Colin Powell
On the 5th of February 2003, Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council. He told the council: "there can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more." The speaker was a retired four-star general serving as American secretary of state, and Democrats and Republicans alike had long admired him.
How did Powell reach that table? What did decades in uniform teach him that he carried into diplomacy? And why did a man so many voters wanted as a candidate keep saying no?
In 1937, in Harlem, Maud Ariel Powell and her husband Luther Theophilus Powell, both Jamaican immigrants, had a son named Colin Luther. Luther worked as a shipping clerk and Maud as a seamstress. Both parents were of mixed African, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. Through them, Powell descended from Eyre Coote, a British Army general who governed Jamaica. The family raised him in the South Bronx, and he graduated from Morris High School in 1954. The school has since closed.
Pete Wentz, the Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist, turns out to be Powell's first cousin twice removed. Wentz's maternal grandfather, Arthur Winston Lewis, was Powell's first cousin.
As a teenager, Powell worked at a baby furniture store in his neighborhood. The shopkeepers were Eastern European Jews, and from them and some of their customers he picked up Yiddish. He also served as a Shabbos goy, helping Orthodox families with tasks on the Sabbath.
In 1958, Powell earned a bachelor of science degree in geology from the City College of New York. He called himself a "C average" student. Then, about six months into college, he found the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He said he not only liked it but was "pretty good at it." His advice to others was to find "something that you like, and something that you think you're pretty good at." In ROTC he became a "straight A student" and joined the Pershing Rifles, the drill team and fraternity begun by General John Pershing.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on graduating, at a time when the Army had only recently been desegregated.
During his training in Georgia, Powell was refused service in bars and restaurants because of the color of his skin. After basic training at Fort Benning, he joined the 48th Infantry in West Germany as a platoon leader. From 1960 to 1962 he served at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where he became commander of Company A in the 1st Battle Group, 4th Infantry.
In 1962, Captain Powell went to Vietnam as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army. While on patrol in territory held by the Viet Cong, he stepped on a punji stake and was wounded. The infection made walking difficult and swelled his foot, which shortened his first tour. The injury earned him a Purple Heart.
Powell came back in 1968 as a major, serving as assistant chief of staff of operations for the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division. During that tour he survived a helicopter crash. On his own, he pulled three others from the burning wreckage, including the division commander, Major General Charles M. Gettys. The rescue earned him the Soldier's Medal for bravery.
An estimated 350 to 500 unarmed civilians died in the My Lai massacre of 1968. Powell was assigned to look into a detailed letter from Tom Glen, a soldier of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade, which backed up rumors of the killings. Powell wrote that "relations between Americal soldiers and the Vietnamese people are excellent." Critics later described his assessment as whitewashing the news of the massacre.
In May 2004, Powell told the television and radio host Larry King: "I was in a unit that was responsible for My Lai. I got there after My Lai happened."
When Powell returned from Vietnam in 1971, he earned a master of business administration degree from George Washington University. From 1972 to 1973 he held a White House Fellowship under President Richard Nixon. In 1975-76 he attended the National War College in Washington.
In South Korea, Lieutenant Colonel Powell commanded the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division. His division commander was Major General Henry "Gunfighter" Emerson, whom Powell regarded as one of the most caring officers he ever met. Emerson insisted that his troops train at night against a possible North Korean attack. He also made them watch the television film Brian's Song again and again to promote racial harmony. After a race riot in which African-American soldiers almost killed a white officer, Emerson told Powell to crack down on Black militants. Powell's efforts led to one soldier's discharge and to other steps that eased racial tension.
Powell commanded the 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in 1976-77. On the 1st of June 1979 he was promoted to brigadier general. At the ceremony, Stuart Purviance, the protocol officer for Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, handed him a framed quotation. The framed line from Abraham Lincoln read: "I can make a brigadier general in five minutes. But it's not so easy to replace one hundred ten horses." An envelope taped to the back was marked not to be opened for ten years.
In 1989, by then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell opened the note. Purviance had predicted that he would become Army chief of staff. Powell kept the Lincoln quote as a reminder to stay humble.
