In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam
E381
*In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam* is a memoir by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in which he reflects on and critiques American decision-making during the Vietnam War, acknowledging major errors and drawing lessons for future policy.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam canonical | 1 |
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book
ⓘ
memoir ⓘ |
| argues |
U.S. leaders failed to ask the right questions
ⓘ
U.S. leaders misjudged the nature of the conflict ⓘ the war was not vital to U.S. security ⓘ |
| author |
Robert McNamara
ⓘ
surface form:
Robert S. McNamara
|
| coAuthor | Brian VanDeMark ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| criticizes |
U.S. conduct of the Vietnam War
ⓘ
failure to understand Vietnamese nationalism ⓘ groupthink in policymaking ⓘ lack of public debate ⓘ overreliance on quantitative analysis ⓘ |
| drawsLesson |
importance of challenging assumptions
ⓘ
importance of multilateral approaches ⓘ limits of military power ⓘ necessity of honest public debate ⓘ need for empathy toward adversaries ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
Cold War containment policy
ⓘ
Gulf of Tonkin decisions ⓘ U.S. escalation in Vietnam ⓘ civilian casualties in Vietnam ⓘ decision-making in the Johnson administration ⓘ decision-making in the Kennedy administration ⓘ domino theory ⓘ strategic bombing in Vietnam ⓘ |
| genre |
non-fiction
ⓘ
political memoir ⓘ |
| includes |
McNamara’s personal reflections
ⓘ
historical analysis ⓘ policy recommendations ⓘ self-criticism ⓘ |
| isbn | 0-8129-2572-1 ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mediaType | print ⓘ |
| notableFor |
McNamara’s admission of major errors in Vietnam
ⓘ
influencing later debates on U.S. military interventions ⓘ |
| pages | 414 ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1995 ⓘ |
| publisher | Times Books ⓘ |
| subject |
U.S. defense policy
ⓘ
U.S. foreign policy ⓘ Vietnam War ⓘ political memoir ⓘ |
| timePeriodCovered |
early 1960s
ⓘ
late 1960s ⓘ mid-1960s ⓘ |
| topic |
American decision-making in the Vietnam War
ⓘ
ethics of war ⓘ military strategy ⓘ policy analysis ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.