Learn about Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War. Discover McNamara’s career as Secretary of Defense. Explore his role in setting American policy on the Vietnam War.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Robert McNamara & the Vietnam War | History & Role
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Frequently Asked Questions
What stance did McNamara take on Vietnam?
McNamara encouraged President Johnson to continuously expand and strengthen American military presence. He was committed to helping South Vietnam overcome communist influences, including the Viet Cong.
Why did Robert McNamara escalate the Vietnam War?
McNamara wanted to drastically increase military presence in Vietnam to quash all communist fighters. He convinced Johnson that strong technological military action would bring a swift end to the war.
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ShowRobert McNamara is most known for his actions as Secretary of Defense for both President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson. His most enduring legacy in this position is his actions during the Vietnam War. However, McNamara was not always focused on politics and foreign policy. He was focused initially on the development of technology. His role as president of the Ford Motor Company demonstrated his commitment to furthering the advancement of technology and using it to give himself an edge over competitors. He also established a precedent for only spending money on items or programs that were effective and modern. These ideas would also shape his involvement in defense and war.
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When he first became involved in war and politics during the Kennedy administration, Secretary McNamara was less enthusiastic and virulent. His support of Ngô Ðình Diệm, the president of South Vietnam, was strong. However, he was not confident in recommending full support to Diệm because he knew that the president acted as a dictator. In October 1963, Diệm's assassination took place, and he was replaced by Ðương Văn Minh. One month later, President Kennedy was also assassinated. McNamara became President Johnson's Secretary of Defense following the Kennedy assassination.
McNamara's actions during the Vietnam War complemented his efforts in other areas of United States foreign policy. For example, during the direct interactions between the Soviet Union and the United States McNamara developed a policy of rapid weapons expansion, modernization, and improvement. He took every step possible to try and deter the Soviet Union from committing aggressions. McNamara supported escalation and increased capability on all fronts.
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What did Robert McNamara do in the Vietnam War? McNamara oversaw the massive escalation of American troops in Vietnam as Secretary of Defense under Lyndon Johnson. He vigorously encouraged Johnson to escalate the United States's involvement in the war through the use of technology. For instance, he proposed that obsolete weapons systems be immediately discarded and replaced by modern counterparts. Additionally, he encouraged spreading the use of technology to local troops. McNamara's actions and perspectives resulted in Operation Rolling Thunder. This operation was the drastic increase of American military technology in Vietnam, including bombers and other aircraft. McNamara desired to intimidate the communists in South Vietnam from continuing their fight against the government and American interests. The Viet Cong were the main group of Vietnamese communist insurgents in South Vietnam. The Air Force and Navy combined their forces to continuously bomb Viet Cong camps as well as the forces of Hồ Chí Minh.
One of the most important documents regarding the perspectives and actions of McNamara is a memorandum he sent to Johnson in 1965. This document outlined three options available in regard to the Vietnam War. The first option was to surrender, which McNamara discarded. The second was to maintain the status quo and only keep the existing military in Vietnam. The third choice, which McNamara convinced Johnson to pursue, was to commit more troops to Vietnam. This memorandum was one of the most important factors in Johnson's decision to continue American military involvement in the Vietnam War.
The memorandum was one of the first documents that started the process of Operation Rolling Thunder. This massive endeavor took place from 1965 to 1968. The first proposed deployment in this action consisted of 100,000 soldiers. The next year, McNamara proposed that more than double that number should be sent. The main reason for these suggestions was that more involvement with technology and increased manpower would compel the Viet Cong and their supporters to use their supplies faster than they desired. Concurrent air, land, and sea strikes would be carried out. Immediately after the main Viet Cong military groups were conquered, McNamara would turn control over the area to the South Vietnam government. He stated that returning local government control was the most effective way to prevent future Viet Cong incursions.
McNamara travelled several times to South Vietnam to assess the situation and recommend improvements to the bombing tactics. Shortly after the beginning of Operation Rolling Thunder, he visited the field of battle and wrote to President Johnson that he felt that the war would likely end in a stalemate. While he was somewhat more optimistic regarding the outcome, in 1966 he wrote again to Johnson and told him that a victory would only be won after a long, drawn-out war. ''I see no reasonable way,'' he wrote, ''to bring the war to an end soon.''
Why Did McNamara Resign?
From 1961 to 1968, McNamara was influential in shaping America's policy in Vietnam. His encouragement of increasing American military involvement in Vietnam brought the derision of the public. Toward the end of his time as Secretary of Defense, McNamara became less enthusiastic regarding the Vietnam War. In fact, he initiated a significant investigation by the Department of Defense into the effectiveness of America's military actions in the war. The result of this investigation was a 7,000-page series of documents known as the ''Pentagon Papers.''
In 1968, McNamara resigned from his position in Johnson's cabinet. Toward the end of his life, McNamara expressed his opinion that the entire war was a mistake. He regretted his actions. Immediately after resigning from the cabinet of President Johnson, McNamara was given the position of President of the World Bank. He devoted his efforts to helping third-world nations, like Vietnam, resolve their problems economically.
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Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defense for both President Kennedy and President Johnson. He is most known for his involvement during the Vietnam War. His first leadership role was as president of Ford Motor Company. He developed an interest in advancing technology and using it to defeat competitors. During his time advising Kennedy, he hesitated when making decisions regarding the South Vietnam government. Both Ngô Ðình Diệm and President Kennedy were assassinated in 1963. Thus, at the beginning of the Vietnam War McNamara became the Secretary of Defense for President Lyndon B. Johnson. He focused on vigorously crushing the Viet Cong, who were the communist fighters in South Vietnam.