Roy Benavidez owed his Medal of Honor partly to Powell. He had received the Distinguished Service Cross, and his commander argued for an upgrade. Army officials believed no living eyewitness could testify to his heroism. In July 1980, a soldier who had been present learned of the effort and gave the sworn statement that was needed. The upgrade was approved in December 1980. On Powell's advice, newly elected President Ronald Reagan presented the medal.
Powell declined an offer from Army Secretary John O. Marsh Jr. to serve as his under secretary, because he did not want a political appointment. Instead he asked Frank Carlucci and Army chief of staff Edward C. Meyer to move him away from the Pentagon. Meyer made him assistant division commander for operations and training of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado.
After Fort Carson, Powell became senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. In that job he helped with the 1983 invasion of Grenada and the 1986 airstrike on Libya.
Weinberger's office also touched the Iran-Contra affair. Powell was involved in the unlawful transfer of American-made TOW anti-tank missiles and Hawk anti-aircraft missiles from Israel to Iran. In November 1985, he asked for a legal assessment and delivered it to Weinberger. It said that sending Hawk missiles to Israel or Iran without notifying Congress would be "a clear violation" of the law. Even so, thousands of TOW missiles and hundreds of Hawk missiles and spare parts moved from Israel to Iran. The venture came to light in November 1986, when a Lebanese magazine called Ash-Shiraa exposed it.
Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh later said Powell "had given incomplete answers" to Congress about notes that Weinberger withheld. Walsh wrote that the efforts to conceal the notes "seemed corrupt enough to meet the new, poorly defined test of obstruction." Weinberger was indicted on five felony charges, including obstruction of Congress. Powell was never indicted.
In 1986, Powell took command of V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany, succeeding Robert Lewis "Sam" Wetzel. The next year he became deputy national security advisor under Carlucci. Following the scandal, he became Reagan's national security advisor at the age of 49, serving from 1987 to 1989 while keeping his Army commission as a lieutenant general. He helped negotiate arms treaties with Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union.
On the 4th of April 1989, under President George H. W. Bush, Powell was promoted to four-star general. He briefly led Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia, overseeing active Army regulars, Army Reserve, and National Guard units in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. He became the third general since World War II to reach four stars without ever commanding a division, joining Dwight D. Eisenhower and Alexander Haig. Bush then chose him to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
From the 1st of October 1989 to the 30th of September 1993, Powell served as the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At 52, he was the youngest officer and the first Afro-Caribbean American to hold the post. He was also the first chairman commissioned through ROTC.
During his tenure Powell oversaw responses to 28 crises. They included the 1989 invasion of Panama to remove General Manuel Noriega and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The press called him "the reluctant warrior." Powell disputed that label and spoke in favor of the Bush administration's Gulf War policies.
The Powell Doctrine grew from his thinking about war. He wanted military action that maximized the chance of success and minimized casualties. A central piece was overwhelming force, which he applied in Desert Storm. The doctrine limits American military action unless it meets criteria on national security interests, overwhelming force, and widespread public support.
Powell stayed on into the Clinton presidency, but as a realist he felt like a poor fit for an administration of liberal internationalists. He clashed with Madeleine Albright, then ambassador to the United Nations, over the Bosnian crisis. He opposed any intervention that did not involve American interests.
He also clashed regularly with Secretary of Defense Leslie Aspin. At a lunch to prepare for Operation Gothic Serpent, Aspin seemed more interested in his salad than in Powell's briefing. The incident irritated Powell further and led to his early resignation on the 30th of September 1993. Admiral David E. Jeremiah became acting chairman. On the 3rd and the 4th of October 1993, the Battle of Mogadishu, aimed at capturing the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, ended in disaster. Powell later defended Aspin, saying he could not fault the decision to drop a Lockheed AC-130 from the requested armaments.
In 1994, President Clinton sent the newly retired Powell to Haiti with former president Jimmy Carter and Senator Sam Nunn. Their task was to persuade General Raoul Cédras and the ruling junta to step aside for former president Aristide, under threat of an imminent American invasion. Powell's standing as a retired general was well known in Haiti and was held to be instrumental.
During his chairmanship, public and Congressional voices urged a fifth star that would have made him General of the Army. The Clinton administration decided against it.
