Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Friend and Frequent Guest of Harvard Kennedy School, Dies at 93

Robert McNamara, the long-serving secretary of defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and an important architect of the United States' involvement in Vietnam, died Monday. He was 93 and had been in poor health for some time.

McNamara was a frequent visitor to the Harvard Kennedy School, speaking at Forums and other events on his experiences ranging from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the lessons of the Vietnam War.

"Bob McNamara played an important role in the creation of the John F. Kennedy School of Government as a key counselor to Robert Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy as they contemplated a living memorial for President Kennedy," said Graham Allison, former dean of Harvard Kennedy School and current Douglas Dillon Professor of Government and director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. "In the most dangerous event of the Kennedy Administration, the Cuban Missile Crisis, then Secretary of Defense McNamara proved to be the President’s most valued counselor. As Robert Kennedy noted, “President Kennedy regarded Secretary McNamara as the most valuable public servant in his Administration and in the government.”"

McNamara also endowed a lecture series, The Robert McNamara Lecture on War and Peace. Former Sen. Sam Nunn, with McNamara in attendance, delivered the inaugural lecture in October 2008.

McNamara was also the Institute of Politics' first honorary associate when the IOP first opened its doors in 1966, a stay that was marked by a widely publicized run in with opponents of the Vietnam War.

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Robert McNamara, Sam Nunn, Graham Allison

Robert McNamara, Sam Nunn, Graham Allison.