Why read McNamara at War?

Book cover of McNamara at War

Book description

Robert S. McNamara was widely considered to be one of the most brilliant men of his generation. While he could be cold and arrogant, he was an invaluable friend to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and had a deeply moving relationship with Jackie Kennedy. McNamara was the leading…

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Why read it?

1 author picked McNamara at War as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Leo McCann

Author

This is a great new biography of a powerful but terribly flawed figure from 20th century America.

The Taubman brothers (an academic and a journalist) have together produced a compelling picture of Robert S. McNamara, former Harvard Business School academic, Ford Motor Company executive, U.S. Secretary of Defense, and President of the World Bank. McNamara's epic career is narrated in detail in a highly readable, extensive book that is partially based on new sources that have come to light only recently. The Taubmans had access to reams of private correspondence that previous researchers and biographers haven't seen, including, for example,…

From Leo's 3 favorite reads in 2025.