On the 16th of December 2000, at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President-elect George W. Bush named Powell as his nominee for secretary of state. Powell was the first person to formally accept a Cabinet post in the new administration and the first Black American to hold this office. The Senate confirmed him unanimously by voice vote on the 20th of January 2001, and he was ceremonially sworn in on the 26th. Over his tenure he traveled less than any secretary of state in 30 years. The source credits a letter from the former diplomat George F. Kennan, who urged him to act as the president's principal foreign policy advisor and avoid trips that could undercut ambassadors.
On the 11th of September 2001, Powell was in Lima, Peru, meeting President Alejandro Toledo and attending a meeting of Organization of American States foreign ministers. After the terror attacks that day, his work became central to holding together a coalition against terrorism. The Inter-American Democratic Charter was approved by acclamation that same day.
On the 24th of February 2001, Powell had said that sanctions on Iraq had prevented Saddam Hussein from developing any weapons of mass destruction. By 2003 his chief role was to build support for a multinational coalition to invade. Unlike some in the administration, he favored involving the international community instead of acting alone.
Before the Security Council, he cited numerous anonymous Iraqi defectors. He also said there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to obtain key components for nuclear weapons. Powell said he prepared the speech on "four days' notice."
Channel 4 News in Britain soon reported that a British intelligence dossier Powell had called a "fine paper" rested on old material and an essay plagiarized from the American graduate student Ibrahim al-Marashi. A Senate report later described fierce debate behind the scenes. State Department analysts had found dozens of factual problems in drafts of the speech. Some claims were removed, but others stayed, including claims based on the yellowcake forgery. Much of the case leaned on an informant known as Curveball, who was the single source for key claims.
Powell recalled that Vice President Dick Cheney joked with him before the speech: "You've got high poll ratings; you can afford to lose a few points." Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson served as Powell's aide-de-camp and chief of staff from 1989 to 2003. He later said Cheney saw the mission this way: "go up there and sell it, and we'll have moved forward a peg or two." In Wilkerson's telling, the alternative was just as welcome: "Fall on your damn sword and kill yourself, and I'll be happy, too." Wilkerson also said he had inadvertently taken part in a hoax on the American people.
A 2004 report by the Iraq Survey Group concluded that the evidence Powell offered for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate. On the 13th of September 2004, Powell told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee that the sources behind much of his information had been "wrong." He said it was "unlikely" that stockpiles would be found. He said he had not known that some intelligence officials questioned the information, and he pushed for a national intelligence director so that "what one person knew, everyone else knew."
In September 2005, Barbara Walters asked about the speech. Powell called it a "blot" on his record. He added: "It will always be a part of my record. It was painful. It's painful now." At the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival, he said he had spent two and a half hours explaining to President Bush "the consequences of going into an Arab country and becoming the occupiers."
The 1st of April 2001 brought the Hainan Island incident, when an American EP-3 surveillance aircraft collided with a Chinese Shenyang J-8 fighter over the South China Sea. Powell's expression of "very sorry" was accepted as the formal apology that China had sought. In September 2004, he described the Darfur violence as "genocide," the first cabinet member to apply that term to an ongoing conflict.
Powell announced his resignation on the 15th of November 2004, shortly after Bush's reelection. The historian Walter LaFeber says Bush forced him out, and the message came by phone from Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card. The next day Bush nominated Condoleezza Rice as his successor. Biographer Jeffrey J. Matthews, though harshly critical of the Security Council speech, credits Powell with restoring morale among demoralized diplomats and leading the international HIV/AIDS initiative.
In 1995, Powell declared himself a Republican and began campaigning for Republican candidates. Before that, he had been an independent. Both parties had courted him. In the 1992 election he was floated as a Democratic vice presidential nominee, or as a replacement for Vice President Dan Quayle on the Republican ticket. In 1996 he was touted as a challenger to Bill Clinton and even led New Hampshire polls for the Republican nomination. He declined, citing a lack of passion for politics. In exit polls on Election Day, voters preferred him over Clinton 50-38 in a hypothetical match-up. Though not running, he also won the Republican New Hampshire vice-presidential primary on write-in votes.
In 1997, Powell founded America's Promise, aimed at helping children from every socioeconomic background. That year also saw the founding of the Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service at the City College of New York. In 2000 he again decided against a presidential run, endorsed George W. Bush, and spoke at the Republican National Convention.
