At the third national congress of the lao dong communist party in hanoi, september 1960, north vietnam s belligerency was made explicit. Robert mcnamara believes that american leaders acted out of honorable principles, as he argued in his 1995 book, in retrospect. Outnumbered by those who wanted to continue fighting, he left the johnson administration and his. Jul 07, 2009 this was robert mcnamara, a man whose name will forever be identified with the vietnam war, although the truth was that he turned against the war earlier than many others involved in prosecuting it.
As american historian george herring once wrote, mcnamara personified the american commitment in vietnam. The history of an unwinnable war, 19451975, mcnamara finally did compel lyndon johnson in late 1967 to reconsider u. Robert mcnamara the man and his legacy the vietnam war. Lyndon johnson, robert mcnamara, the joint chiefs of staff, and the lies that led to vietnam is a 1997 book written by h. Defense secretary from 196168, was hailed in his day as a technocratic genius, a man who could dazzlingly run anything hed just been named president of ford motor.
As promised i have burned every page in fire pit with vietnam veterans of the u. Robert mcnamara noam chomsky excerpted from class warfare, 1995. Robert mcnamaras vietnam war policy, 19601968 cambridge studies in us foreign relations hardcover april 25, 2019 by aurelie basha i novosejt author 5. Robert mcnamara, architect of vietnam war, has died. Mcnamara is surely one of the most iconic and notable figures in the history of postsecond world war american defence and foreign. Written twenty years after the end of the vietnam war, former secretary of defense robert mcnamara s controversial memoir answers the lingering questions that surround this disastrous episode in american history. 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 is what robert mcnamara does in this brave, honest, honorable, and altogether compelling book. Mcmaster analyses the decisions and perspectives of the kennedy and johnson administrations through to 1966, by which time american troops were fully engaged in vietnam. After the war and his retirement, admiral sharp even wrote a book titled strategies for defeat. Initial reactions exposed a furious sense of betrayal. This new edition features a new foreword by mcnamara. The cover of the book is a slickly contemporary minimalist design. Recommended reading for all future defense secretaries.
Mcnamaras controversial book tells the inside and personal. Army officer, gulf war combat veteran and former history teacher at the u. 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. Jul 06, 2009 former defense secretary robert mcnamara died monday at the age of 93. Vietnam war a mistake 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.
Nov 17, 2011 the pentagon papers is the widely used name for a top secret history of us involvement in vietnam from 1945 to 1967, commissioned by robert mcnamara. Mcnamara waited 30 years before conceding in his 1995 memoir, in retrospect. Grant sharp and the jcs believed severely hindered the defeat of communist aggression in southeast asia. The tragedy and lessons of vietnam, in which he describes the anticommunist political climate of the era, mistaken assumptions of foreign policy, and misjudgments on the part of the military that combined to create the vietnam debacle.
Last stand at khe sanh by gregg jones this book represents where the rubber meets the road on mcnamara s war book 2. The tragedy and lessons of vietnam, he says that the vietnam war. The failure of robert mcnamara robert mcnamara the guardian. Speaking to an advisor in 1966 about americas escalation of forces in vietnam, secretary of defense robert s. Robert mcnamara, by noam chomsky excerpted from class warfare. The tragedy and lessons of vietnam, that he had waged the war in error. Apr 16, 1995 in retrospect the tragedy and lessons of vietnam. Mcnamara was a business executive with ford motor company before his appointment as united states secretary of defense in 1961. Jul 06, 2009 former defense secretary robert mcnamara died monday. The vietnam center and sam johnson vietnam archive.
Historians like deborah shapley author of the book promise and power point out that as early as november 3, 1965, the secretary of defense knew that the vietnam war was unwinnable militarily and yet, according to shapley, mcnamara chose to deceive the american people by hiding the bad news while raising troop levels to 400,000, then 500,000. Astonishing story of the one man who could have spared us our. Mcnamaras 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. Mcnamara is undoubtedly the most informed and credible living witness of what went wrong in the vietnam war and why. Robert mcnamara s laudable goal, to put the past behind us, will only be achieved by understanding history, not by rewriting it. This book should really be read in conjunction with robert macnamaras in retrospect, which i thought was a fairly honest account of macnamara trying to come to terms with the. The result is a book that is not only history of the highest order, but also. The result is a book that is not only history of the highest order, b.
