The book is special in that it was written from a place of remorse. The author himself admitted in the introduction: “This is a book I intended never to write.” However, after nearly three decades of silence since leaving the Pentagon, Robert S. McNamara decided to write, not to defend himself, but to explain. “We were wrong, terribly wrong,” he frankly admitted his own historical responsibility and that of the United States in the military intervention in Vietnam.
With 11 chapters and 1 appendix, the memoir details the US policy-making process from President Kennedy to Johnson, along with strategic mistakes when not understanding the historical, cultural and independent will of the Vietnamese people. Robert S. McNamara does not blame, but seeks the root cause and leaves a timeless message: "The reward for suffering is experience".
Notably, in this edition, Craig McNamara - son of author Robert McNamara and Vo Hong Nam - son of General Vo Nguyen Giap co-wrote the foreword for the book. Mr. Vo Hong Nam commented: “The book is not an excuse, nor is it an indictment. It is a confrontation of conscience, a desire to find the root cause of the war to answer the question of right and wrong and courageously open up the opportunity for reconciliation”.
Meanwhile, Craig McNamara, son of the former US Secretary of Defense who returned to the old battlefield to return the Liberation Army flag, hopes that Vietnamese readers will feel the spirit of honesty, without evasion, and find in it an invitation to dialogue, understanding and forgiveness.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/hoi-ky-cua-cuu-bo-truong-quoc-phong-my-ve-viet-nam-ra-mat-doc-gia-post799999.html
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