Conversations with History: Robert S. McNamara

Robert S. McNamara, former Secretary of Defense and former President of the World Bank reminisces with host Harry Kreisler about public service, the War in Vietnam, znc the dangers of the superpower confrontation during the Cold War.
Series: Conversations with History [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 7131]

[@lilsweeper7843]

I remember killing zombies with this dude on bo1

[@jokersiam6210]

Me too bro 😂🤣

[@isaiahwalking]

Hell yeah bro! 👏🏽🤣

[@crysmonterymard9601]

& Kennedy

[@stepheneureste1664]

And Nixon

[@imrightalwaysright3886]

Same

[@captatnonmuscas]

Howell Raines, from the NYT wrote once: Surely he must in every quiet and prosperous moment hear the ceaseless whispers of those poor boys in the infantry, dying in the tall grass, platoon by platoon, for no purpose. What he took from them cannot be repaid by prime-time apology and stale tears, three decades late.

[@californiaslastgasp6847]

“For no purpose”? Give me a break.

[@korancebland]

The Fog of War is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen.

[@namatez]

I was at an oil industry conference ten years ago where mcnamara was speaking and this guy knew more about the industry than most of the people in the room. I was not alive during vietnam or the crazy 60's but I believe if Kennedy left McNamara at Ford he would have been the greatest CEO in history.

[@SStupendous]

Ten years ago, and this comment was made 11 years ago, meaning it's 21 years ago now..

[@seanjohnson7367]

did you blow him?

[@KeithWilliamMacHendry]

@@seanjohnson7367 You are a walaper!

[@nitricacid3714]

@@SStupendous 23 years ago! :(

[@SStupendous]

@@nitricacid3714 Dear God! My reply to you is now 2 yeards old already... time really flies. When this reply is 2 years old, we'll be 1/4 of the way through this century!

[@MrAlien911]

Mr. mason were are glad to have you back

[@tiamatxvxianash9202]

Wow. This was something to watch. Surely history will recognize Robert McNamara as the best definition ever of what a "Technocrat" is . Yet his abilities were truly much more. One can clearly see he had already made peace with himself as he fielded host Kreisler's challenging questions, particularly about his responsibilities as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War. Thank You UCTV. RIP Robert.

[@robertlytle9387]

Rest in Hell McNamara. USMC1969-1971

[@god-of-war-fan]

@@robertlytle9387 why?

[@robertlytle5574]

@@god-of-war-fan McNamara was instrumental in helping LBJ fight the war in Vietnam. He has the blood on his hands of thousands of Vietnam veterans. He also like most of the politicians of his era, when the men came back, were more than glad to let us take the blame for the war. Also it should be noted that he had two sons who were old enough to fight in Vietnam, but were not even drafted. USMC 1969-1971

[@peternorthrup6274]

One of the few men that chould have put a stop to the war. There are alot of men that cant wait to see you in the after life.

[@charms71]

This man's intelligence is frightening.

[@SPHG425]

I salute McNamara, the best zombie killer ever

[@donokeefe3960]

Alternate title for this video: Harry Kreisler throws softballs to Robert McNamara for an hour

[@jo1948]

This was recorded on 5/15/1996, for those curious.

[@johnbates7983]

Enjoyed. Thank you for upload.

[@mwilliams3278]

I’m sorry but him attending cal Berkeley at $52 a year is my biggest takeaway. That is so far removed from where we are today.

[@blazodeolireta]

for how much more the $ was worth or for how cheap uni was?

[@californiaslastgasp6847]

$52 in 1933 (McNamara’s freshman year) is $1,115 in 2021 dollars. The closest media income figure I could find was the median engineer’s salary in 1932: $2,574. Tuition therefore cost 2% of the engineer’s salary. Median civil engineer salary in 2020 was $88,570. UC Berkley’s undergraduate tuition and fees for 21-22: $9,213. That’s 10% of the median civil engineer salary. The difference isn’t that big when one accounts for inflation.

[@springhillgolfer878]

This was one of the first "podcasts" I put on my ipod Shuffle. Had to use iTunes on my laptop. No smartphone.

