"American diplomat" . . . . "United States Deputy Secretary of Defense" . . "1906-04-10Z"^^ . . . . "Under Secretary of the Navy" . . . . "9th" . . . "54th" . . . . "7th" . "Thomas S. Gates Jr."@en . . . . "United States Secretary of Defense" . . "United States Secretary of the Navy" . "Gates, Thomas S., Jr."@en . "8th" . . . "1983-03-25Z"^^ . "1983Z"^^ . "3rdChief of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing" . . . . . "1906Z"^^ . . . "Thomas Sovereign Gates Jr. (April 10, 1906 \u2013 March 25, 1983) was United States Secretary of Defense from 1959 to 1961 under President Eisenhower. He was promoted from deputy secretary of defense. During his tenure, he established a task force to set nuclear target priorities. He also authorized U-2 reconnaissance flights, including the flight of Francis Gary Powers."@en . . . . .