Robert McNamara and Errol Morris 
take "Fog of War" to the stage



The former Secretary of Defense discussed his role in the Vietnam War,  
in a talk moderated by Mark Danner, professor of journalism 
at the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. 

McNamara is the author of “In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons 
of Vietnam,” which details his role in the implementation and planning 
of the Vietnam War, often called “McNamara’s War.”  

“What the fog of war means,” says McNamara in Morris’ film, “is that war 
is so complex it’s beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend 
all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding are not adequate, 
and we kill people unnecessarily.” 

Toward film’s end, Morris asked McNamara, “Why did you fail to speak out 
against the war after you left the Johnson administration?” 
McNamara replied, “I’m not going to say any more than I have.” 

February 4, 2004 
Berkeley, California
Photos by Lonny Shavelson --COPYRIGHT © 2004
                                                        

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