[@WhoopityDoo]

A brilliant man who still had his flaws. However, it's human nature to have flaws. His true genius lied in that later in life, he was able to realize the mistakes he made, and tried to teach others how to learn from those mistakes. He's an incredibly humble man, but you could tell that in "The Fog of War" documentary that he still had deep regrets over Vietnam. He's a helluva man, and worth a heckuva lot more than any politician in Congress or the White House today.

[@PacoOtis]

McNamara's family can love him all they want but if they respect that deceitful liar who betrayed his soldiers and his Country I have no respect for them. Even after he left office and knew all the lies he remained quiet as thousands more died! What a pitiful creature!! Yes, I'm a Vietnam vet and named my son after my flight school buddy who came back in a box and would be 71, but died when he was 20.

[@solohoh]

He learned his ethics at Berkeley and then directed the terror bombing of Japan in WW II, then directed even greater atrocities in the Vietnam War? He is a very brilliant man who finally learned some ethics after that confrontation with Harvard students during the Vietnam War. " In Retrospect" is the courageous story of his regrets and awakening, but it admits that Berkeley and Harvard failed to teach him about character development and ethics. There is a lot of blood on his hands.

[@nonplayerzealot4]

@MetalAaron That's a brilliant trio of tuba, synthesizer, and church organ, man.

[@itierney]

What books is he referring to at 27mins 30sec? On the Vatican council.

[@hugglescake]

The architect of the Vietnam War was an early advocate of car safety. Non-sequitur or oxymoron?

[@andresherreralopez3802]

What could be the musical theme at the start of the program? Does anybody whose know about it? Thanks!

[@frannyzooey11]

wow, you are so deep.

[@distantrambler]

McNanmara was highly intelligent genius level really.

[@RadioOperator01]

@Smodog124 what does this have to do with the historical events?

[@harrymcnamara6519]

What exactly happened during his time in government? Because the particular time period in which he served must have been secretive, even for secretary of defense.

[@reubenboobinjewbin]

@solohoh I would say Gen Curtis LeMay had a much more instrumental role in the decision making leading up to, and the execution of the bombing campaign against Japan, especially the decision to use incendiary bombs on Tokyo.

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

Curtis LeMay was certifiably insane!

[@nazu68]

McNamara pwned on zombies.

[@mazzarouni5608]

Very interesting. He talks about China and Taiwan clashing and this was in 1996.

[@bighoss4743]

He was a pretty intelligent guy

[@ttrons2]

What about his Project 100,000 A horrible man. Same room as any other secretary of "offense".

[@KingConservative]

@AZNkommander he is the most respectable out of the four.

[@flyhead2]

McNamara has overly fond memories of himself and his ilk. He waxes poetically about his tenure at The World Bank; anyone familiar with the activities of the WB will be scratching their heads about that.

[@charlesbukowski9836]

oh i dont buy him for a second....but he was fabulous with the cuban missle crises

[@Yo_Kelz]

@@charlesbukowski9836but a mere drop in the ocean of blood he’s gutted from human civilization.

[@JustT0m752]

If Mr. McNamara had been a conservative republican, do you think he would've gotten the pass that he received? I find it ironic that JFK, LBJ & this guy gets a pass on Vietnam, and how everyone is quick to jump on he legacy of Nixon.

[@ansarmaskenov5284]

Nixon during elections claimed that he had secret plan to end war. Total number of fatalities for his years of presidency are higher than LBJ and JFK's. Not to mention that he expanded war from Vietnam to nearby countries.

[@thecollector4332]

JFK gets a pass because his involvement in Vietnam was minimal. Only sending military consultants and nothing more. LJB barely gets a pass and Nixon gets most of the flack because casualties were the highest during his terms.

