hist ch 12.docx

Ashley Beck History 222 Peter Noll 4-17-09 Chapter 12 Robert McNamara & Jan Barry Robert McNamara Secretary of Defense for 7 years Vietnam War became known as ?McNamara?s War? Born in San Francisco in 1916 Born in middle class household Instilled with the burning ambition to succeed from his mother Went to Berkeley Attended Harvard business school and loved numbers and economics Looked into statistical control Worked his way to the top of organizations and companies through his mastery of statistical control Taught accounting at Harvard ?Statistical Data was power,? (Hollitz, Page 233) Worked and excelled on a control system to track air control during WWII Joined a group of Army statistical control men Sold services to FORD Known as the ?whiz kids? for using tools of modern finance to save an American business icon (Hollitz, Page 234) President of Ford for a month Secretary of defense for Kennedy Received wide attention in press for managerial revolution at the Pentagon McNamara initiated the Cuban Missile Crisis Helped stand down the Soviets Played a major role in Vietnam Lied about War in Vietnam, he believed US was winning and that victory was soon Continued as defense secretary under Lyndon B. Johnson McNamara believed in controlled escalation and not the huge use of force like the military likes to use Supported the use of B52 bombers on ?suspected enemy concentrations,? (Hollitz, Page 237) He approved Napalm and herbicides to strip guerilla warfare of cover Never considered the people of Vietnam Jan Barry Born in Ithaca, New York Father was a car mechanic Then moved to Interlaken and said he was ?a stereotypical kid in a rural area? (Hollitz, Page 237). He grew up not knowing there were limits Interested in the Long Green Line, a TV program about west point military academy Enlisted in the army in 1962 Deployed to Vietnam in 1962 Unimpressed with the American soldiers in Vietnam because they were drunks Grew respect for the Vietcong Went to West Point Academy after he left Vietnam, but dropped out after he realized he was in the wrong place Vietnam veterans against the war Founded the Vietnam Veterans Against the War Elected president of the VVAW Both sides were viewed of the VVAW, some people scorned others, asked why they killed babies?(Hollitz, Page 240) The anti-war movement was then targeted for communists act from Hoover An appearance in the New York Times produced a flood of attention to the VVAW Extra McNamara: Warmonger and Jan Barry was anti-war McNamara didn?t believe we could win the war but kept his mouth shut Social divisions eventually became the battlefield Tet Offensive Public saw that the Americans involvement in Vietnam as a terrible mistake Peace with honor or vietnamizing or gradually withdrawing from Vietnam VVAW?s were still angry and finally brought to public eye that the war needs to be ended Barry stepped down from presidency because of the internal politics VVAW was left by Barry after the Paris Peace Accords were issued McNamara became president of the World Bank