Robert McNamara dead at age 93

July 6, 11:13 AMLiberal ExaminerRaymond Gellner

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Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, October 12, 1961  (AP Photo/Cecil Stoughton, White House via John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library, Boston)

Robert McNamara, formerly the Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, died early this morning at his home in Washington DC at the age of 93.

He was one of the chief architects of the escalation in Vietnam in the early to mid 1960s. Due to his involvement with the Vietnam War, he received a large amount of negative attention from the anti-Vietnam War protesters. However, near the end of his term as Secretary of Defense, he attempted to have this reversed, only to be denied by President Johnson.

McNamara attended the University of California, Berkley where he studied economics, mathematics and philosophy as well as Harvard University where he received an MBA. While in the military from 1943 to 1946 he earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and afterwards eventually became President of the Ford Motor Company prior to his role in the Kennedy administration.

As Secretary of Defense, McNamara was a supporter of racial equality in the military. His policies made it a priority for military commanders to not only fight discrimination within their ranks, but also fight it in civilian businesses and organizations which had connections to the military.

In addition, McNamara was placed in charge of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981 where he successfully focused its attention on the reduction of poverty.

In all of his positions including that of Secretary of Defense, he implemented statistical analysis to increase efficiencies and to help shape policy decisions. Many of his policies at the time were considered controversial.