I just learned of the death of Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense and architect of the Vietnam War. He was the villain of my youth. After he left that position (or was fired. It is not exactly clear.), he spent much of his life analyzing all that the U.S. and he had done. Much of this is examined in an extraordinary documentary called "Fog of War". It is a powerful analysis of power and its use and misuse. At one point, he describes himself as a war criminal. He stated, “War is so complex it’s beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily.” I still find this hard to connect this statement to the man who was nothing less than a cheerleader as he sent so many soldiers off to war. Conflicts class went to see the film, and we had very different reactions to it. I still saw the villain of my youth and struggled with his struggle to repent and understand. I believe most of the students saw him as rather noble. I could be wrong, I would urge everyone to see the documentary if possible. At the very least, read today's NYT on Robert McNamara's life and death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/us/07mcnamara.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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I took a class on the Vietnam War, and I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the peasantry during French Colonialism. So I've dealt with McNamara. Sometimes the greatest "war criminals" are not those who willingly do wrong, but unwittingly do wrong because they are working with under-or-unreported facts. I think this is the problem with our post-WWII foreign policy. McNamara was a fairly early example.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he was evil. I don't think he was a criminal. I don't think he did a great job. But I also think it could have been worse.
On a related note, I am surprised that McNamra lived so long after the Vietnam War (as such a hated public figure) without any serious assissination attempts. In the book "Patriots", which is a compilation of personal accounts of soldiers/politicians on both sides of the war, many people on both sides years after the war's end still expressed a virulent hatred of McNamara.
Also, does this mean that Giap is the last major player from the Vietnam War still living?
Wow. So much done by only one man. Within his lifetime so much damage can be accredited to him. It is such a shame that one man can make the decision of how many men will go off to war, how many civilians will die for their country. The pressure on his shoulders must have been huge. It was up to him whether or not my Uncle went off to Vietnam. Which he did and he died there. It is frightening to think of what damage one man can do.
ReplyDeleteI can understand the hatred of McNamara, It was not just what he did, but his self-righteousness, He seemed to have no doubts about the carnage he was unleashing including, sadly, Ginny's uncle. And so many uncles, brothers, sons, husbands. A leader has to be reflective, has to have doubts before sending men to their death. I believe he spent the rest of his life examining these issues and coming up with self-condemnation which was worse than any which others could come up with. Strangely, there is a real connection between this and the post on the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. If the U.S. had ever conducted something like that, I wonder if McNamara could have gained forgiveness and rehabilitation from others and peace within himself.
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