[@calengr1]

USA casualties peak in 1968, and then decline under Nixon admin. Hostile or Non Hostile Death Indicator Number of Records HOSTILE DEATH 47,434 NON HOSTILE DEATH 10,786 Total Records 58,220 Record counts provided for informational purposes only, not official statistics. DCAS Vietnam Conflict Extract File record counts by INCIDENT OR DEATH DATE (Year) (as of April 29, 2008 ) Year of Death Number of Records 1956 - 1959 4 1960 5 1961 16 1962 53 1963 122 1964 216 1965 1,928 1966 6,350 1967 11,363 1968 16,899 1969 11,780 1970 6,173 1971 2,414 1972 759 1973 68 1974 1 1975 62 1976 - 1979 0 1980 - 1986 0 1987 1 1988 - 1989 0 1990 1 1991 - 1999 0 2000 - 2006 5 Total Records 58,220

[@kluge1245]

What on earth are you talking about? LBJ gets a pass on Vietnam? Since when? Vietnam War is considered the biggest blot on LBJ's presidency. And historians attribute the Vietnam War as the primary motivation for LBJs decision to not run a 2nd term.

[@deceiver123m]

those with eyes and ears can see and hear

[@fereydoonlealaz1537]

Not necessarily. I wish it was true.

[@sjkdec18]

@skuterixas91 I think you meant to say "why am I still talking to you?" What you wrote makes no sense.

[@saxondog2001]

@1337gam3r07 Some said that he was so smart that it was scary. Thanks.

[@redgreen6436]

He was an idiot.

[@Climax2004]

Final Fantasy music?

[@flyhead2]

Elementary, dear Watson. By reading.

[@hashimawan2433]

This guy was a Genius in Mathematics....Sadly the Vietnam war went into hell and he had to bear the burden and Nixon had to end it in 74 although nobody gave Nixon the credit for it

[@cookieman38111]

I wonder if when he passes on, he will get to talk to all of the people who died for nothing in Vietnam?

[@flyhead2]

May I see some ID, constable?

[@brianw.5230]

What year was this filmed??

[@jonburgett6243]

Any more questions?

[@leeweisbecker6048]

old bob pushed seat belt safety and agent orange.......try to figure that one out

[@simonkaroly1]

I figured it out

[@ThatGuy-vw2pi]

Old Bob also threw nearly a million Americans, including a couple HUNDRED THOUSAND legitimately retards people into a potential meat grinder over an incident that NEVER HAPPENED! ...Berkeley, Harvard, Ford, President of the World Bank, Sec of Defense, WAR CRIMINAL! ...Rock solid guy! 👎💩

[@bijibadness]

...this was recorded in 1996??? that intro sounds like 1979! (great intro, by the way, but damn - that's crunchy!)

[@MetalAaron]

that's some goddawful music right there

[@StreetHierarchy]

You got no taste

[@Rifqi1464]

i know him from call of duty black ops

[@scchan2009]

Mcnamara was in a tough position, and he admit he was not a perfect person. People made mistakes - everybody did. Some are worse, but some are not as bad. It is best to do your best, candid about mistakes, try to fix them, and move forward. One of the greatest problem of modern society - self deception, ignorance, not trying, and unwillingness to confront mistakes and truth. Mcnamara was not perfect, and had done terrible things. But he probably is lot wiser and greater person than most.

[@dojostarfox4520]

Sure, in some regards, and he certainly has a niche in logistics and his technical achievements are marginally notable. While I personally I don't blame people in his time for being brainwashed into elitism, I think we as a society do need to retroactively condemn these ideals as they are proving entirely false as data accumulates on environmental impacts on mental function. We know now that all types of people are capable of exceptionalism when all their needs are met, and few people have contributed towards the oppression of more people.

[@fruff30]

So I guess the loss of over 58,000 american lives aswell as countless vietnamese lives was just one big, giant oopsy on his part. Hey we all make mistakes, right?

[@Yo_Kelz]

Over 3 millions deaths isn’t a mistake, it’s genocide.

[@1733Athalia]

Berkeley should really push back on having any responsibility for this guy's moral and ethical values.

[@jonburgett6243]

Faith, is still necessary sometimes though for a fisher of men.

[@HonestObserver]

Aw, he wasn't so bad. McNamara was the one who convinced Johnson to create FOXHOUND after the Boss died in Operation Snake Eater.

[@userb3nje909]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Xfrimz]

the only thing i knew about mcnamara was that he kicked ass on black ops zombies 'five'

[@franklinchenfranklin4840]

elliot richardson ,caspar weinberger,james schleisenger,thomas s gates

[@sleeplessintokyo]

rip

[@martin2132004]

Robert S. McNamara R.I.P my nigga

[@governator45]

Have you seen the fog of war?

