The Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Archives invite you to a panel program discussing Robert S. McNamara’s most controversial years as Secretary of Defense (1965-68), and Clark Clifford’s brief but significant successor tour as Secretary (1968-69) .

Discussion will be based on the Historical Offices recent publication, McNamara, Clifford, and the Burdens of Vietnam, 1965-1969, by Edward J. Drea. Panel speakers will focus on the work of Secretaries of Defense McNamara and Clifford and the Vietnam War, but they will also address the impact of Vietnam on American defense interests in other parts of the world.

David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, will convene the panel and introduce Dr. Erin Mahan, Chief Historian, Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense. Dr. Mahan will introduce the panelists and lead the panel. Harold Brown, Air Force Secretary under McNamara and later Secretary of Defense under President James E. Carter, will talk about working with McNamara. Professor Emeritus George C. Herring of the University of Kentucky, one of the nations foremost experts on the history of the Vietnam War, will review the book. The author, Dr.
Edward J. Drea, currently a contract historian in the Joint History Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will respond to Secretary Browns and Professor Herrings comments. The speakers presentations will be followed by a question and answer session and then a reception.

The event is free; a reservation is not required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors to the building will open 30 minutes prior to the start of the program. Use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue.

Please visit the National Archives website for more information.

The Vietnam Center and Archive at Texas Tech University are partnering with the Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense and the National Archives to host a reception immediately following the presentations in the area just outside the McGowan Theater in the National Archives. This will include complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages.