Robert Mcnamara Vietnam Chapter Summaries

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Robert McNamara tells the story of his journey throughout the Vietnam War. His personal encounters give a new inside viewpoint, exposing what he says is the truth behind the administration. McNamara discusses his journey into the center of Washington and the three major events that shaped his life: The Great Depression, his time at Cal-Berkeley and meeting his wife, Margaret. McNamara outlines his route into politics; from living in a small, one bedroom apartment with wife to being known as a part of the "Whiz Kids," McNamara eventually finds himself as the Secretary of Defense for President Kennedy. Discussion of knowledgeable ties to Southeast Asia had emerged. When the Berlin crisis occurred in 1961 and during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, President Kennedy turned to those on the inside who knew the Soviets intimately. There were no senior officials in the Pentagon or State Department with comparable knowledge of Southeast Asia. Ultimately, the administration failed to critically evaluate their assumptions and the foundations of their …show more content…

Events reached a critical moment when the US faced a choice among unpalatable alternatives at the beginning of 1965. Exhausted by what seemed to be a "never ending war" the Johnson administration created a month-long bombing pause. But Hanoi and the Vietcong did not respond as planned. Demands for an ever-widening war had increased and casualties had grown significantly. The American public called for immediate answers and McNamara’s involvement ended in 1967 with a letter written to President Johnson. By the time the United States had finally left South Vietnam in 1973, we had lost over 58,000 service members and our economy showed the wounds from years of heavy and improperly financed war spending. The political unity of our society was in shambles, not to be restored for

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