Also gives a brief background of himself, good book for anyone who wants more inside information of what led us to vietnam. Washington, april 9 former defense secretary robert mcnamara, who argued successfully to escalate american involvement in the vietnam war, now says in a new book that both the kennedy and. A key adviser to the president during the cuban missile crisis, mcnamara is most famousor infamoustoday as the prime architect of the disastrous american intervention in the vietnam war. Jul 07, 2009 driven, cerebral and pugnacious, robert s. The book deals with his life and career as a public servant, focusing on his. Robert mcnamara and the ghosts of vietnam the new york times. Lyndon johnson, robert mcnamara, the joint chiefs of staff, and the lies that led to vietnam is a 1997 book written by h. Aug 10, 1997 robert mcnamara believes that american leaders acted out of honorable principles, as he argued in his 1995 book, in retrospect. Mcnamara, secretary of defense from 1961 to 1967 under both presidents kennedy and johnson, has remained silent about u. Mcnamara was an american business executive and the eighth u. He played a major role in escalating the united states involvement in the vietnam war.
Written with brian vandemark, the controversial book was a bestseller. Vietnam war terribly wrong, mcnamara writes vietnam in. Mcnamara was the preeminent policymaker behind the massive buildup of american forces in vietnam between 1964 and 1968. From nearly the beginning of project 100,000, mcnamaras critics accused him of disguising its true objective. I do not know to this day, whether i quit or was fired. Mcnamara is a 2003 american documentary film about the life and times of former u. The tragedy and lessons of vietnam, published by times books.
During the vietnam war, mcnamaras morons as they were called, were barely literate, or could not read or write, or did not speak english. Mcnamara recalls, and regrets, vietnam the new york times. He was the cando man in the cando society in the cando era, david halberstam wrote in the best and the brightest, and during the kennedy and early johnson years, he managed americas expanding involvement almost as if he were a desk officer. Perhaps more than anyone else, robert mcnamara personified management in the.
Mcnamara, secretary of defense for presidents kennedy and johnson, helped lead america into vietnam. During kennedys administration, mcnamara supported the presidents decision to increase american involvement in vietnam. I have two memories of my father before he went off to vietnam. The cover of the book is a slickly contemporary minimalist design. Mcnamaras folly by hamilton gregory is informative, thoroughly researched, wellwritten and readable. Mcnamara writes vietnam mea culpa the washington post. Mcnamaras controversial book tells the inside and personal. Mcnamara s 1995 memoir, in retrospect, is a confessional of his guilt and remorse over his role in the war. Mcnamara is as critical about his own role as anyone elses in conducting a war that he says caused terrible damage to america and ultimately killed 57,000 americans and left. Just when we thought we had heard it all about the war in vietnam, along comes a new book that shines a spotlight on a little known but tragic aspect of the war. Known as the architect of the war in vietnam, robert mcnamara also.
Kennedy administration of 19611963, robert mcnamara had important influence on the early escalation in. The controversies surrounding vietnam are complex and will endure, but it. Even more than mcnamara, draper misrepresents how we went to war with north vietnam, by belittling the provocativeness of the 1964 tonkin gulf incidents. The book deals with his life and career as a public servant, focusing on his role as the secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 during the johnson and kennedy administrations. This memoir reveals a decent, loyal, and able man who struggled to remain loyal to the president and yet to get the united states out of vietnam. He was a strong believer in americas fight against communism, and thought it was his patriotic duty to serve. The wrong kind of loyalty mcnamaras apology for vietnam. Mcnamara, once a champion of the escalation of the vietnam war, says in a memoir to be published in the coming week that he has now concluded that the united states could and should. Nov 29, 2016 smart news keeping you current how robert mcnamara came to regret the war he escalated the architect of the vietnam war never formally apologized, but struggled with its consequences for the. Mcnamara illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare. How robert mcnamara came to regret the war he escalated. Mcnamara, once a champion of the escalation of the vietnam war, says in a memoir to be published in the coming week that he has now concluded that the united states could and should have.
Robert mcnamara and five lives of a lost war, published by alfred a. Mcnamara has 22 books on goodreads with 5504 ratings. Former defense secretary robert mcnamara offers a mea culpa in 1995 for the united states actions in the vietnam war. Robert strange mcnamara june 9, 1916 july 6, 2009 was an american business executive and the eighth united states secretary of defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under presidents john f. As much as any other individual, secretary of defense robert s.
As a history of the vietnam war, robert mcnamaras memoir is bound to. But toward the end of his life, former defense secretary robert mcnamara issued a string of candid mea culpas for misjudgments about vietnam that were made during his 196168 tenure at the pentagon, especially his delay in acting on growing doubts that the war could be won. Jul 06, 2009 mcnamara s legacy mired in vietnam debacle despite robert mcnamara s efforts to rehabilitate his legacy in later life, none could have erased or even much eased what is destined to be historys. Re mcnamara takes much of blame for vietnam, april 9. Mcnamara s controversial book tells the inside and personal story of americas descent into vietnam from a unique point of view, and is one of the most enlightening books about government ever written. Mcnamaras book reminds us that they even repeated the litany in memos to. Gregory, instead of merely launching into a dry account propelled by a blizzard of numbers and statistics, uses the first 80 pages of the book to clearly demonstrate the profound unfitness for military service of many of mcnamaras 100,000 by describing his personal experience with some of them during army basic training at fort benning. Mcnamaras folly by hamilton gregory vietnam veterans of. Vietnam and intensifying the bombing of north vietnam, a claim he would publish in a book years later. At various times in its history, the us military has recruited people who measured below specific mental and medical standards.
Written twenty years after the end of the vietnam war, former secretary of defense robert mcnamaras controversial memoir answers the lingering questions that surround this disastrous episode in american history. Mcmaster, at the time a major in the united states army he subsequently became national security advisor in 2017 after having risen in rank to lieutenant general. Mcnamaras morons vietnam was war for profit, american. The definitive insiders account of american policy making in vietnam. Mcnamara, in full robert strange mcnamara, born june 9, 1916, san francisco, california, u. Mcnamaras book is an exhaustive yet accessible look back on his vietnamera tenure as secretary of defense illustrating, yet again, why he deserves consideration as one of the most thoughtful and intelligent individuals to ever hold the post. Reactions to the book are divided, reigniting the debate about u. This is what robert mcnamara does in this brave, honest, honorable, and altogether compelling book.
Johnson, mcnamara, the joint chiefs of staff, and the lies that led to vietnam paperback may 8, 1998 by. Washington, april 9 former defense secretary robert mcnamara, who argued successfully to escalate american involvement in the vietnam war, now says in. Mcnamara s memoir the book i planned never to write is to be published this week by the times books division of random house, coinciding with the 20th. Locked into this fear of losing vietnam, yet deterred by fear of provoking war with china, mcnamara came to champion an inbetween course of military pressures, one that got us good and committed enraging domestic dissenters, but one with weapons and target restrictions that precluded fully committing us military power enraging critics on the right. Hamilton gregory volunteered for the army, and served three years, including one in the vietnam war in military intelligence. Karnow went up to mcnamara at a cocktail party and asked if they could meet to discuss it, but mcnamara said no.