Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam

by H.R. McMaster

Serving in World War II helped Johnson advance his political career. After gaining a commission as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, he secured from President Roosevelt an assignment to the Pacific as part of a three-man observation team. One of Roosevelt’s aides wrote in his diary that Johnson was anxious to be in a danger zone to enhance his appeal to the electorate. On June 9, 1942, Johnson got his wish. He rode on a B-26 bombing run from an airfield in New Guinea. While approaching the target area, Johnson’s plane experienced a mechanical malfunction and came under attack from Japanese fighters. The pilot nursed the aircraft back to base and landed it smoothly on the runway. The plane to which Johnson had initially been assigned was not as fortunate and crashed into the ocean, killing the entire crew and one of his fellow observers, Lt. Col. Francis Stevens, who had taken Johnson’s seat. The next day Johnson headed for home. During a brief stopover in Australia, Johnson and his surviving fellow observer met the commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur told Johnson that he was awarding him the Silver Star Medal for gallantry during his ride on the B-26 bomber. No other crew member, not even the pilot who landed the crippled plane, received a decoration. A week after his return to the United States, LBJ was out of uniform and back in the House of Representatives.48 Despite his limited experience, Johnson assumed the demeanor of...