Former US Defence Secretary and Architect of Vietnam War Robert McNamara has died at the age of 93.
Family members said McNamara, whose father's family originated in County Clare in the late 19th century, died at his home in Northwest Washington. They did not give a cause of death.
McNamara was secretary of defence during the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson. In that capacity he directed a U.S. military build-up in Southeast Asia during the critical early years of a Vietnamese conflict that escalated into one of the most divisive and bitter wars in U.S. history.
Following that he served as President of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981. McNamara was responsible for the institution of systems analysis in public policy, which developed into the discipline known today as policy analysis.
Family members said McNamara, whose father's family originated in County Clare in the late 19th century, died at his home in Northwest Washington. They did not give a cause of death.
McNamara was secretary of defence during the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson. In that capacity he directed a U.S. military build-up in Southeast Asia during the critical early years of a Vietnamese conflict that escalated into one of the most divisive and bitter wars in U.S. history.
Following that he served as President of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981. McNamara was responsible for the institution of systems analysis in public policy, which developed into the discipline known today as policy analysis.