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Did the Vietnam War have to happen? And why couldn't it have ended earlier? These are among the questions that Robert McNamara and his collaborators ask in Argument Without End, a book that will stand as a major contribution to what we know about the Vietnam War. Drawing on a series of meetings that brought together, for the first time ever, senior American and Vietnamese officials who had served during the war, the book looks at the many instances in which one side, or both, made crucial mistakes that led to the war and its duration. Using Vietnamese and Chinese documents, many never before made public, McNamara reveals both American and Vietnamese blunders, and points out ways in which such mistakes can be avoided in the future. He also shows conclusively that war could not be won militarily by the United States. McNamara's last book on Vietnam was one of the most controversial books ever published in this country. This book will reignite the passionate debate about the war, about McNamara, and about the lessons we can take away from the tragedy.
Funny: Here is the first elected non-family President of Ford Motor Company that people are saying has little political savvy.Interesting: Here is a man who was involved in the bombing of Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki from a numbers and logistical stand point, begged by John F. Kennedy to be the Secretary of Defense, later head of the World Bank who spends three quarters of the book stressing communication breakdown issues and missed opportunities.(Predictable: What did you expect when everything is "classified" and reelection is considered greater than human life.)Valuable: There is diplomatic wisdom in his analyzes of these breakdowns which should be studied and understood by anyone in government. One can unravel Iraq and Afghanistan quite easily after this briefing ... similar in my view.Inspiring: ... to see an old man whose claim to fame was numbers, analyses, logistics, and mountains of data so aware of empathy and engagement on a deep and personal level.Yes: Many people hated McNamarra, but I think this study is motivated on a sincere desire to assess his own mistakes as well as those of others and for that reason counts as a document of sharing and a view of a repentent life. It is right that he addresses these flaws publicly consistent with where he dislayed them.Wildfeather
