Jul 16, 2012 fortunately, defense secretary mcnamara was fond of the ar15, knew the ordnance corps was dragging its feet on the weapon and on january 23, 1963, halted all procurements of the m14. Outnumbered by those who wanted to continue fighting, he left the johnson administration and his. Mcnamara, convinced the war could be ended by christmas 1965, threw his energies into effective execution of johnsons policies but miscalculated resistance. Kennedy, who preceded johnson in the white house, insisted that he did not wish to make an unconditional commitment to prevent the loss of south vietnam and flatly refused to endorse the introduction of u. As mcnamara said in his 1962 annual report, the military tactics are those of the sniper, the ambush, and the raid. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Mcnamara, clifford, burdens of vietnam 19651969 osd historical. Turner wrote a book, phantom of phu bai, about him. See more ideas about vietnam, vietnam war photos and vietnam war. A book signed by many of last marines rescued from the saigon. A 1970 bill clinton letter discussing his draft number. Mcnamaras controversial book tells the inside and personal story of.
Robert mcnamara himself, in the middle of his tenure as defense secretary, embraced the moniker, wrote tim weiner for the. Beyond vietnam, mcnamaras legacy is almost as bitter and the charges as varied. A signed photograph of the legendary marine sniper carlos hathcock who scored 93 kills in vietnam. The architect of the vietnam war served during the kennedy and johnson administrations. What makes mcnamara s reversal so remarkable is that he is the individual responsible for executing government policies in vietnam from 1961 to 1968. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jul 06, 2009 robert mcnamara spent the last chapter of his life striving mightily to atone for the sins his sins of vietnam. Collecting vietnam war memorabilia the new antiquarian. The vietnam center and sam johnson vietnam archive. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading mcnamaras folly. Also gives a brief background of himself, good book for anyone who wants more inside information of what led us to vietnam. Mcnamara, secretary of defense for presidents kennedy and johnson, helped lead america into vietnam.
Mcnamara and the real tonkin gulf deception by gareth porter for most of the last five decades, it has been assumed that the tonkin gulf incident was a. The war in vietnam was not lost in the field, nor was it lost on the front pages of the new york times or the college campuses. I have two memories of my father before he went off to vietnam. 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. Time to hunt by stephen hunter, point of impact by stephen hunter, sniper one. Mcnamara was a decent man who agonised over his role in the vietnam war for the rest of his life. Re mcnamara takes much of blame for vietnam, april 9. Introduction on september 7, 1967, at a press conference in washington, dc, united states secretary of defense robert mcnamara announced plans for the construction of an electronic antiinfiltration barrier below the demilitarized zone dmz, the line of. Finally, in 1964, defense secretary mcnamara ordered the ordnance corps to work with all branches of the armed forces to get the ar15 ready for issue to all.
Jul 06, 2009 former defense secretary robert mcnamara died monday at the age of 93. Whatever the difficulties of the moment, he exuded a certainty that promised ultimate success. Mcnamara illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare. And here mcnamaras flaws overwhelm a lifetime of achievements, for the portrait that emerges from shapleys book is of a man who was the primary culprit in americas illfated military engagement, a historical assessment that is likely to stick no matter how many nuclear arms reduction speeches and articles he churns. Robert mcnamara himself, in the middle of his tenure as defense secretary, embraced the moniker, wrote tim weiner for.
A letter by senator pat mcnamara on the very day president johnson signed by gulf of tonkin resolution, defending the bill. 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. The story behind the mcnamara line by peter brush a version of this article appeared in vietnam magazine, february, 1996, pp. 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. Mcnamaras folly by hamilton gregory vietnam veterans of. A vietnam war sniper crawled for 3 days across 2000m of. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading mcnamara s folly. Hathcocks record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the u. The fortifications were partially constructed by the american forces in 19671968 along the eastern portion of the demilitarized zone. The use of lowiq troops in the vietnam war kindle edition by gregory, hamilton. Mcnamara was responsible for the institution of systems analysis in public policy. His is a prime example of the truth of the maxim that life is lived forwards but understood.
Jun 07, 20 with 98 confirmed kills within six months of action, he is one of the five american snipers with most kills in the vietnam war. Project 100,000 also mcnamara s 100,000, also known as mcnamara s folly, mcnamara s morons and mcnamara s misfits, was a controversial 1960s program by the united states department of defense dod to recruit soldiers who would previously have been below military mental or medical standards. In a 1995 memoir, he called the vietnam war and crucial decisions he made as. Vietnam war defense secretary seeks reconciliation in hanoi mcnamara to meet old foes. During kennedys administration, mcnamara supported the presidents decision to increase american involvement in vietnam. 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.
Opinion rethinking mcnamaras war the new york times. 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. Mcnamara, in full robert strange mcnamara, born june 9, 1916, san francisco, california, u. Objective 2 oreanionand doctrin determine sniper organizational and doctrinal concepts for. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional. 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. The film was directed by errol morris and features an original score by philip glass. 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. He was a strong believer in americas fight against communism, and thought it was his patriotic duty to serve. Thoughts engendered by robert mcnamaras in retrospect. Mcnamaras 11 lessons he has learned throughout his life, including working under curtis lemay during wwii, the ford motor company during the 1950s, and as secretary of defense under presidents kennedy and johnson during the vietnam war. On his first visit to saigon in 1962, during the rapid buildup of the american advisory presence, mcnamara said, every quantitative measurement we have. The political tactics are terror, extortion, and assassination.
