Engineer Memoirs
I was fascinated by what I overheard. Richard Helms was quite silent, but there
couldn't be two more contrasting personalities than Robert Kennedy and Maxwell
Taylor.
General Taylor would come to meetings in a well-tailored, perfectly pressed
uniform. He sat ramrod straight at one end of the table. Robert Kennedy came
dressed in sports shirt and slacks, loafers and athletic socks. He sat slouched over
at the other end of the table. He'd tie off his loafers and put his stocking feet up
on the table. The two went at it hammer and tongs. At one stage, General Taylor
made some remark Robert Kennedy didn't agree with. Kennedy got up, walked
to the other end of the table in his stocking feet, and punched his finger into the
general's chest. "Maxie," he said, "you're full of s
I've never seen anyone more stunned or shocked than General Taylor. Here was
this staid and reserved general, being upbraided by a member of the younger
generation. I had heard that not even Mrs. Taylor called him Max but referred to
him as "General." Taylor contained his anger and answered Kennedy in reasoned
and convincing terms. It was quite an insight into their manner of doing business.
While in the chairman's staff group, I was asked to write an outline plan for how
to improve the logistical situation in Europe during the second Berlin crisis. Just
as the plan for the invasion of Europe during World War II was written by General
Alexander and turned over to General Eisenhower, I wrote a plan which was to be
turned over to an officer who would carry it out.
Having written the plan, the major general who had been designated to carry out
the plan became ill. A second major general selected to carry out the plan was not
acceptable to Secretary McNamara. As a result I, then a brigadier general, was
moved to the secretary's office to execute my own plan. For the next several
months I worked directly for Secretary McNamara. It was a busy and interesting
time. I got to work with McNamara's whiz kids: Enthoven, Hitch, and Rowan,
and got to know McNamara quite well.
Working for McNamara gave me a good insight into his mind and personality. As
I recall, I moved to his staff late on a Friday afternoon. I spent Saturday and
Sunday putting a staff together. Early Monday morning I was summoned into
McNamara's office. He asked: "Well, what are your conclusions?" I answered
that I had not even put my staff together yet. McNamara said, "You've got a lot
to learn, young man. If you don't know what the conclusions are before you start,
you're not my kind of man. What I want you to do is write your conclusions and
bring them in to me by noon." McNamara's theory was that a good operator put
together a plan in his head, decided on what to do, and filled in the details as he
went along.
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