McNamara became a close adviser to Kennedy and advocated the use of a blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy and McNamara instituted a Cold War defense strategy of flexible response, …

Apr 15, 2026 · Robert S. McNamara (born June 9, 1916, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died July 6, 2009, Washington, D.C.) was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped …

Oct 3, 2025 · As the U.S. defense secretary under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara was a central figure in the Vietnam War. While he confidently carried out orders, …

McNamara left office on 29 February 1968; for his dedicated efforts, the president awarded him both the Medal of Freedom and the Distinguished Service Medal. He served as head of the World Bank...

Jun 1, 2021 · John F. Kennedy Jr.—the president’s son who died a year later in a plane crash—chose, somewhat surprisingly, Robert McNamara, best known as being the defense secretary responsible …

Robert Strange McNamara, one of the most recognizable and controversial figures of the Vietnam War, served as the Secretary of Defense under both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. His …

Includes drafts of his books, In Retrospect : The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam (1995) and Argument Without End : In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy (1999) as well as drafts of Wilson's …

Robert S. McNamara was first a success in business, rising to become the first non-family president of the Ford Motor Company, and then as Secretary of Defense, where he applied management …

Robert McNamara served as the eighth United States secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson at the height of the Cold War. He remains the …

Robert Strange McNamara (June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense. After being an executive at Ford Motor Company, …