Architect of mcnamaras war makes return trip to vietnam. The wrong kind of loyalty mcnamaras apology for vietnam. Robert mcnamara believes that american leaders acted out of honorable principles, as he argued in his 1995 book, in retrospect. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. His book, in retrospect, published in 1995, presented an account and. On his first visit to saigon in 1962, during the rapid buildup of the american advisory presence, mcnamara. This marine was the american sniper of the vietnam war. The title derives from the military concept of the fog of war.
As much as any other individual, secretary of defense robert s. Carlos hathcock remarked about him, eric is a great man, a great shooter, and a great marine. May 14, 2014 as mcnamara said in his 1962 annual report, the military tactics are those of the sniper, the ambush, and the raid. Kennedy vowed not to allow south vietnam fall to communism. This book is widely viewed as the best concise history of the vietnam war. Carlos norman hathcock ii may 20, 1942 february 22, 1999 was a united states marine corps usmc sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Mcnamara recalls, and regrets, vietnam the new york times. With 98 confirmed kills within six months of action, he is one of the five american snipers with most kills in the vietnam war. Project dye marker was a cover name for a strong pointobstacle component of the electronic antiinfiltration barrier system in south vietnam known as mcnamara line during the vietnam war, which aimed to create an alternative to the us bombing of north vietnam. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet. Then the forces leveled off at around 2,700,000 until the vietnam military.
Long before chris kyle penned american sniper, carlos hathcock was already a legend. Mcnamaras controversial book tells the inside and personal. In july of 1965, facing an insurgent viet cong and yet to see signs of a u. The sniper initially started his deployment in vietnam as a military policeman before carrying out feats of stamina, skill, and endurance that wouldnt sound out of place in a historical fiction novel. A vietnam war sniper crawled for 3 days across 2000m of open. 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. He played a major role in escalating the united states involvement in the vietnam war. May 04, 2015 american snipers in vietnam jimiii hendrix. Project 100,000 was initiated by defense secretary robert mcnamara in october 1966 to meet the. 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. In practical terms, this meant training and equipping u. But toward the end of his life, former defense secretary robert mcnamara issued a string of. Nov 07, 1995 architect of mcnamaras war makes return trip to vietnam. Jul 06, 2009 mcnamara, convinced the war could be ended by christmas 1965, threw his energies into effective execution of johnsons policies but miscalculated resistance to u.
Former defense secretary robert mcnamara died monday at the age of 93. This page is in no way intended to glorify the amount of people these soldiers have killed, it is intended to recognize the manner in which these soldiers excelled at accomplishing the misson assigned to them in a time of war. How robert mcnamara came to regret the war he escalated. Defense secretary robert mcnamara briefing reporters in 1967 about plans to construct a.
Est 2040 gmt hanoi, vietnam cnn robert mcnamara, secretary of defense during the. Robert strange mcnamara june 9, 1916 july 6, 2009 was an american business executive and the eighth secretary of defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under presidents john f. Early in the evening of 4 april a sniper shot and killed. Notably absent from the list are any films from vietnam itself. Robert mcnamara spent the last chapter of his life striving mightily to atone for the sins his sins of vietnam. Mcnamaras book reminds us that they even repeated the litany in memos to. Mcnamara doesnt try to hide or defend the mistakes of vietnam, he simply wants to explain why and how they made the decisions that ultimately led to the tragedy that was vietnam.
Mcnamara personified the american commitment in vietnam. Nov 28, 2017 on vietnam, too, mcnamara moved briskly. Mcnamara and the real tonkin gulf deception by gareth porter for most of the last five decades, it has been assumed that the tonkin gulf incident was a deception by lyndon johnson to. High government leaders arent generally known for flaunting their errors. Mcnamaras folly by hamilton gregory hamilton gregory volunteered for the army, and served three years, including one in the vietnam war in military intelligence. Although he was a prime architect of the vietnam war and repeatedly overruled the jcs on strategic matters, mcnamara gradually became skeptical about whether the war could be won by deploying more troops to south vietnam and intensifying the bombing of north vietnam, a claim he would publish in a book. Robert mcnamara and the ghosts of vietnam the new york times. Robert strange mcnamara june 9, 1916 july 6, 2009 was an american business executive. Determine which of the sniper equipment evaluated is most suitable.
Fortunately, defense secretary mcnamara was fond of the ar15, knew the ordnance corps was dragging its feet on the weapon and on january 23, 1963, halted all procurements of the m14. 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. Five decades ago in vietnam, a different great, great wall. 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. What makes mcnamaras reversal so remarkable is that he is the individual responsible for executing government policies in vietnam from 1961 to 1968. Evaluate current employment of sniper personnel and equipment in vietnam. Mcmaster from the conclusion dereliction of duty is a stunning new analysis of how and why the united states became involved in an allout and disastrous war in southeast asia. Mcnamara had read kennedys book profiles in courage and asked him if he had really written it himself, with kennedy insisting that he did. After kennedy was assassinated in november 1963, however, the military buildup in vietnam was. Mcnamara, writing in his 1995 memoir, in retrospect, on the management of the vietnam war.
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