McNamara was a major proponent of swift, decisive action. He created Operation Rolling Thunder. This operation included massive air strikes against the Viet Cong and the use of more technology. McNamara claimed that drastic fighting would intimidate the Viet Cong and bring the war to a swift end. When this did not work, he continued to promote expanding the American military presence continuously. He wrote an influential memorandum to this effect in 1965. He gave three options to President Johnson: surrender, maintenance of the status quo, and further increase in manpower. He strongly encouraged Johnson to choose the third option. Three years later, in 1968, McNamara resigned his position as he had become disillusioned with the war. Toward the end of his life, McNamara expressed regret for his actions and stated that he regarded the entire war as a mistake.
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Additional Info
McNamara, Kennedy, and the Early Vietnam War
As Secretary of Defense for the John F. Kennedy administration of 1961-1963, Robert McNamara had important influence on the early escalation in Vietnam. McNamara was the former president of Ford Motor Company, and was lauded by Kennedy as a technocrat and efficient administrator. As communist insurgents from North Vietnam called the Viet Cong began to infiltrate the U.S. client state of South Vietnam, McNamara urged Kennedy to lend financial and military support to Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of South Vietnam.
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Diem, however, proved to be a poor leader and a heavy-handed, violent ruler. In 1963 McNamara's indecision regarding what to do about Diem gave the American ambassador to South Vietnam considerable leeway to push his own plan. This plan got out of McNamara's control and ultimately resulted in Diem's assassination and replacement. In November 1963, only a few weeks later, Kennedy himself was assassinated, leaving McNamara as Secretary of Defense for the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Within the Johnson administration, McNamara would play a crucial role in America's involvement in Vietnam.
McNamara, Johnson, and Escalation in Vietnam
As the Viet Cong continued to attack South Vietnam from the North, McNamara shaped President Johnson's policy. He argued that the U.S. was vastly superior to the Vietnamese communists in terms of technology and military might, and strongly urged the President to take a hard line.
Johnson did just that: in 1965, at McNamara's urging, he ordered the first U.S. combat troops to protect South Vietnam from communist incursions. McNamara also played a significant role in forming and escalating Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained, massive U.S. aerial bombing of targets in North Vietnam. The President trusted McNamara's assessments, and regularly met him over Tuesday lunches to select bombing sites. Because of his influence over the President, McNamara is perhaps responsible that any other Johnson advisors for the escalation of the Vietnam War after 1965.
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McNamara's Memo, July 1965
In July of 1965, facing an insurgent Viet Cong and yet to see signs of a U.S. victory (even with almost 100,000 troops in Vietnam), McNamara composed one of the most influential approaches to the war: a now-famous memo to the President. The memo presented President Johnson with three options: withdraw American troops, continue the existing military policy, or 'expand promptly and substantially the U.S. pressure.'
McNamara convinced Johnson to pursue the third option; though he admitted it would cost money and lives in the short-term, the Secretary believed that military expansion would eventually bring the communists to the negotiating table. McNamara called for a boost in American firepower and a troop increase to 200,000 soldiers. By the end of the month, 50,000 additional troops were heading to Vietnam, with 75,000 more to be deployed before 1966.
McNamara's memo was one of the most important policy statements of the entire war. It laid out the general logic and beliefs of the American approach to Vietnam: the aversion to humiliation, the need to sustain American credibility in fighting communism, the underestimation of the Viet Cong, and the belief that escalating military pressure would force the communists to reach a negotiated settlement.
McNamara's Departure
McNamara next attempted to show that the plan he'd advocated for was working. He came up with the idea of presenting the American public with 'body counts.' These were daily numbers of enemy killed, designed to prove that America's massive escalation was effective.
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The escalation wasn't working, however. The communists continued to fight as resolutely as ever, even in the face of the American military's overwhelming power. By late 1966, critics were calling Vietnam 'McNamara's War,' and McNamara himself began to harbor doubts about the chances of a clean U.S. victory. He would often pace inside his Pentagon office for long stretches, staring at the framed photograph of James Forrestal, America's first Defense Secretary. McNamara would often dwell on the fact that Forrestal had committed suicide; doing so would cause the Secretary to break down in tears.
In late 1967 it was clear that President Johnson was ready for McNamara to go. McNamara himself had become disillusioned with the war. Announcing his resignation, McNamara took the position of President of the World Bank, and left office in early 1968.
Robert McNamara lived a long life, into the late 1990s. As he got older, he was more willing to publicly admit his and America's mistakes in Vietnam. By the time of his death, McNamara had come to believe the war - which he had done so much to shape - was a mistake.
Lesson Summary
As Defense Secretary from 1961 to 1968, Robert McNamara played a significant role in the Vietnam War. His conviction that the US only needed to apply massive military power to defeat communists in North Vietnam led to the rapid escalation of the war after 1965, notably with the bombing raids of Operation Rolling Thunder. As it became clear this policy was not weakening the enemy and instead resulting in the increased slaughter of American troops, McNamara convinced President Lyndon Johnson that the US should do everything it could to avoid a humiliating withdrawal. His strategy was outlined in a memo to the President which would turn out to be one of the most important policy statements of the entire war. As the Vietnam quagmire deepened, McNamara became disillusioned; he resigned as Defense Secretary in 1968.
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Robert McNamara & the Vietnam War | History & Role
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