Professor William Taubman, guest author, concludes that following his departure from the Pentagon in 1968, which Johnson orchestrated out of concern for his health, McNamara became President of the World Bank. He viewed this role as repentance, shifting t

Professor William Taubman, guest author, concludes that following his departure from the Pentagon in 1968, which Johnson orchestrated out of concern for his health, McNamara became President of the World Bank. He viewed this role as repentance, shifting the bank's focus to the "poorest of the poor" and leading a major campaign against river blindness in Africa. In his later years, he issued serial confessions regarding his failures, though his relationship with his children remained tattered, and he died believing the stress of Vietnam had ultimately killed his wife. McNamara at War: A New History (8)