The Hill News

Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld joined Twitter and Facebook on Tuesday ahead of the release of his memoir, "Known and Unknown."

"The office of former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld is now on Twitter and Facebook," read his first tweet, posted about 10 a.m.

Within an hour, his feed (@RumsfeldOffice) had 241 followers.

Another initial tweet linked to the homepage for the Rumsfeld Foundation, which was founded in 2007 to "support the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad." It sponsors a microfinance grant program and fellowships for grad students from Central Asia, among other projects.

"Known and Unknown" will be released January 2011. Proceeds will go to veterans' charities.