and an intensive defense build-up in support of NATO in Western Europe. Matthews actions as Secretary of the Navy were always aligned with those of his immediate superior, the Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, and when he was initially appointed as SECDEF, Johnson met President Truman's needs, especially in the realm of: (1) imposing economy measures on the U.S. military following the end of World War II and (2) placing a near total reliance on the strategic nuclear forces of the U.S. Air Force over the conventional forces of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army. But by September 1950, with the Korean War in full swing, the fiscal situation with respect to defense spending had totally reversed and the need for robust conventional forces had become readily apparent. As a result, Louis Johnson became a political liability to the Truman Administration and he resigned as SECDEF at President Truman's request on 19 September 1950, the President replacing him with retired General of the Army George C. Marshall. As a protégé of SECDEF Johnson, Matthews was similarly perceived as a liability in a now radically changed budgetary and national defense environment. Under political pressure from the Truman administration, Matthews also resigned as Secretary of the Navy in July 1951 to become Ambassador to Ireland, the home of his ancestors. Matthews was replaced as SECNAV by Dan A. Kimball, who had been Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air (i.e., the Navy's civilian leadership advocate for Naval Aviation) under SECNAV Sullivan and who had been elevated to Under Secretary of the Navy following Sullivan's resignation and Matthews' appointment as SECNAV. Ambassador to Ireland Matthews became United States Ambassador to Ireland as a political appointee, having no prior foreign service or diplomatic experience. He was appointed in July 1951, and took up his post in October 1951. While serving as ambassador, Matthews died on October 18, 1952, during a visit to his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Legacy Although Matthews was a prominent Omaha banker and lawyer, and an even more prominent Roman Catholic layman, little attention has been paid to his career outside of his tenure as SECNAV, since it is in this capacity that he had the greatest institutional impact. In some arenas as SECNAV, he was successful, such as his efforts to integrate minorities into the mainstream of the Navy and Marine Corps via actions such