On the 19th of October 2008, Powell endorsed Barack Obama on Meet the Press. He called Obama a "transformational figure." He also said he was troubled by false intimations that Obama was Muslim. "What if he is?" Powell asked. "Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America." He still called himself a Republican that day, saying the party needed him more than the Democratic Party did. On the 25th of October 2012, on CBS This Morning, he endorsed Obama's reelection.
Hacked emails made public on the 13th of September 2016 showed Powell privately calling Donald Trump a "national disgrace" with "no sense of shame." He publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton on the 25th of October 2016 "because I think she's qualified, and the other gentleman is not qualified." Though not a candidate, he received three electoral votes from faithless electors in Washington. That made him the second Black person after Obama to receive electoral votes.
On the 7th of June 2020, Powell announced he would vote for Joe Biden, and in August he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. After the attack on the Capitol in January 2021, he told CNN's Fareed Zakaria: "I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican."
Powell married Alma Johnson on the 25th of August 1962. Their son Michael chaired the Federal Communications Commission from 2001 to 2005, and their daughter Linda is an actress. As a hobby, Powell restored old Volvo and Saab automobiles. His civilian honors included two Presidential Medals of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
On the 18th of October 2021, Powell died at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at the age of 84. He had been vaccinated, but treatment for multiple myeloma had weakened his immune system, and he died of complications from COVID-19. President Biden and former presidents Obama and George W. Bush attended the funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. Powell is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 60, Grave 11917.
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Common questions
Who was Colin Powell?
Colin Powell was an American Army general, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first Black American to hold that office.
What was the Powell Doctrine?
The Powell Doctrine is Colin Powell's approach to war, which limits American military action unless it meets criteria on national security interests, overwhelming force, and widespread public support. He applied overwhelming force in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
What did Colin Powell say at the United Nations in 2003?
On the 5th of February 2003, Colin Powell told the Security Council there could be no doubt that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons. He later called the speech a "blot" on his record.
When did Colin Powell serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
Colin Powell served from the 1st of October 1989 to the 30th of September 1993. At 52, he was the youngest officer and the first Afro-Caribbean American in that post.
Why did Colin Powell not run for president?
Powell declined to run in 1996 and again in 2000, citing a lack of passion for politics. He endorsed George W. Bush in 2000.
How did Colin Powell die?
Colin Powell died on the 18th of October 2021 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, at age 84, of complications from COVID-19. He was being treated for multiple myeloma, which had weakened his immune system.
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226 references cited across the entry
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- 3Colin Powell places third in presidential race at Electoral CollegeValerie Richardson — December 21, 2016
- 4Biographies of the Secretary of State:Colin Luther PowellUS Department of State, Office of the Historian
- 5BookA Dictionary of Contemporary World HistoryJan Palmowski — Oxford University Press — 2008
- 6NewsColin Powell, Who Shaped U.S. National Security, Dies at 84Eric Schmitt — October 18, 2021
- 7NewsColin Powell, U.S. Army general-turned-top diplomat, dies at 84Patrick Oster — October 18, 2021
- 8Colin Powell Fast FactsCNN — March 30, 2016
- 9BookColin Powell: American Power and Intervention From Vietnam to IraqChristopher D. O'Sullivan — Rowman & Littlefield — 2009
