We burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo – men, women and children. LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side had lost. But what makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?
About Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara had an illustrious career, serving as the U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the height of the Cold War. He was a key figure in the Vietnam War and later became the president of the World Bank, shifting its focus towards poverty reduction. McNamara’s life and decisions continue to be studied and debated today.
More quotes from Robert McNamara
We burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo – men, women and children. LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side had lost. But what makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)
A computer does not substitute for judgment any more than a pencil substitutes for literacy. But writing without a pencil is no particular advantage.
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)
Coercion, after all, merely captures man. Freedom captivates him.
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)
One cannot fashion a credible deterrent out of an incredible action.
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)
Neither conscience nor sanity itself suggests that the United States is, should or could be the global gendarme.
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)
It would be our policy to use nuclear weapons wherever we felt it necessary to protect our forces and achieve our objectives.
American businessman and Secretary of Defense (1916-2009)