With the Bark Off: Conversations on the American Presidency

"My father is a war criminal by the definition my father spoke of" A Conversation with Craig McNamara

Episode Summary

Craig McNamara joins us to speak about his provocative new book Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family, from Vietnam to Today.

Episode Notes

Craig McNamara is the son of Robert S. McNamara, who served as U.S. Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the 1960s. From his childhood, Craig cherished his father. But he also struggled for years to understand the elder McNamara’s role in the decisions that led to the war in Vietnam – an experience that forever distanced father from son.

Now a businessman and walnut farmer, Craig McNamara is founder of the Center for Land-Based Learning, an organization devoted to educating young farmers in the business of sustainable agriculture. Craig joins Mark Lawrence to talk about his remarkable life and especially his complicated relationship with the man he called ‘Dad.’