A Dallas orchestra reimagines LBJ's duel wars Sep 14, 2008
Robert S. McNamara, Johnson's secretary of defense and an architect of the Vietnam War, later acknowledged that the Aug. 4 attack had not occurred and said that if Johnson had known, he would not have ordered the retaliation. Today in Culture. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Woodward: Doubt, Distrust, Delay Over Bush's Failing Iraq Strategy ... Sep 8, 2008
The problem during the Vietnam War, Bush told me in 2002, was that "the government micromanaged the war" -- both the White House and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Micromanaging the Iraq war from the White House had been a red line for Bush. (The Drudge Report)
The real weapons of mass destruction Jun 26, 2008
In a dramatic confrontation in a Pentagon war room, the chief of naval operations tells Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara that the Navy will handle any engagement with the Soviets in accordance with long-standing Navy procedures and tradition, and needs no supervision from civilians. Furious, McNamara puts new procedures into place that give him and the president greater direct operational control -- or so they think. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Editorial)
'Standard Operating Procedure': Clearer picture of torture May 4, 2008
Enter documentarian Errol Morris, who forever bridles at the official story, whether it involves a man charged with murdering a police officer (The Thin Blue Line) or the politically charged memories of former U.S. defence secretary Robert S. McNamara (The Fog of War). With Standard Operating Procedure, a title that tips to the bovine complicity of soldiers "just following orders" and the cynical authority of superiors "getting the job done," Morris reads between the pixels of the damning... (Toronto Star)
New Trustees Elected to Aspen Institute Board Apr 17, 2008
Aspen Institute Board of Trustees William E. Mayer Chairman of the Board Henry E. Catto Vice Chairman Walter Isaacson President and CEO Lester Crown Vice Chairman Active Trustees Madeleine K. Albright Principal, The Albright Group LLC Paul F. Anderson Senior Advisor, Booz Allen Hamilton Mercedes Bass Sid R. Bass Inc. *Berl Bernhard Partner, DLA Piper US LLP Chairman Emeritus, The Aspen Institute William D. Budinger Founder, Former Chairman and CEO, Rodel, Inc. Stephen L. Carter Professor of Law... (PR Newswire)
5 Years Ago: Press Saw Hints of Iraq Slog to Come Mar 30, 2008
And there, splashed across a spread in The New York Times, five years ago this week, during the second week of the invasion of Iraq, was a picture of a smiling Donald Rumsfeld bending over to shake the hand of an equally buoyant Robert S. McNamara. Unfortunately, it did not look like McNamara was whispering, What part of the word Vietnam don t you understand. (MediaWeek.com)
Air India film gets premiere at Hot Docs festival Mar 19, 2008
Errol Morris, who also directed the 2004 Oscar-winner The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, describes his new film as a "non-fiction horror movie.". Meanwhile, photojournalist-director Dilip Mehta will show his documentary The Forgotten Woman, described as a response to his sister Deepa Mehta's dramatic feature film Water, about the persecution of widows in traditional India. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Today in History - Nov. 29 Nov 29, 2007
In 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank. In 1981, actress Natalie Wood drowned in a boating accident off Santa Catalina Island, Calif. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
'Wall That Heals' opens in South Sioux City Oct 19, 2007
Brooks, himself a Vietnam veteran, scoffed as he read a message from then-Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. It was printed in a pamphlet given to soldiers deploying to Vietnam. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
J. Edward Lundy, 92, Ford 'whiz kid' Oct 9, 2007
Two of them, Robert S. McNamara and Arjay Miller, eventually became presidents of Ford. Lundy remained a close confidant of Ford and rose through the finance department. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
LMI Receives Prestigious Cogswell Award From Defense Security Service Jul 11, 2007
Mr. Rick Esslinger, manager of corporate security, affirmed, "The LMI security department works hard to ensure compliance with the NISPOM ['National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual']. LMI management and staff have made the Cogswell presentation possible with their dedication to excellence." LMI is a not-for-profit government consulting firm established in 1961 at the behest of Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Best known for its logistics expertise, LMI's work now includes... (PR Newswire)
Today in History - June 9 Jun 10, 2007
Former World Bank president and former defense secretary Robert S. McNamara is 91. Actress Mona Freeman is 81. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Today in History Jun 9, 2007
Secondary Navigation. By The Associated Press Sat Jun 9, 12:01 AM ET. (Yahoo News)
Happy birthday! Jun 9, 2007
Robert S. McNamara (former defense secretary) 91. Mona Freeman (actress) 81. (Orlando Sentinel -- Entertainment)
The New Heat on Ford May 29, 2007
Under U.S. Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara, one of a celebrated group of military veterans at the company dubbed the Whiz Kids, Ford developed scientific consumer research techniques that are now commonplace throughout the business world. It was one of the first auto companies to create products that were based on hard data rather than the personal tastes of executives. (BusinessWeek)
Journalist chronicled the culture of America Apr 24, 2007
Among the individuals whose reputations were punctured by the book were Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretaries of Defense Robert S. McNamara and Clark Clifford and McGeorge Bundy, special assistant to the president for national security affairs. Mr. Halberstam conducted more than 500 interviews for The Best and the Brightest, filling the book with anecdotes, strong narrative and details that brought the players to life with dimension and nuance. (SunSpot.net)
Persian Gulf of Tonkin Incident Mar 2, 2007
When Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara briefed U.S. lawmakers on the incident, however, he asserted that the raids on North Vietnam were South Vietnamese naval missions and had nothing to do with the United States, Prados reports. But the major challenge to the official version of the Tonkin Gulf incident has focused on another question: did a second attack on U.S. warships occur on the night of Aug. 4. (The American Conservative)
Trapped by Hubris, Again Jan 15, 2007
Indeed, Hadley's memo is squarely in the tradition of the sublimely arrogant know-it-alls whom journalist David Halberstam memorably dubbed "The Best and the Brightest." These were the men around John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson who, along with Kennedy and Johnson, gave us the Vietnam War: Robert S. McNamara, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Rusk, Walt W. Rostow and the rest. They, too, allowed themselves to believe that the shrewd application of U.S. power -- pulling a lever here, pushing a button... (Ocnus.net)
