Robert McNamara Dies
When I was growing up, the Vietnam War was known as "Mr. McNamara's War". Later, they tried to tag it as "Mr. Nixon's War", but the label never really stuck, given that President Nixon ended the war that began long before. The war actually began at the end of World War II, but U.S. involvement began after the fall of Dien Bien Phu, when President Eisenhower sent advisers to South Vietnam. President Eisenhower was unwilling to commit troops without European allies, and that wasn't going to happen. Mr. Churchill refused to fight for French colonies at the time the British were dismantling their own. The advisors grew in number during President Kennedy's term. However, it was President Kennedy's decision to back the coup that led to the death of President Diem that forced his successor's hand, with leaving President Johnson little choice but to commit combat troops. Mr. McNamara was head of Defense under both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.