On the Fact that Donald Rumsfeld's Lies Go All the Way Back to the Ford Administration When He Tried to Assert that the Soviets Were Spending Far More On Defense than They Actually Were, a Ploy that Prompted Mr. Ford to Add Billions More to the Pentagon Budget - https://www.thomhartmann.com/articles/2006/02/rumsfeld-and-cheney-revive-their-70s-terror-playbook (Economist Robert Wenzel Is Another Good Source On this Topic)

A more potent President like Nixon (yeah, he had a few strengths) probably would have been able to see through the bullshit but not good ole Jerry in that he bought it hook, line, and sinker. Oh well, at least Rumsfeld is out of government so there is that, I guess.