Johnson and McNamara were both masters of deceit. They repeatedly lied to the JCS and to Congress. No one outside a small inner circle knew what the Administration was doing in Vietnam. They overstated to the JCS what they were willing to do, and they undersold the costs to Congress. The public at large was left in the dark as well. Everything took a back seat to his massive Great Society programs, many of which still plague us.
The true picture of Johnson is revealed by Robert Cato’s massive five volume work (#5 not yet out) and so masterful is its scope and detail that the picture of this vile grasping icon of the Democrat Party.