a Week Into His Job as Communications Director

John O. Koehler isn't the shortest-serving US cabinet member - that distinction belongs to Thomas M.T. McKennan, Anthony Scaramucci and Elihu Washburne, all of whom resigned or were forced out from their posts after just 11 days.

John O. Koehler, however, has the distinction of being asked to resign just SIX days into his term as Ronald Reagan's communications director.

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Koehler first worked as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press before taking a job with the United States Information Agency.

Koehler developed a friendship with President Ronald Reagan and accepted the open position of White House Communications Director on March 1st, 1987.

A scandal quickly broke out, however, as it was revealed that Koehler had been in the Deutsches Jungvolk when he was 10 years old. This is described as a youth paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, and Koehler actively helped Germany defend against the Royal Air Force during the Bombing of Dresden.

The press quickly started hammering the Reagan Administration over the appointment.

Koehler claimed that he had told the White House about his past. He said that he was forced into duty for the Deutsches Jungvolk and that it had not been his choice as a 10 year-old boy.

The White House stated that Koehler had not informed them of his past.

Eventually the White House said that Koehler's past had slipped through the cracks due to a rushed approval process.

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After starting his new position on March 1st, 1987, Koehler was asked to resign on March 7th. Koehler ended up leaving his post on March 13th, meaning that he officially lasted 13 days in office.

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President Reagan remained loyal to his friend, giving Koehler a position in the National Commission for Employment Policy of the US Department of Labor in the final days of his second term in office.

Filed under: General Knowledge