Introduction

Summary

The book provides a reassessment of Robert S. McNamara’s decisions during the Vietnam War. It situates him at the end of a historical process for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), a young agency that was still in flux and trying to define the proper balance between civilian and military advisors. McNamara’s concern for economic issues meant he resisted international commitments, in Vietnam and elsewhere. His idiosyncratic views on loyalty led him to self-censor and adopt public positions that were at odds with his private views. He ultimately became the spokesperson for a war that he had resisted. The book has benefited from a host of new sources, including McNamara’s papers at the Library of Congress, recently declassified Defense Department materials and the private diaries of his assistant for International Security Affairs, John T. McNaughton.