- 10Four things you didn't know about Colin PowellOctober 18, 2021
- 11"Former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell and Mario Cuomo, former governor of New York State, each a former Shabbos goy, both share fond recollections of their youth, when they were uniquely qualif
- 12Colin Powell Fast FactsCNN — April 2, 2017
- 13About Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, The City College of New York — July 2, 2015
- 14MagazineColin Powell: bad studentNikki Schwab — May 30, 2012
- 16News'It Worked For Me': Life Lessons From Colin PowellNPR — May 22, 2012
- 17Colin Powell Biography and InterviewAmerican Academy of Achievement
- 18BookMy American JourneyColin L. Powell et al. — Random House — 1995
- 20Colin (Luther) Powell Biography (1937– )A&E Television Networks
- 21Secretary of State Colin L. Powell (biography)The White House — April 29, 2003
- 22NewsObituary: Colin PowellBBC News — October 18, 2021
- 23NewsColin PowellCNN — 1996
- 24General Colin Luther PowellThe Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army — 2022
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- 26BookColin PowellReggie Finlayson — Twenty-First Century Books — 2003
- 27My Lai at 50: Written Case StudyUS Army — 2021
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- 29NewsColin Powell: From Vietnam vet to secretary of stateBBC News — October 18, 2021
- 30Interview on CNN's Larry King LiveUS Department of State — May 4, 2004
- 31BookColin Powell: Soldier and StatesmanWarren Brown et al. — Infobase Publishing — 2009
- 32BookOur Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation DividedDaniel P. Bolger — Da Capo Press — 2017
- 33BookRise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War CabinetJames Mann — Penguin Books — 2004
- 34BookThe U.S. Invasion of Grenada: Legacy of a Flawed VictoryPhilip Kukielski — McFarland & Co. — 2019
- 35NewsColin L. Powell, former secretary of state and military leader, dies at 84Bradley Graham — October 18, 2021
- 36BookFirewall: The Iran–Contra Conspiracy and Cover-upLawrence E. Walsh — Norton & Company — 1997
- 37ReportFinal Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra MattersLawrence Walsh — U.S. Government Printing Office — August 4, 1993
- 38NewsArms, Hostages and Contras: How a Secret Foreign Policy UnraveledNovember 19, 1987
- 39JournalAfter the AyatollahShireen T. Hunter — Spring 1987
- 40Why Secret 1986 U.S.–Iran 'Arms for Hostages' Negotiations FailedGeorge Cave — Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs — September 8, 1994
- 41NewsWeinberger Faces 5 Counts In Iran-Contra IndictmentBrinley, Joel — June 17, 1992
- 42ReportFinal Report of the Independent Counsel for Iran/Contra MattersLawrence Walsh — U.S. Government Printing Office — August 4, 1993
- 43NewsCarlucci and the N.S.C.James Bamford — January 18, 1987
- 44An Active-Duty National Security Advisor: Myths and ConcernsDavid Barno et al. — February 28, 2017
- 46NewsThe 14 Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint History Office, US Department of Defense — August 10, 1999
- 47Venezuela could now define Trump's legacy – and America's place in the worldAnthony Zurcher — BBC — 2026
- 48NewsReluctant warriorSeptember 30, 2001
- 49BookThe Pentagon's wars: the military's undeclared war against America's presidentsMark Perry — Basic Books — 2017
- 50BookBlack Hawk Down: A Story of Modern WarMark Bowden — Atlantic Monthly Press — 1999
- 51NewsMission to Haiti: Diplomacy – On the Brink of War, a Tense Battle of WillsSeptember 20, 1994
- 52NewsSchwarzkopf, Powell Up For Awards, But Fifth Star Not Given LightlyJim Abrams — March 21, 1991
- 53MagazineU.S. Sen. Kasten Pushing Effort To Award Powell With Historic Fifth StarMarch 1991
- 54BookArmed Forces: War in the GulfBob Italia — Abdo & Daughters — 1991
- 55BookAll Too Human: A Political EducationGeorge Stephanopoulos — Thorndike Press — 1999
- 56BookBill Clinton: Mastering the PresidencyNigel Hamilton — PublicAffairs — 2007
- 57BookWar in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the GeneralsDavid Halberstam — Scribner — 2001
- 58NewsDon't Count Out Colin PowellMartin Schram — January 21, 1995
- 59NewsWill Powell Run With Bush in '92?Ted Van Dyk — September 6, 1990
- 60Lusane, Clarence (2006). Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: Foreign Policy, Race and the New American Century. Westport, CT: Praeger, , , p. 46.
