Promise and Power: The Life and Times of Robert McNamara

The former secretary of Defense and president of the World Bank here breaks a long silence on Vietnam and other matters in the more than 20 interviews that form the basis for freelance journalist Shapley's majestic biography. McNamara explains for the first time why he urged U.S. entry into Vietnam, offers his analysis of mistakes the government made and reveals why he urged American soldiers to fight on after he had decided the war was unwinnable. This major work doesn't confine itself to McNamara as war manager, however; Shapley also explores in impressive depth how McNamara accomplished the makeover of three massive institutions--the postwar Ford Motor Co., the Pentagon (where he reformed the defense budget and policy in positive, enduring ways) and the World Bank, where he helped spread the Green Revolution to small farmers and poor people in the Third World. Shapley goes far in unraveling the complexities of this enigmatic man--his deviousness and ruthless will, his violent emotions, his managerial brilliance and his noble goals. She is not always gentle with her prickly subject, about whom she ultimately delivers this startling verdict: ``He is a pivotal figure in the weakening and decline of America, despite the many virtues of the American Century he embodies.'' Photos. (Jan.)