Vietnam War Architect Robert McNamara dies at 93

(Image Source: the Defense Information Systems Agency)

Robert McNamara (June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) died early Monday morning in his sleep at the age of 93. McNamara served as Defense Secretary for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1968. Following that he served as President of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981.

McNamara will always be best known for his role as the architect of the Vietnam policy in the 1960s. In his book, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, he admitted that the the War, in which 58,000 Americans lost their lives was waged in error and the policy was flawed.

The DC Public Library owns wide selection of books related to the Robert McNamara. Below is a brief list of items authored by McNamara, such as:

Wilson's Ghost: Reducing the Risk of Conflict, Killing, and Catastrophe in the 21st Century. Public Affairs, 2001. 327.17 M169

Argument Without End: In Search of Answers to the Vietnam Tragedy. Public Affairs, 1999.
959.7043 M169AR

In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. Times Books, 1995.
959.7043 M169

Out of the Cold: New Thinking for American Foreign and Defense Policy in the 21st Century. Simon and Schuster, 1989.
327.7304 M169

Blundering into Disaster: Surviving the First Century of the Nuclear Age. Pantheon Books, 1986. 355.033 169

The Essence of Security; Reflections in Office. Harper & Row, 1968.
355.0973 M169

You can also search our databases for biographical information and articles about American defense policy during the Vietnam War.

The Social Sciences Division will have a book display during the month of July related to Robert McNamara and the Vietnam war policy. Please check it out in the East Lobby on the Second Floor.