S8 Ep272: MCNAMARA'S ROLE IN THE FIREBOMBING OF TOKYO Colleague William Taubman. William Taubman discusses Robert McNamara's service in the Pacific during World War II, specifically his role as a statistician under General Curtis LeMay in the Marianas. McNamara's a

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 1 January 2026

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

MCNAMARA'S ROLE IN THE FIREBOMBING OF TOKYO Colleague William Taubman. William Taubmandiscusses Robert McNamara's service in the Pacific during World War II, specifically his role as a statistician under General Curtis LeMay in the Marianas. McNamara's analysis revealed that B-29 bombers were missing targets because they flew too high, advising LeMay to order low-altitude firebombing raids on Tokyo, a tactic that devastated the city. Although LeMay made the final decision and flew the lead plane, McNamara later admitted that had the United States lost the war, they would likely have been prosecuted as war criminals for the high civilian death toll. NUMBER 1
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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is CBS Eye on the World.
0:08.5	Here's John Batchelor.
0:11.8	This is CBSI on the world.
0:14.3	I'm John Batchel.
0:15.6	It is March of 1945, Guam, Northern Mariana's. The centerpiece of the U.S. effort to win the war in the Pacific.
0:27.4	The bombing has been going on of Japan for some time, but ineffectively, so much so that the new commander of the B-29s, Curtis LeMay, moves them from India to Guam to Saipan to Tynion, the northern Marianas.
0:45.3	They fly a long distance, drop their bombs, and come back.
0:48.9	But they've been ineffective.
0:50.8	The war is not going well in the Pacific to end it.
0:55.1	And what is to be done?
0:58.2	I welcome William Taubman, who with his brother Philip Taubman, the authors of a new book, McNamara at War, a new history.
1:09.3	The clue here is that Robert McNamara is on Guamara as a trusted assistant to
1:18.4	Curtis LeMay. Why? Bill, a very good evening to you. Thank you for joining me, Professor.
1:25.1	This incident gains little attention from Mr. McNamara's autobiographies
1:31.3	and his remarks afterwards. You highlight that in your book that he had at one point, just one line to say,
1:37.9	I also served in the Pacific. What is critical here is to understand is that Curtis LeMay, by himself, but with his assistance, including Robert McNamara, came up with an effective way to destroy the Japanese ability to resist, called the firebombing of the Japanese cities, especially Tokyo, March 9, 1945.
2:02.7	What was Robert McNamara's part in that?
2:06.5	What was his job?
2:07.4	Why was he in the Pacific at that moment?
2:09.6	Good evening to you, Professor.
2:11.6	Good evening to you.
2:13.9	McNamara's role in World War II was as a kind of statistician.
	...

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