From the collection of the National Park Service, National Mall and Memorial Parks.
book, hardback
VIVE 11938
11/04/1997
Hardback copy of the Vietnam-era memoir by former Secretary of Defense (under U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson) Robert S. McNamara entitled, "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam". The book has been bound with strips of adhesive duct tape and shot nine (9) times with what appears to be a high caliber rifle [?] by a donor who identifies himself only with the signature, "THANKS FOR NOTHING / HEADHUNTER 16 / 1970 - 71". Reflective of the anger and resentment felt by many Vietnam veterans towards former Secretary McNamara, handwritten inscriptions upon the book jacket and duct tape at the obverse surface identify a photograph of Mr. McNamara as, "THE REAL ENEMY" and read (in part), "WOUNDED 9 TIMES BY ENEMY FIRE, AND THE LESSON WAS ABOUT OUR LEADERS - / THE TRAGEDY WAS THEIR COWARDNESS [sic]", "EXCELLENT BOOK - / WORTH 9 BULLETS -" and, "HAVE A NICE LIFE - / WE FOUGHT FOR IT". The artifact was left at The Wall by an unidentified U.S. Army 9th Air Cavalry and Vietnam veteran between July - November 1997.
HARDBACK BOOK, "IN RETROSPECT" BY AUTHOR ROBERT S. MCNAMARA. THE OBJECT COMPRISES THE VIETNAM-ERA MEMOIR OF FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (UNDER PRESIDENTS JOHN F. KENNEDY AND LYNDON B. JOHNSON) ROBERT S. MCNAMARA, AND CONSISTS OF A BLACK HARDBACK COVER AND A WHITE PAPER JACKET WITH THE TITLE, "IN RETROSPECT" PRINTED IN RED INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT ALONG THE UPPER EDGE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. BELOW THE TITLE, THE SUBTITLE, "THE TRAGEDY AND LESSONS OF VIETNAM" IS PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT BELOW A REPRODUCED, BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH (LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION) OF MR. MCNAMARA SEATED ALONE AND REVIEWING DOCUMENTS IN A ROOM WITH A PODIUM BEARING THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES. ALONG THE LOWER EDGE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE THE AUTHORSHIP INFORMATION, "ROBERT S. MCNAMARA / WITH BRIAN VANDEMARK" IS PRINTED (SIMILARLY TO THE TITLE) IN RED INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT. ALONG THE SPINE OF THE BOOK JACKET, THE TITLE AND AUTHORSHIP INFORMATION, "IN RETROSPECT / __________ / ROBERT S. MCNAMARA" IS PRINTED IN RED INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT ABOVE A REPRODUCED BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH (PORTRAIT ORIENTATION) OF FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON AND MR. MCNAMARA SEATED AND TURNED TO THE CAMERA, EACH WITH HIS HAND TO HIS FACE. BELOW THIS PHOTOGRAPH THE BOOK SUBTITLE, "THE TRAGEDY AND LESSONS OF VIETNAM" IS PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT. AT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SPINE OF THE BOOK JACKET IS THE ORGANIZATIONAL LOGO AND PRINTED NAME OF THE BOOK PUBLISHER, "TIMES BOOKS" IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT. AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE BOOK JACKET, THE PHRASE, "FROM THE PREFACE TO / IN RETROSPECT" IS PRINTED IN BLACK AND RED INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT, RESPECTIVELY, ABOVE THREE (3) REVIEWS OF THE WORK PRINTED IN BLACK INK AND ITALICIZED SCRIPT. THESE REVIEWS ARE LARGELY ILLEGIBLE AND UN-TRANSCRIBABLE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF DAMAGE TO THE PAPER FIBERS COMPRISING THE OBJECT. THE BOOK IS SEALED SHUT VIA SIX (6) STRIPS OF GRAY DUCT TAPE WHICH WRAP FROM THE REVERSE TO THE OBVERSE SURFACE OF THE BOOK JACKET, AND BEAR THREE (3) SEPARATE HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTIONS (UPPERMOST, CENTER, AND LOWERMOST) IN BLACK INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. THE UPPERMOST HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION UPON THE DUCT TAPE READS, "WOUNDED 9 TIMES BY ENEMY FIRE, AND THE LESSON WAS ABOUT OUR LEADERS - / THE TRAGEDY WAS THEIR COWARDNESS [sic]. / - 9TH AIR CAV -". THE CENTER HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION UPON THE DUCT TAPE READS, "EXCELLENT BOOK - / WORTH 9 BULLETS -". THE LOWERMOST HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTION UPON THE DUCT TAPE READS, "HAVE A NICE LIFE - / WE FOUGHT FOR IT". FURTHER HANDWRITTEN INSCRIPTIONS IN BLUE MARKER UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE BOOK JACKET INCLUDE A CIRCLE AROUND THE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE OF MR. MCNAMARA WITH A LINE EXTENDING FROM THE CIRCLE TO THE HANDWRITTEN PHRASE, "THE REAL ENEMY", AS WELL AS THE PHRASE, "THANKS FOR NOTHING / HEADHUNTER 16 / 1970 - 71" HANDWRITTEN ALONG THE LOWER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE OBVERSE EDGE IN BLUE INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS. NINE (9) SEPARATE BULLET ENTRANCE HOLES (DIRECTLY CORRESPONDING TO EXIT HOLES AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE) ARE OBSERVED IN THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE, EACH OF WHICH ARE IDENTIFIED AND LABELED VIA ARABIC NUMERALS (I.E. 1 - 9) HANDWRITTEN IN BLUE MARKER AND WHICH DIRECTLY REFERENCE THE CENTER HANDWRITTEN INK INSCRIPTION UPON THE DUCT TAPE REFERRING TO THE BOOK BEING, "WORTH 9 BULLETS".
VIVE-00161
1
Text of the printed and handwritten inscriptions upon the obverse, spine, and reverse object surfaces is transcribed in full, as follows: [Obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "IN RETROSPECT / THE TRAGEDY AND LESSONS OF VIETNAM / ROBERT S. McNAMARA / WITH Brian VanDeMark" / [Spine surface, printed inscriptions] "IN RETROSPECT / __________ / ROBERT S. MCNAMARA / THE TRAGEDY AND LESSONS OF VIETNAM / TIMES BOOKS" / [Reverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "FROM THE PREFACE TO / IN RETROSPECT" / [Obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "WOUNDED 9 TIMES BY ENEMY FIRE, AND THE LESSON WAS ABOUT OUR LEADERS - / THE TRAGEDY WAS THEIR COWARDNESS [sic]. / - 9TH AIR CAV - / EXCELLENT BOOK - / WORTH 9 BULLETS - / HAVE A NICE LIFE - / WE FOUGHT FOR IT. / THE REAL ENEMY / THANKS FOR NOTHING / HEADHUNTER 16 / 1970 - 71 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9"
Item Weight: 950.0g
Item Length: 24.0cm
Item Width: 16.5cm
Item Depth: 5.0cm (Thickness)