- 61NewsBill O'Reilly: A 'No Spin' interview with Colin PowellBill O'Reilly — Fox News — January 29, 2013
- 62NewsLife in Iowa May Not Have Changed, But the Political Turf Is Another StoryR. W. Apple — October 28, 1995
- 63NewsNew Hampshire Poll Finds Powell With an EdgeRichard L. Berke — October 19, 1995
- 64NewsThe Powell Decision: The AnnouncementFrancis X. Clines — November 9, 1995
- 65NewsReady for Obama AlreadyMartin Plissner — February 7, 2007
- 66NH US Vice President – R Primary RaceOur Campaigns — February 20, 1996
- 68How Mccain Does ItMarch 6, 2000
- 69BookThe 2000 Presidential Campaign: A Communication PerspectiveRobert E. Jr. Denton — Greenwood Publishing Group — 2002
- 70NewsColin Powell: Former US secretary of state dies of Covid complicationsOctober 19, 2021
- 71Can the Electoral College be subverted by 'faithless electors'?Russell Wheeler — October 21, 2020
- 72Bush names Powell as choice for U.S. secretary of stateTony Clark — CNN — December 16, 2000
- 73Bush chooses PowellEd Vulliamy — December 17, 2000
- 75Powell ceremoniously sworn in as secretary of stateCNN — January 26, 2001
- 76VideoSecretary of State Swearing-In CeremonyJanuary 26, 2001
- 77NewsPowell Flies in the Face of Tradition; The Secretary of State Is Least Traveled in 30 YearsKessler, Glenn — July 14, 2004
- 78Colin Powell no globe-trotterGlenn Kessler — NBC News — July 14, 2004
- 80Remarks to the United Nations Security CouncilSecretary Colin L. Powell — US Department of State — February 5, 2003
- 81NewsIraq had no WMD – inspectorsOctober 6, 2004
- 82BookThe Foreign Policy of George W. Bush Values, Strategy, and LoyaltyAlexander Moens — Taylor & Francis — 2017
- 83BookPresidential Saber Rattling: Causes and ConsequencesB. Dan Wood — Cambridge University Press — 2012
- 84NewsLacking Biolabs, Trailers Carried Case for War; Administration Pushed Notion of Banned Iraqi Weapons Despite Evidence to ContraryWarrick, Joby — April 12, 2006
- 85NewsColin Powell's UN speech: a decisive moment in undermining US credibilityJulian Borger — October 18, 2021
- 86NewsPowell regrets Iraq failingsAl Jazeera — September 11, 2011
- 87Colin Powell: U.N. Speech 'Was a Great Intelligence Failure'Jason M. Breslow — May 17, 2016
- 88NewsU.S. Scholar Uncredited in Iraq ReportJill Lawless — February 7, 2003
- 89NewsUK accused of lifting dossier textCNN — February 7, 2003
- 90NewsFlaws Cited in Powell's U.N. Speech on IraqGreg Miller — July 15, 2004
- 91NewsFalling on His Sword: Colin Powell's most significant moment turned out to be his lowestKaren DeYoung — October 1, 2006
- 92NewsColin Powell on Iraq, Race, and Hurricane ReliefSeptember 8, 2005
- 93NewsIraq Pre-War IntelligenceDavid Brancaccio — PBS — February 3, 2006
- 94NewsPowell biography involves a game of connect the blotsTim Rutten — October 9, 2006
- 95NewsGroups Fear Public Backlash Over IranForward Staff — February 2, 2007
- 96NewsSupport for Intelligence PlanWalter Pincus — February 14, 2004
- 100BookThe Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign PolicySuisheng Zhao — Stanford University Press — 2023
- 101Inside Colin Powell's Decision to Declare Genocide in DarfurRebecca Hamilton — August 17, 2011
- 102Bush Nominates Rice to Be Secretary of StateABC News — January 7, 2006
- 103NewsExiles Add to Claims on Iran Nuclear ArmsElaine Sciolino — November 18, 2004
- 104NewsPowell Playing Quiet Role in Bolton BattleVandeHei, Jim et al. — April 22, 2005
- 105NewsPowell's remarks harm Bolton's chances of UN jobJulian Borger — April 23, 2005
- 106NewsBush appoints Bolton as U.N. ambassadorNBC News — July 29, 2005
- 107NewsThe good soldier's revengeSidney Blumenthal — April 28, 2005
- 108NewsPowell criticises storm responseSeptember 9, 2005
- 109NewsSenators defy Bush on tribunalsSeptember 15, 2006
- 110Board of DirectorsCouncil on Foreign Relations
- 111Who Mentored Colin Powell?President and Fellows of Harvard College — 2008
- 112Al Gore, Colin Powell, Caroline Kennedy in Obama's Administration? – Washington Whispersusnews.com — November 11, 2008