[@samfisher2306]

governator45 best documentary I've ever seen

[@willtrib]

Robert S. Mcnamara; the architect of the Vietnam war is dead. Walton S. Tissot wrote a interesting tonka about him, simply called Robert Mcnamara it is google- able. He is good!

[@RusselBertrand]

most favored nation

[@MetalAaron]

@nonplayerzealot4 It's all synth man. So 80's.

[@lawrencereichard180]

They should call this conversations with a mass murderer. Or conversations from hell.

[@KingMinosxxvi]

i love rob mac

[@samfisher2306]

He was a smart man...imperfect but intelligent imo

[@RusselBertrand]

First one of this I have not given 5 stars to in a long time...McNamara does a much better job on Fog of War

[@ellhow]

You have to think about the intentions, they were more than honourable.

[@stephenarling1667]

Road to Hell

[@foxrecon19d]

He should be judged by the words of America's enemies. The Soviets, the Chinese, and the North Vietnamese could not have asked for a better ally in their quest to kill American military servicemen. As Vo Nguyen Giap once said jokingly, "McNamara hated the American soldiers more than our own Revolutionary fighters."

[@ianlarue2064]

What would college students do if they were McNamara defense secretary

[@bman_Bull]

“This missile crisis was the last straw”

[@brrrrr12]

A video that is an hour long? DF?

[@maverickay5807]

They are everywhere now

[@AnthraxCat]

No, he was a man who held the most influential position to the President of the largest and most powerful country in history. Everyone makes mistakes, that doesn't make them any less of a mistake, but the consequences of human error are natural, and as long as you make peace with them, those who criticise you simply appear foolish. Let an old hero rest in peace.

[@kathleankeesler1639]

The FOG of war

[@andywerner838]

interesting. .sorry but I was born in 1971 ..

[@base99498]

Unfortunately his plans are playing out today with help from both sides Meanwhile the 39th and 45th presidents were outsiders and less damaging yet 39th is labeled weak and 45th crazy

[@robertmcnamara2397]

Not really!

[@graystone23]

@sluggo06 we get to c jesus???

[@markscarborough7580]

And now public universities are prohibitively expensive. They want to be Harvard

[@AZNkommander]

Robert McNamara, I salute you for valiantly defending the Pentagon against the zombie horde.

[@mochopz]

it took me 7 minutes to understand the intellectual difference between these 2 men.

[@ansarmaskenov5284]

If only McNamara knew that he will be remembered not as Vietnam war architect, but as a zombie killer...

[@Pimp-Master]

"The Soviet threat during the sixties was very real...we may have exaggerated it a bit, but it was real." Certainly the exaggeration was real!

[@Xiledx]

I got here from call of duty black ops.

[@Rocky-gs6mb]

Truly, a great man! May God bless his soul!

[@famousgirl9x9]

They should be whining about Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz.

[@skybot9998]

Smart guy but totally underestimated the north vietnamese.

[@annkimlong]

@Weeman2atskool Look. Sometimes to do good is to do alot of bad things. Nothing is black or white. M not a vietnamese but my country also suffer like vietnam too.

[@whetedge]

McNamara should have resigned the moment he realized victory was not achievable militarily.

[@brittonstokes]

We won militarily. We lost politically.

[@chrisfi3d]

No, you lost both.

[@cdr861532]

@@brittonstokes The only category that we won militarily was the body count. We could not hold territory.....the peasants were not switching sides to join us. The countryside was totally controlled by the VC and the NVA was able to move throughout S. Vietnam almost unnoticed (until they decided to attack). I don't like to admit it, because I love my country, but we lost in Vietnam. When our last Marine was flying off the roof of the embassy (because there was no other way out of the city), the VC and NVA were assaulting Saigon and had control of it before sunrise the next day.

[@californiaslastgasp6847]

Didn’t he?

