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Synopsis Of 'The Fog Of War' By Robert Mcnamara

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Sean Green Block: 5 APHUGE The Fog of War Study Guide Summary: The documentary is about Robert McNamara, a World War II Veteran who was the ex-owner of Ford Motor Company and served as Secretary of Defense for President Kennedy and Johnson during the Vietnam War. This film gives Robert Mcnamara a chance to explain his life and actions before and during the Vietnam War and his eleven lessons of life. Intro: Robert Mcnamara begins the documentary explaining that military officers always make mistakes but they must try to learn and adapt from errors to be successful. He also mentions that during this nuclear weapon period, a single mistake can cause catastrophe in the world. Lesson #1: Empathize with your enemy. Mcnamara explains how close …show more content…

However, Mcnamara warns that the threat of nuclear war still prevails today. He warns that the combination of human error and nuclear weapons will destroy the world. Lesson #3: There’s something beyond one’s self. In this lesson, Robert Mcnamara explains influential events in his life that lead to him being appointed Secretary of Defense. He describes how much of a hard worker he was in school, how he graduated from UC Berkeley and went to business school at Harvard all during the Great Depression. He then recounts on how he went back to San Francisco where he got married and started a family and as the US entered World War II he was called up to be Statistical Control in the U.S. Air Force. Mcnamara explains that as he entered the war he desired to fight for something that was bigger than himself. Lesson #4: Maximize Efficiency. McNamara was reassigned to a bombing unit in the Pacific theater, where he helped “maximize efficiency.” McNamara was influential in making the decision to start firebombing populated Japanese cities. This led to massive destruction in Japan killing thousands of innocent civilians, but greatly increased the efficiency of U.S. bomber

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