Download or read book The McNamara Ascendancy, 1961-1965 written by Lawrence S. Kaplan and published by Office of the Secretary, Historical Office. This book was released on 2006 with total page 726 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A narrative history and assessment of the early years of Robert McNamara's tenure as Secretary of Defense, including McNamara's relationship with Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, the transformation of the Department of Defense as a part of Kennedy's New Frontier, and the Pentagon's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs episode, and onset of the Vietnam War along with other major national security events and developments during a turbulent and momentous period of the Cold War. (Fuller description is on the dust jacket flaps.)