A comprehensive and sweeping biography of former US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara has secured a prestigious $50,000 literary award. The book, titled "McNamara at War," authored by brothers Philip and William Taubman, was announced as this year's recipient of the Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History by The New York Historical Society on Monday.
Chronicling a Complex Legacy
The Taubmans' work meticulously traces McNamara's remarkable career trajectory, from his rise as a prominent business leader in the post-World War II era to his tenure as Defense Secretary during the tumultuous Vietnam War period. The biography delves deeply into his role as a chief architect of US military strategy in Vietnam during the 1960s, and his subsequent realisation that the conflict was ultimately unwinnable.
A Modern American Tragedy
Agnes Hsu-Tang, board chair of The New York Historical Society, described the winning biography in a formal statement. "Philip and William Taubman's 'McNamara at War' represents a modern American epic that chronicles Robert McNamara's life through the classical Greek tragic cycle," she explained. "It examines his excellence, his arrogance, his reckless folly, and the eventual punishment of his pride, all set against another profoundly divisive period in our nation's history."
Robert McNamara served as Defense Secretary for seven years across two Democratic administrations, ultimately departing the Pentagon in February 1968. His resignation came three months after President Lyndon Johnson publicly announced that McNamara would be leaving to assume the presidency of the World Bank. The biography highlights McNamara's growing disagreements with both Johnson and military leadership over Vietnam War policy, particularly as anti-war sentiment escalated dramatically across the United States.
Recognition and Regrets
McNamara, who passed away in 2009, expressed profound and lasting regrets about the Vietnam War throughout his later years. The Taubman brothers' biography explores these reflections alongside his professional achievements and controversies. At an official ceremony scheduled for April, the authors will receive an engraved medal and the distinguished title of American Historian Laureate alongside their $50,000 prize.
Previous recipients of this esteemed history prize include Robert Caro for "The Passage of Power," Ron Chernow for "Washington: A Life," and Beverly Gage for "G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century." The award recognises outstanding contributions to the understanding and interpretation of American history through published works.