- 113Powell advised against Afghan surgeSeptember 27, 2009
- 114General Colin Powell Joins Salesforce Board Of Directors, As CRM Giant Zeros In On Public SectorIngrid Lunden — AOL — March 14, 2014
- 115Colin Powell, former secretary of State who made case for Iraq invasion, dies of Covid complications at 84Amanda Macias — CNBC — October 18, 2021
- 116Colin Powell, Former US Secretary of State, dies at 84Page, Susan — October 18, 2021
- 117NewsColin Powell, top U.S. soldier and diplomat, dies of COVID-19 complicationsWill Dunham et al. — October 19, 2021
- 118Colin Powell is remembered as a down-to-earth statesman and leader at his funeralBrian Naylor — NPR — November 5, 2021
- 119General Colin Powell (1937–2021)Arlington National Cemetery
- 120Reaction to Colin Powell's death from US and world figuresOctober 18, 2021
- 121'A trailblazing leader': Political world reacts to Colin Powell's deathOctober 18, 2021
- 122'Country before self ... before all else': US presidents remember Colin Powell as American heroJoey Garrison — October 18, 2021
- 123Trump admonishes Colin Powell the day after his deathSteve Benen — MSNBC — October 19, 2021
- 124My Statement on the Passing of General Colin PowellOctober 18, 2021
- 125George W. Bush Remembers Colin Powell as 'Highly Respected, Great Man'October 18, 2021
- 126Former Vice President Cheney releases statement remembering General Colin PowellGrace Foulk — October 18, 2021
- 134Why Colin Powell says he no longer considers himself a RepublicanJanuary 10, 2021
- 136BookGod at the Grass Roots, 1996: The Christian Right in the American ElectionsMark J. Rozell et al. — Rowman & Littlefield — 1997
- 137NewsColin Powell Shows Support For Gun Control Measures, Including Assault Weapons BanSabrina Siddiqui — January 13, 2013
- 138NewsColin Powell shifts stance on 'don't ask, don't tell' policyKaren DeYoung — February 3, 2010
- 139NewsColin and the craziesSidney Blumenthal — November 18, 2004
- 140NewsSen. McCain Releases Letter from Gen. Colin PowellSeptember 14, 2006
- 142Conversation with Colin PowellAspen Ideas Festival — July 2007
- 143Powell: Support for Obama doesn't mean Iraq war wrongCNN — October 19, 2008
- 144Powell: We Are Losing In IraqJames M. Klatell — CBS News — December 17, 2006
- 145Powell says Iraq surge should have come earlierJuly 5, 2009
- 146NewsPowell donates to McCainEd Henry — CNN — August 9, 2007
- 147NewsMcCain now has to pick a vice presidential nomineeSteve Holland — March 5, 2008
- 148NewsPowell endorses Obama for president; Republican ex-Secretary of State calls Democrat 'transformational figure'NBC News — October 19, 2008
- 149NewsMeet the Press' transcript for October 19, 2008NBC News — October 19, 2008
- 150NewsColin Powell endorses Barack Obama for presidentStephen Ohlemacher — October 20, 2008
- 151NewsPowell on Rush LimbaughCNN — July 16, 2010
- 153NewsPowell airs doubts on Obama agendaJon Ward — July 3, 2009
- 154Colin Powell critical of President ObamaCarrie Budoff Brown — September 19, 2010
- 155NewsVideoCNN
- 156Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for presidentCBS News — October 25, 2012
- 157Colin Powell Slams 'Idiot Presentations' by Some Republicans, Urges GOP Leaders to 'Speak Out'Michael Falcone — January 21, 2013
- 158Colin Powell slams Donald Trump's immigration planDylan Stableford — Yahoo! News — October 1, 2015
- 159Colin Powell: The GOP Race Has 'Gone Into The Mud'Mollie Reilly — March 7, 2016
- 161Colin Powell calls Trump 'national disgrace' in hacked emailsWilliam Cummings — September 13, 2016
- 162Colin Powell Attacked Hillary Clinton's 'Hubris' In Leaked EmailsPaul Blumenthal — September 14, 2016
- 163News78 Republican politicians, donors and officials who are supporting Hillary ClintonAaron Blake — November 7, 2016
- 164NewsHere are the juiciest Colin Powell comments about Trump and Clinton from his hacked emailsAaron Blake — September 14, 2016
- 165Four Washington state electors break ranks and don't vote for ClintonJim Brunner — December 19, 2016
