National Security Individual In Kennedys Administration example essay topic

554 words
No one ever knows if the decisions made for something important is the right or wrong thing to do. Only during and after a specific event will the outcome of the decision be known. The specific person assigned to this task was President Kennedy who had to choose and assemble his administration. This President and administration was very vital to the nation because it was the start of the United States cracking down on communism and trying to out rid it in the world.

The first six chapters of the book the BEST AND THE Brightest by David Halberstam inform the reader of the personalities and characteristics of the administration, which, President Kennedy chose. The key men chose to the Kennedy administration were McGeorge Bundy, Dean Rusk, and Robert McNamara. The loyalist and most concerned about national security individual in Kennedys administration was McGeorge Bundy. As well displayed as the most cerebral member of the administration besides Kennedy. Previously he was the dean of arts and sciences at Harvard University.

A background like that and one who stands up for what he believes in such as speaking against the appointment of Lewis Strauss by Eisenhower. During his time on the administration he pressed and pushed for escalating the Vietnam War. Even though he felt so strongly about this war, he was a man not to land the country into trouble because of passion and emotion. A very determined man who seemed almost like a robot was very professional and would nft let things get in the way of anything.

He was so focused that if there was some error he was the first to putting down that inferior person from slowing him down. Robert McNamara was the President of Ford Motor Company before engaging in the Kennedy administration. McNamara was pro-war and advocated very highly for involvement into the Vietnam War. Although trying to escalate the war so much, McNamara was nowhere as advocating as Bundy was. McNamara had a more cool and calm head because he realized things that were wrong.

Such as in 1966 he pulled out of the administration because he questioned the policy of the United States. Dean Rusk was chosen as the Secretary of State to the Kennedy administration. Except he was the only person to be against the war except did nft oppose it. Both other men were very highly outspoken and set in their ways, compared to Rusk who was a very low-key individual. Some blame was put onto Rusk since he did not speak up in his views of the situation in Vietnam and the decision of the United States to make. In conclusion these men were the best and brightest but the flaws they possessed were very costly to the United States.

Reading how most of the decisions were made by the cabinet and discussed minimally to the President, it seemed as though Kennedy just chose his cabinet and then sat back and relaxed. Kennedy seemed as though an icon for the media while all the big shots are being called by the Presidents right hand men besides the President, whose responsiblity its supposed to be to make those decisions.