28-08-2014, 09:14 PM
First question: I watched Fog of War yesterday, a documentary about Robert McNamara, with my fiancee (bless her heart, she has zero interest in this stuff). She asked an excellent question: "Why did JFK pick this guy to be Secretary of Defense? After watching the documentary and looking on the internet, I still don't have a solid answer.
Ok, he was a Harvard profesor (of philosopy and economics) but he had no connections to the "Boston Brahmin" group, or the primarily liberal Eastern intelligensia, nor connections to Joe K. Ok, he was a Republican and JFK wanted a bi-partisan cabinet, but there must have been hundreds of Republicans with more defense experience. Ok he was a successful executive of a major industrial concern (Ford Motors) but again, had no experience in defense-related industries. Ok, he served three years in the Army (as an accountant) under General LeMay, helping him bomb the Japs more efficiently, but there must have been other army accountants with more experience.
Was JFK so concerned about LeMay and other right-wing generals, that he wanted a novice and an outsider to supervise them? Was he so concerned about the MIC, that he wanted to try to ride herd on the industrial side with a guy that never worked a day in his life for a defense industry? Was it that McNamara worked alongside George Mac Bundy, tenured-Harvard-professor-with-only-an-undergraduate-degree-from-Yale-and-Skull-and-Bones-member-and-CFR-member-along-with-Allen-Dulles, the two dudes that were the most instrumental in the Bay of Pigs failure? Anyone have a better answer?
Second question: McNamara flat out states that attempts to assassinate Castro continued under LBJ, but LBJ (and others) puts the blame on Eisenhower and JFK, and at least acts lile they had stopped for LBJ's presidency. Who is right?
Third question: McNamara states that during his 7 year term as Secretary of Defense (1961-1968?) that the US and the USSR came to the brink of nuclear war on three separate occasions, but he doesn't mention which occasions. I'm guessing that Berlin is one, Bay of Pigs is another, but I don't quite get the third occasion.
Is it the time that the Air Force loaded some tactical nukes on board bombers in Vietnam because the North Vietnamese had chosen to congregate in some valley or other? (not quite sure how McNamara wouldn't have had to approve that in advance, or even how that would would involve directly the USSR) Was it the time a flock of geese set off the incoming missile warning over Canada? Was it the time that UFO's allegedly shut down a nuclear missile base in Montana? Was it the time that UFO's allegedly activated some nuclear missiles in the USSR? Anyone know?
Ok, he was a Harvard profesor (of philosopy and economics) but he had no connections to the "Boston Brahmin" group, or the primarily liberal Eastern intelligensia, nor connections to Joe K. Ok, he was a Republican and JFK wanted a bi-partisan cabinet, but there must have been hundreds of Republicans with more defense experience. Ok he was a successful executive of a major industrial concern (Ford Motors) but again, had no experience in defense-related industries. Ok, he served three years in the Army (as an accountant) under General LeMay, helping him bomb the Japs more efficiently, but there must have been other army accountants with more experience.
Was JFK so concerned about LeMay and other right-wing generals, that he wanted a novice and an outsider to supervise them? Was he so concerned about the MIC, that he wanted to try to ride herd on the industrial side with a guy that never worked a day in his life for a defense industry? Was it that McNamara worked alongside George Mac Bundy, tenured-Harvard-professor-with-only-an-undergraduate-degree-from-Yale-and-Skull-and-Bones-member-and-CFR-member-along-with-Allen-Dulles, the two dudes that were the most instrumental in the Bay of Pigs failure? Anyone have a better answer?
Second question: McNamara flat out states that attempts to assassinate Castro continued under LBJ, but LBJ (and others) puts the blame on Eisenhower and JFK, and at least acts lile they had stopped for LBJ's presidency. Who is right?
Third question: McNamara states that during his 7 year term as Secretary of Defense (1961-1968?) that the US and the USSR came to the brink of nuclear war on three separate occasions, but he doesn't mention which occasions. I'm guessing that Berlin is one, Bay of Pigs is another, but I don't quite get the third occasion.
Is it the time that the Air Force loaded some tactical nukes on board bombers in Vietnam because the North Vietnamese had chosen to congregate in some valley or other? (not quite sure how McNamara wouldn't have had to approve that in advance, or even how that would would involve directly the USSR) Was it the time a flock of geese set off the incoming missile warning over Canada? Was it the time that UFO's allegedly shut down a nuclear missile base in Montana? Was it the time that UFO's allegedly activated some nuclear missiles in the USSR? Anyone know?