Secretary of Defense (1961-1968). Captain, U.S. Air Force (1943-1946); Director (1957-1960) and President (1960-1961), Ford Motor Company. President of the World Bank (1968-1981). Recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom (with Distinction), the Albert Einstein Peace Price, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Freedom from Want Medal, and the Dag Hammarskjold Honorary Medal. Author of The Essence of Security; One Hundred Countries, Two Billion People; Out of the Cold; and In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.
Oral History interview (1964): McNamara completed one interview for the John F. Kennedy Library on 4/4/1964 where he comments upon the defense budget and military strategy during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, the recruitment of Defense Department staff, his appointment as Secretary of Defense, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, among other issues.