- 166Electoral College ResultsNovember 12, 2019
- 167NewsColin Powell: Republicans Terrified Of Speaking Out Need To 'Get A Grip'Amy Russo — Yahoo! News — October 6, 2019
- 168NewsColin Powell says he will vote for Joe Biden for presidentDevan Cole — CNN — June 7, 2020
- 169Colin Powell touts Biden's character at DNC: 'We need to restore those values to the White House'Kate Sullivan — CNN — August 19, 2020
- 170NewsColin Powell: 'I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican'Marina Pitofsky — January 10, 2021
- 171Limerick's connection with the late Colin PowellNorma Prendiville — 2021-10-20
- 172NewsColin Powell claims Scottish coat of armsTania Branigan — May 12, 2004
- 173JournalColin Powell's Scottish AncestryMay 17, 2004
- 174Former Secretary of State Colin Powell Dies of COVID ComplicationsOctober 18, 2021
- 175Son of NYC: Colin Powell's legacy of integrityDaily News Editorial Board — October 18, 2021
- 177NewsAlma Powell, civic leader and widow of Colin Powell, dies at 86Maham Javaid — July 29, 2024
- 179InterviewInterview transcriptColin Powell — CNN — October 17, 2005
- 180InterviewA Conversation with Colin PowellColin Powell — August 2, 2004
- 183Medals, mementos from Colin Powell estate go up for auctionNovember 4, 2022
- 185Colin L. Powell: By the BookJune 28, 2012
- 186Family of Colin Powell Sells McLean, VA, Home for $2.8MJennifer Kelly Geddes — December 5, 2022
- 187Colin Powell's McLean Mansion Sells for $2.8 MillionMimi Montgomery — October 31, 2022
- 191NewsPhotos: Key moments in former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell's careerJeremiah Rodriguez — October 18, 2021
- 193Gerald R. Ford MedalNovember 11, 2014
- 194Remarks With Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov At Award Ceremony for the Stara Planina First Order MedalUS Department of State — December 7, 2004
- 195Parvanov-PowellPresident of the Republic of Bulgaria — December 7, 2004
- 196Journal Christmas 2004Somerset Heraldry Society
- 197Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of AchievementAmerican Academy of Achievement
- 200Colin L. PowellThe Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans
- 202Remarks on the Retirement of General Colin Powell in Arlington, VirginiaW. J. Clinton — The American Presidency Project — September 30, 1993
- 203The Ronald Reagan Freedom AwardRonald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library
- 204NewsColin Powell: key facts from his lifeGloria Oladipo — October 18, 2021
- 2051998 Sylvanus Thayer AWardBecky Hassler — September 15, 1998
- 2072002 Liberty Medal Acceptance SpeechPowell, Colin — National Constitution Center — July 4, 2002
- 208NewsFairfax County's Colin L. Powell Elementary School honors its namesakeHeather Graf et al. — October 19, 2021
- 210AARP honors Colin Powell with Andrus AwardTodd Richissin — May 2, 2006
- 211Statement from Ambassador Mark Green on the Passing of General Colin L. PowellWilson Center — October 18, 2021
- 212List of Silver Buffalo recipientsAugust 30, 2016
- 213GEN Colin PowellMarch 8, 2016
- 214Remarks at Unveiling of the Colin Powell PortraitHillary Rodham Clinton — 2009-01-20
- 215Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. .
- 216According to the Fort Bliss Bugle, as of October 24, 2013, nine schools have been named for Colin Powell.
- 218.: The Official Wings Of Hope Homepage :.Wings-of-hope.org
- 219efworld
- 222Wenik, Ian (June 9, 2013). "Saluting the general". The Union City Reporter. pp. 1, 11.
- 224NewsPrince George's County prepares to open Colin L. Powell AcademyFebruary 21, 2024
- 225BookSoldier: The Life of Colin PowellKaren DeYoung — Alfred A. Knopf — 2006a
- 226JournalThe Rise and Fall of Colin Powell and the Powell DoctrineWalter LaFeber — 2009
- 227BookColin Powell: Imperfect PatriotJeffrey J. Matthews — University of Notre Dame Press — 2019
- 228BookColin Powell: A Political BiographyChristopher O'Sullivan — Rowman & Littlefield — 2010
- 229BookColin Powell: A BiographyRichard Steins — Greenwood Publishing Group — 2003