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Essay / Analysis by Robert Mcnamara - 789
McNamara earned a master's degree in business from Harvard, served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and was president of the Ford Motor Company. Given his background in analysis, President Kennedy asked McNamara to be his Secretary of Defense in 1960. American military support for South Vietnamese forces gradually increased during Kennedy's presidency. Early public opinions about Vietnam were not necessarily bad. The widely held American view of the war was seen as a fight against communism. This, coupled with the preconceived idea of North Vietnam's inferiority as a military power, seemed to be a favorable chance for an easy American victory given its reputation as a global hegemon. For this reason, Kennedy, with McNamara's advice, approached the conflict according to the principles of limited war. However, the Kennedy administration did not anticipate that the unexpected tactics of guerrilla warfare were associated with an unwavering dedication to the war effort. After the assassination of President Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson took over the role of president. Before Kennedy's death, discussions had taken place between him and McNamara about withdrawing troops from the war. This strategy was not shared by Johnson. His main strategy was to escalate and “Americanize” the war.[2] FACTS ABOUT THE VIETNAM BOOK. McNamara's actions correspond accordingly as Johnson's Secretary of Defense until McNamara's resignation in 1978. However, assessing