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. Apr, 1995 in retrospect the tragedy and lessons of vietnam by robert s. Mcnamara is surely one of the most iconic and notable figures in the history of postsecond world war american defence and foreign policy and especially of the vietnam war. In a 1995 interview with terry gross, mcnamara reflects on vietnam and admits his serious doubts about us policy and the decisionmaking that. There is, as with most cliches, at the center of this one a kernel of truth. Feb, 2018 in 1959, against ho chi minhs wishes, hardliners in north vietnam decided to make an allout assault on the south, which was what eventually led to lansdales meeting with mcnamara. However, draper praises the book for enabling us to see the vietnam war as it was fought and lost on the washingtons battleground.
The papers were leaked to the new york times and published on the papers front page in 1971, precipitating a major first amendment case when the government tried to suppress publication of the documents. Jul 06, 2009 mcnamara published a book in 1995 critical of our involvement in vietnam. Robert mcnamara himself, in the middle of his tenure as defense secretary, embraced the moniker, wrote tim weiner for the. Even more than mcnamara, draper misrepresents how we went to war with north vietnam, by. On the table were several proposals, ranging widely in their recommendations, from secretary of defense robert s. Program of expanded military and political moves with respect to vietnam, 1 july 1965, u. Mcnamara, secretary of defense, 26 march 1964, department of state bulletin, april 1964, p. Mcnamara, secretary of defense for presidents kennedy and johnson. Mcnamara was the war minister who may have done more than any other individual to mold u. Mcnamara, secretary of defense for presidents kennedy and johnson, helped lead america into vietnam. Hence, the book makes a fairly good, widely accessible, introduction to this important period in the history of us foreign policy. Can anyone remember a public official with the courage to confess error and explain where he and his country went wrong. Robert strange mcnamara june 9, 1916 july 6, 2009 was an american business executive.
Aurelie basha i novosejt, lecturer in american history at the university of kent, provides a fresh and controversial examination of mcnamara s decisions during the vietnam war. The papers of robert strange mcnamara 19162009 span the years 19342009, with the bulk concentrated between 1968 and 2005. Due to the nuclear arms race, the vietnam war buildup and other projects, total obligational authority toa. Now former defense secretary robert mcnamara gives a teary apology and says he regrets his policy in vietnam during the police action. The definitive insiders account of american policy making in vietnam. The tragedy and lessons of vietnam and published by times books. Seldom has a book provoked the scale of unbridled rage that robert mcnamara unleashed with the publication last week of a confessional memoir on the u. Mcnamaras apology seldom has a book provoked the scale of unbridled rage that robert mcnamara unleashed with the publication last week of a confessional memoir on the u.
Mcnamaras controversial book tells the inside and perso. Robert mcnamara s vietnam war policy, 19601968 cambridge university press, 2018, dr. Mcnamara believed that the fight against communism in asia was worth the sacrifice of american lives, and yet he eventually came to believe that the war was, in fact, unwinnable. Military academy has provided a masterful examination of the roots of the vietnam war. Jul 07, 2009 mcnamara was wrong, terribly wrong about vietnam robert mcnamaras actions during the vietnam war were wrong, terribly wrong.
The tragedy and lessons of vietnam, published by times books. Mcnamara, note 1 memorandum from secretary of defense mcnamara to president johnson. Encontre diversos livros escritos por mcnamara, robert s. Robert mcnamara s vietnam war policy, 1, paperback by novosejt, aurelie basha i. Mcnamara s apology seldom has a book provoked the scale of unbridled rage that robert mcnamara unleashed with the publication last week of a confessional memoir on the u. The failure of robert mcnamara robert mcnamara the.
In 1995 mcnamara published a memoir, in retrospect. Author and former defense secretary robert mcnamara discussed his book, in retrospect. Robert mcnamara at least had the capacity to deeply and. The architect of the vietnam war served during the kennedy and johnson administrations. How robert mcnamara came to regret the war he escalated. Written with brian vandemark, the controversial book was a bestseller.
Mcnamara had read kennedys ghostwritten book profiles in courage and asked him if he had really written it. I made mistakes robert mcnamaras vietnam war policy, 19601968. Robert mcnamara, architect of vietnam war, has died the. Bashas careful account of mcnamaras vietnam policies is a terrible indictment not just of the policies but of mcnamaras moral failure in prizing loyalty over lives. In 1968, mcnamara resigned as defense secretary to become president of the world bank. Astonishing story of the one man who could have spared us. Feb 01, 2017 these involved a number of johnson mcnamara policies and strategies that cincpac admiral u. I do not know to this day, whether i quit or was fired. Mcnamara was wrong, terribly wrong about vietnam the. Robert mcnamara, by noam chomsky excerpted from class. Mcnamara was wrong, terribly wrong about vietnam the nation.
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