Robert MacNamara Dies

[Eric Mc]

One of the most important members of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and looked on as the architecht of America's involvement in Vietnam died today. He was 93.

[Yertis]

Thanks for that Eric,I was Googling him a month or so ago after reading a book called 'Alpha Strike Vietnam.

As a youngster I first read about him in one of Bill Gunston's books about the F111.

[350GT]

One of the chaps who has been involved in a huge amount of world breaking events. Overlooked fellow, who's part in politics will be overlooked by laymen.

[towser]

350GT said:

One of the chaps who has been involved in a huge amount of world breaking events. Overlooked fellow, who's part in politics will be overlooked by laymen.

There's a brilliant documentary about him called "Fog of War" - until I watched that I had no idea how significant a figure he was.

[350GT]

I saw that a while back, and I thought it was excellent. he quite happily admitted what he did wrong, as well as right. Enjoyed it immensely.

PS... Isn't it weird how much he actually looks like the actor who portrayed him in '13 days'?

[Jimbeaux]

He was also responsible for such micro management decisions as "body count" and running a war by statistics. His influence led to other too-detailed moves such as the President and his cabinet actually choosing targets on a map....something the field generals and staff should have been doing. The politicians hamstrung the military largely based on his actions.

[Eric Mc]

He was one of the first examples of the modern approach of bringing a successful businesman into the political arena in the assumption that business management techniques can be applied to politics and war.

At least MacNamara had the guts to admit that it wasn't such a good idea.

[RDMcG]

towser said:

350GT said:

One of the chaps who has been involved in a huge amount of world breaking events. Overlooked fellow, who's part in politics will be overlooked by laymen.

There's a brilliant documentary about him called "Fog of War" - until I watched that I had no idea how significant a figure he was.

Superb doc, that. He was a brilliant and totally amoral guy, and it came through in spades.

[Balmoral Green]

A significant figure in the US automotive industry too.

[Jimbeaux]

Eric Mc said:

He was one of the first examples of the modern approach of bringing a successful businesman into the political arena in the assumption that business management techniques can be applied to politics and war.

At least MacNamara had the guts to admit that it wasn't such a good idea.

Yes, that he did.

[Fittster]

Eric Mc said:

One of the most important members of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and looked on as the architecht of America's involvement in Vietnam died today. He was 93.

"Both the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times describe the former Secretary of Defense as the “architect” of the Vietnam War. This is news to us and libelous to real architects; as near as we could tell, the war went on without plans or blueprints, clapped together by jackleg meddlers. Then, the whole thing fell down in a heap."

[Eric Mc]

Nobody said he was a good architecht.