McNamara was Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968 in the Kennedy Administration, which led the US into the Vietnam adventure, and in the Johnson Administration, which widened the involvement to a war in which 58,000 American troops died.

Table of Contents

What is McNamara known for?

McNamara, in full Robert Strange McNamara, (born June 9, 1916, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died July 6, 2009, Washington, D.C.), 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.

Who was the architect of the Vietnam War?

Robert McNamara, Vietnam War Architect, Is Dead : It’s All Politics Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations — more specifically, during the buildup of the Vietnam War — died this morning.

Did McNamara regret Vietnam War?

“… I’m very proud of my accomplishments, and I’m very sorry that in the process of accomplishing things, I’ve made errors.” McNamara expressed regret, but never made a formal apology for his central role in stoking the conflict in Vietnam.

What did William Westmoreland do in the Vietnam War?

William Westmoreland commanded U.S. forces in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He treated the conflict as a war of attrition, which diminished domestic support. In December 1956 he was promoted to major general; at 42 years old, he was then the youngest person holding that rank in the U.S. Army.

Who was McNamara Cuban missile crisis?

Kennedy’s Defense Secretary, Robert McNamara, played a key role in shaping the administration’s Cold War foreign policy. The Cuban Missile Crisis tested this approach. A central advisor to the President, McNamara initially suggested an aggressive stance against Soviet influence and military weaponry in Cuba.

Why did Kennedy pick McNamara?

In making the selection, Kennedy told reporters that he was selecting McNamara with the understanding that the Defense Department must be “so strong that it cannot merely defend the Nation in event of war but, rather, so strong that it can maintain the peace.” 3 Kennedy also confirmed that he was asking all his …

Who replaced McNamara?

McNamara subsequently resigned; Johnson adviser Clark Clifford succeeded him.

What tactics did antiwar activists use in protesting the Vietnam War?

Their actions consisted mainly of peaceful, nonviolent events; few events were deliberately provocative and violent. In some cases, police used violent tactics against peaceful demonstrators.

Who was the architect of Indonesian independence?

Sukarno, also spelled Soekarno, (born June 6, 1901, Surabaja [now Surabaya], Java, Dutch East Indies—died June 21, 1970, Jakarta, Indonesia), leader of the Indonesian independence movement and Indonesia’s first president (1949–66), who suppressed the country’s original parliamentary system in favour of an authoritarian …

Article first time published on

What role did Dean Rusk play in the Vietnam War?

Dean Rusk. As U.S. secretary of state from 1961 to 1969, Dean Rusk was one of America’s major Vietnam War policy makers. Rusk supported U.S. military involvement in Vietnam because he viewed the conflict as an important test of America’s determination to contain communism around the world.

How did Westmoreland lose Vietnam?

He overestimated the American people’s patience and tolerance of friendly losses. … And the number one reason why Westmoreland lost the war in Vietnam: With his unavailing approach to conduct of the war he squandered four years of support by much of the American people, the Congress, and even the media.

Was William Westmoreland a bad general?

In his view, it isn’t just that Westmoreland was “a good general fighting a bad war”, it’s that he was a perfect paragon of a general constantly disappointed by the shortcomings of those around him.

Is Kyle Westmoreland related to General William Westmoreland?

General Westmoreland and Kyle do not share any relation. William Childs Westmoreland was a United States Army general. He was the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968.

Who were JFK's cabinet members?

What is the purpose of ExComm?

The Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExComm) was a group of experts who advised President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. National Security Action Memorandum 196 established the ExComm to ensure effective decision making during the crisis.

What state was Robert F Kennedy a senator for?

Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also referred to by his initials RFK or by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. Senator from New York from January 1965 until his …

What role did Robert Kennedy play in the Cuban missile crisis?

Robert Kennedy was not only President Kennedy’s Attorney General, he was also his closest advisor and confidant. … During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, for instance, he helped develop the Kennedy administration’s strategy to blockade Cuba instead of taking military action that could have led to nuclear war.

What did Robert McNamara say about the Cuban missile crisis?

Basically, he said, ‘If you’ll guarantee you won’t invade Cuba, we’ll take the missiles out’. Then before we could respond we had a second message that had been dictated by a bunch of hardliners. And it said, in effect, ‘If you attack, we’re prepared to confront you with masses of military power’.

What was NATO's role in the Cuban missile crisis?

Adopted in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Flexible Response enhanced NATO’s conventional defence posture by offering military responses short of a full nuclear exchange in the event of conflict.

What happened to Robert McNamara?

Robert McNamaraDiedJuly 6, 2009 (aged 93) Washington, D.C., U.S.Political partyRepublican (until 1978) Democratic (from 1978)

Who was Robert McNamara and explain his background?

He was a professor at Harvard Business School in the early 1940s; an executive at Ford Motor Company for 15 years, becoming its president in 1960; the secretary of defense for seven years under presidents Kennedy and Johnson; and the president of the World Bank for 13 years.

What does the name McNamara mean?

Mcnamara Name Meaning Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Conmara, a patronymic from Cú Mhara, a personal name composed of the elements cú ‘hound’ + muir ‘sea’.

What was wrong with Robert McNamara's wife?

She died of cancer eighteen days later, at the age of 65. In summer of 1981, her ashes were scattered by her family on a mountainside meadow at Buckskin Pass, near Snowmass Village, Colorado. Margaret Craig McNamara is commemorated on her husband’s grave marker in Arlington National Cemetery.

Where is McNamara buried?

Robert McNamara is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. McNamara was born in 1916 in California. He was in Washington, D.C….

What was the purpose of the nationwide and global teach ins organized by campus activists in 1965?

Teach-ins began at the University of Michigan in 1965 to protest the Vietnam War and subsequently expanded to become a tradition across American colleges and universities.

Was the antiwar movement successful?

Clearly the anti-war movement has not been successful. … During the Vietnam War era, many anti-war Americans were also anti-soldier. Today, most people make a point of expressing support for the troops, even if they oppose the war, he said.

Why did hippies oppose the Vietnam War?

There are many reasons hippies were resistant to the Vietnam War with one being that it was immoral like many other wars. … Obviously hippies were for peace so innocent people and even those not innocent losing their lives was reason enough to protest.

Who did Robert McNamara work for?

In 1946 McNamara joined Ford Motor Company as manager of planning and financial analysis. He advanced rapidly through a series of top-level management positions to the presidency of Ford on 9 November 1960–one day after Kennedy’s election.

Who was Johnson's chief military advisor on Vietnam?

On 19 January 1968 President Johnson announced his selection of Clark M. Clifford to replace Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense.

What president did McNamara serve under?

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.