Search results
Mar 25, 2024 · Robert S. McNamara (born June 9, 1916, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died July 6, 2009, Washington, D.C.) was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations and who played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War.
McNamara's hawkish stance on Vietnam was well known in Washington and many in the press often referred to the war as "McNamara's war" as he was the one in the cabinet always pressing for greater American involvement. In February 1965, the VC attacked the American airfield at Pleiku, killing 8 Americans and destroying 10 aircraft.
- 1940–1946
- 3, including Craig
People also ask
Why did McNamara fight in Vietnam?
How many advisers did McNamara have in South Vietnam?
Did McNamara have too many restrictions on bombing North Vietnam?
Was McNamara a 'professional military expert'?
In 1965, in response to stepped up military activity by the Communist Viet Cong in South Vietnam and their North Vietnamese allies, the United States began bombing North Vietnam,...
- Who Was Robert McNamara?
- Early Life
- Secretary of Defense
- Vietnam War
- Criticism
- Later Years and Death
Robert McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth U.S. secretary of defense, serving under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He is best known for helping lead the United States into the Vietnam War during the Kennedy Administration, an act for which he spent the remainder of his life wrestling with the moral conseque...
Robert Strange McNamara was born on June 9, 1916, in San Francisco, California. In 1937, he graduated with a degree in economics from the University of California in Berkeley. An excellent student, McNamara went to study at Harvard Business School where he earned his master's degree in 1939. After a short stint on the West Coast, McNamara was back ...
Ford hired this group of bright young men—sometimes referred to as "Whiz Kids"—to help reinvigorate his family's company, which was going through difficult times. Over the years, McNamara was promoted numerous times and advocated for such changes as making small cars and increasing safety. He also became known as a gifted, innovative manager with s...
Later, during the Johnson Administration, McNamara backed the escalation of U.S. involvement after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in 1964, during which U.S. ships were allegedly attacked by the communist North Vietnamese. President Lyndon B. Johnsonretaliated with air strikes against the northern targets. Supporting the North Vietnamese was the Viet C...
By 1968, McNamara had become disillusioned about the Vietnam War. Looking to take his life in a new direction, he resigned his position. Clark M. Clifford took over as secretary of defense while McNamara focused on helping developing countries as president of the World Bank. During his 13 years with the bank, he oversaw the expansion of its lending...
In 2003, McNamara was once again in the spotlight with the release of the critically acclaimed documentary, The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons of Robert S. McNamara. Most of the documentary featured interviews with McNamara, providing some rationale for actions taken in Vietnam as well as insight into their flaws. The following year, McNamara started a...
May 13, 2024 · Robert Strange McNamara, one of the most recognizable and controversial figures of the Vietnam War, served as the Secretary of Defense under both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. His policies changed the way that the military operated and also shaped the strategy of the Vietnam War.
Robert McNamara (1916-2009) was the United States secretary of defence between January 1961 and February 1968. McNamara was a native of California, born in San Francisco and educated at Berkeley. He obtained a master’s degree in business from Harvard and served in World War II in an administrative capacity. After the war McNamara joined Ford ...
Sep 25, 2018 · Robert S. McNamara (June 9, 1916–July 6, 2009) was a secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1960s and the chief architect and most vocal defender of the Vietnam War. He spent his later years as an elder statesman, apologizing for an escalation of the conflict that became known as "McNamara's War."
