Read that book. It’s a great read. He posits in there how McNamara and Johnson, along with Gen Max Taylor and McGeorge Bundy played the JCS against one another to get what they wanted in Vietnam. The book showed me someone who is not afraid to criticize what he sees as wrong and improper. He wrote that in the 1990s at a time when I’m sure Taylor still had lots of friends in the defense industry along with McNamara who was still alive at the time.
LBJ thought McNamara was the smartest guy that ever put on a pair of britches. Had him fooled, no doubt.
There has been many a blue goose given on that subject at C&GSC over the years, nothing new about that. Know a guy that gave that very brief in 1975.
Lt. Col Alan Cate, US Army Commander and General Staff College wrote a review of this book. I thought this comment was quite interesting:
“Dereliction of Duty also addresses vital and difficult questions about senior officers’ responsibilities to the Constitution, the President, Congress and their services”.
Given what Pres Trump is trying to do re draining the swamp, I believe he has made the right selection.
“The book showed me someone who is not afraid to criticize what he sees as wrong and improper.”
It shows that in spades. The sort of courage in shortest supply among those who put their career first.