Kinnard, Douglas.

The Secretary of DefenseDouglas Kinnard. - Lexington : The University Press of Kentucky, (c)1980. - 1 online resource : illustrations.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. The Embattled James Forrestal; 2. Eisenhower, Wilson, McElroy, and Budgets; 3. McNamara and Vietnam; 4. Laird Winds Down the War; 5. James R. Schlesinger: Strategist; 6. The Secretary of Defense in Retrospect; Appendix 1. The Secretaries of Defense; Appendix 2. National Security Leadership since World War II; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Since its creation by the National Security Act of 1947 the office of secretary of defense has grown rapidly in power and influence, surpassing at times that of the secretary of state to become second only to the presidency in the government of the United States. The pivotal secretaries, according to Kinnard, are James Forrestal, Charles Wilson, Robert McNamara, Melvin Laird, and James Schlesinger. Kinnard analyzes the administration of each of these secretaries not only within the domestic and international contexts of his time but also within the bureaucratic world in which the secretary func.



9780813157085


United States. Department of Defense --History.


Electronic Books.

UA23 / .S437 1980