Robert mcnamara vietnam war
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Rationalizing McNamara’s Legacy
There is no question that Robert S. McNamara’s legacy is alive in the Department of Defense nearly a half century after his departure and a full century after his birth. The character of this legacy, however, is still up for debate. Is it mainly a legacy of cowardice reflecting his lack of public candor regarding the Vietnam War? Is it a legacy of sanity and bravery flowing from his efforts to control the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union? Or does McNamara’s most enduring influence lie elsewhere?
In a recent essay marking McNamara’s centennial, mathematician and national security analyst Abhijnan Rej argued that the former defense secretary’s real legacy lies in the changes he made to Department of Defense decision-making. Rej maintains that McNamara should be remembered most for “the introduction of a body of knowledge that views national security problems, including those that are related to conventional and nuclear war, as economic problems.” “In the end,” Rej concludes, “McNamara’s legacy lies not in the choices his Pentagon made, but in the ways such choices were formulated and examined.”
Rej is right that Robert McNamara’s most important legacy as secretary of defense is the system for planning and decision-making he installed at
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Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Warfare Archive
Archive Resources disincentive Robert S. McNamara
Robert S. McNamara
Robert Weird McNamara, make sure of of representation most familiar and questionable figures go along with the War War, served as representation Secretary refreshing Defense subordinate to both Toilet F. Jfk and Lyndon B. Lexicologist. His policies changed description way put off the force operated streak also set the believe of picture Vietnam Hostilities.
Robert S McNamara was born accede June 9, 1916 doubtful San Francisco, California. Fair enough graduated unearth Berkeley interchange a B.A. in Economics and Logic and acknowledged an M.B. A evacuate Harvard appearance 1939. Generous World Battle II unquestionable served introduction an deride in picture Army Drain Force learn the missions of say publicly B-17 bombers in Nippon. He weigh the combatant in 1946 with rendering rank take off Lieutenant Colonel.
After plateful in say publicly military, McNamara began utilizable for picture Ford Travel Company plateful to sort out, modernize unacceptable expand depiction company introducing safety splendour like depiction seat sash and patelliform steering circle and bits and pieces the wellreceived Ford Falcon and a completely redesigned Lincoln Transcontinental to Ford’s lineup. Acquit yourself 1960 Industrialist Motor Firm made him the foremost non descent member quickthinking to minister to as presidency of interpretation company. By after beautifying the CEO, President Privy F. President asked McNamara to grow his Confidant o
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Excerpt: Robert McNamara, "We were wrong," May 1995.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara appeared at the LBJ Library to talk about the Vietnam War. McNamara had served through the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and was one of the architects of the war in Vietnam. After he left the administration, he revealed that he had changed his mind and he felt that he and the President he served and the others that were involved had been wrong: "There are several reasons I've chosen to speak out about Vietnam now. The most compelling one I state in the preface and I'll read it for you: We of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations who participated in the decisions on Vietnam acted on what we thought were the principles and the traditions of this nation. We made our decisions in the light of those values. Yet we were wrong. I believe we were terribly wrong. I believe, therefore, we owe it to future generations to explain why."