Robert McNamara

I just heard the news that Robert McNamara has died. I understand that many people reviled him for his role as a principal architect of the Vietnam War, and there's no question that he made many tragic mistakes... However, I'm still very grateful that Mr. McNamara visited my class at Harvard Business School four years ago. I'm especially thankful for the fact that a conversation with him that day inspired the stream of research that led to my recent book. My students certainly appreciated the opportunity to ask him about many of the momentous decisions he was involved with as Defense Secretary, President of Ford, and head of the World Bank.