LBJ and McNamara: The Vietnam Partnership Destined to Fail - Paperback

by Peter L. W. Osnos (Author)

"In this book, I have sought to blend personal experience, journalism, and scholarship. It is history written by a journalist who was there."-Peter L. W. Osnos

ONE OF KIRKUS REVIEW'S 100 BEST INDIE BOOKS OF 2025

LBJ and McNamara: The Vietnam Partnership Destined to Fail details how President Lyndon B. Johnson and his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, made choices central to U.S. strategy in Vietnam, ending in defeat. The portrait emerges of men who knew that conventional victory was impossible but who could not or would not reverse the policies that they and the military pursued.

In their own words, especially McNamara's, how and why this happened is a story never before told with such immediacy and insight. The lessons for today's policymakers are clear-and could have avoided the outcomes of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Discover untold insights of the critical Vietnam War decisions made by President Johnson and Robert McNamara, their struggles with policy reversals, and the lessons relevant to today's conflicts. Also featuring a unique audio bonus with exclusive, candid audio from McNamara's memoir creation.