21 Feb 2010

Former Nixon chief of staff Alexander Haig dies

6:45 am on 21 February 2010

Former US Secretary of State Alexander Haig has died in a Baltimore hospital at the age of 85.

Mr Haig was chief-of-staff to President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s.

In 1973, he was asked to take over as President Nixon's chief of staff at a time when the administration was in serious trouble.

Mr Haig was widely credited with saving the presidency from complete collapse over Watergate, and persuading Mr Nixon to resign, the BBC says.

He was perhaps best known for his bungled response when President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, erroneously telling reporters he was "in control".

Mr Haig maintained he was simply trying to keep the country calm, but was widely derided for apparently trying to overstep his authority.

A decorated hero in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, he rose to the rank of general.

Mr Haig's family said he had been in hospital suffering from complications associated with an infection.