[@robertlytle5574]

@@cdr861532 Becuase of the way the war was fought, the American forces didn't hold territory. Look at Hamburger Hil. We lost a lot of men taking that hill but a few days after we won the battle we left, and ten days later the NVA moved right back in without firing a shot. USMC 1969-1971

[@sjkdec18]

@skuterixas91 because it's funny

[@RB94_]

Project 100,000... google it and find out what he done to the most vulnerable in society

[@SteveoStories]

haha well maybe my name is on display then but I got the plain "Mcnamara" username on youtube ;)

[@robertlytle9387]

Why doesn't someone ask him why his two sons never served. It was a war fought by the lower middle class boys from blue collar families, whites, blacks, and Latinos from the lower class, and the boys from the rural small towns and farms. The upper middle class boys and the upper class boys for the most part didn't serve and that was because their parents had money and connections to keep their sons from the war. USMC 1969-1971

[@SteveoStories]

My username is the BEST and you know it

[@shillyshallyz]

This conversation is a lot of blah blah about the degree of ignorance of the leaders in the murderous superpower which is still so completely and hopelessly ignorant today. Totally appalling. 31:40 onwards is interesting during 15 minutes.

[@SUpersaiyajinjerkbag]

Why do republicans whine about Mcnamara but not Kissinger?

[@muskduh]

nobody likes Kissinger

[@infokemp]

He is LBJ's Albert Spear its a sad state of affairs, much respect to McNamara but the USS Liberty is still a stain on the whole US govt of the time there is no excuse for treason.

[@Clausewitz1]

Unquestionably intellectually brilliant guy but who was nevertheless responsible for terrible atrocities and war crimes and should have been tried as war criminal.

[@kendallandrews8691]

lol, he actually prevented real war crimes. He was a dove compared to what the joint chiefs of staff wanted to do in Vietnam.

[@MrSleeplessnights]

@@kendallandrews8691 what are you talking about!?! The only thing he didn't ok in Vietnam was the dropping of nukes. Everything else was fair game as far as he was concerned. Napalm, white phosphorus and agent orange (chemical warfare) were all approved by Macnamara.

[@kendallandrews8691]

@@MrSleeplessnights Nope. Mcnamara was bad and incompetent, but he wasn't nearly the hawk the Joint Chiefs of Staff were. He put limits on bombing North Vietnam. Had Curtis Lemay and Earle Wheeler had their way, Vietnam wouldn't exist. He absolutely was a check on the military leadership.

[@MrSleeplessnights]

@@kendallandrews8691 do you know nothing? Vietnam basically didn't exist anymore. All 5 pillars or society were smashed to bits. Healthcare, transport, housing, education and means of food production absolutely lay waste. And when he saw that it would be even worse than WWII, he jumped ship. I'm not saying he is as cold as LeMay, but the outcome wasn't Mich different

[@kendallandrews8691]

@@MrSleeplessnights lol a lee duan apologist. Gross

[@Packer1290]

What the hell was Kennedy thinking hiring a Ford motor employee as Secretary of Defense? Why on earth did he think he was in any way qualified? The story goes.....McNamara told Kennedy that he didn't know anything about government, to which Kennedy replied: "We can learn our jobs together. I don't know how to be president either". Ugh!!! Really? McNamara gets way too much of a pass by history because of people’s affection for Kennedy imho.

[@robert4you]

Did McNamara smoke?

[@sjkdec18]

Did he fart at 28:15?

[@straddlecakes]

24:23 yeah but "private sector counterparts" don't take away freedoms or due process from the populace like unelected bureaucrats do. While they get paid less, they certainly control the levers of government power which they abuse. You might say McNamara is a case-in-point. Throw the "money" argument around all you want, but big government honks like to forget about the whole power thing.

[@matthoskin3572]

War criminal, that got off scott free

[@jokersiam6210]

Anyone here for Call of duty black ops?

[@hwoods01]

Small minded people like mcnamara do not understand that a PUBLIC SERVICE job is meant to serve the best needs of the public.. When taking on the Sec of Def. position he used it to best suit himself and his wants/needs.. Hence his abismal failure.. Works in business, but not in public service..

[@kendallandrews8691]

He was more successful than whoever taught you English.

[@jonburgett6243]

You were wrong about one thing, Robert, & that is it is perfect. It is the will of God. Everything that happens. One day, everyone must agree. Funny, because it's already perfect.