The Hon. Henry “Scoop” Jackson
The Honorable Henry “Scoop” Jackson (1912-1983) was a Senator and House Representative from Washington State and an outspoken anti-communist. He vehemently opposed détente, which he believed ignored human rights and put U.S. security at risk. He was a sponsor of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which allowed U.S.-Soviet trade on the condition that the Soviets relax restrictions on Jewish emigration. Jackson was also a major proponent of the Vietnam War, as he was intent on containing communism. He died at the age of 71, hours after giving a new conference where he condemned the Soviet shoot down of Korean Air Flight 007. In addition to posthumously receiving the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2007, Jackson was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his death.
