John McNaughton (government official)
Encyclopedia
John Theodore McNaughton (November 21, 1921 – July 19, 1967) born in Pekin, Illinois
was United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert S. McNamara's closest advisor. He died in a plane crash at age 45, less than two weeks before he would have become Secretary of the Navy.
. He began his career as an academic, with some confidence in his intellectual powers. Maj. Gen. Charles J. Timmes reports that when he visited McNaughton and his wife in 1964, as his wife was attempting to describe the complexity of the political and social situation in Vietnam, McNaughton had replied that one could find the solution to any problem "by simply dissecting it into all its elements and then piecing together the resultant formula".
He had been friends with strategic theorist, and now Nobel prize winner in economics, Thomas Schelling
since they administered the Marshall Plan
in Paris
. In 1964, Schelling received a call to come and work at the Department of Defense
as both were teaching at Harvard. He sent McNaughton, promising to advise him on weapons and strategy and McNaughton was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
The conditions for a bombing halt, outlined in a confidential memorandum by John McNaughton to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were that
The North Vietnamese did not regard the operation as expressing a real will to win and it did not achieve its objectives. Political reality had proved more complex than the abstract models of game theory
. Militarily, the bombing operation couldn't prevent North Vietnam from continuing its war against the South because until March 1972, that was a guerrilla war which was not vulnerable to air attack and required few external supplies, thus negating efforts at air interdiction.
In 1966 John McNaughton and his deputy Adam Yarmolinsky in a JASON study had to admit that the air strikes had failed.
that while such efforts might not
McNaughton was referencing the nation-building strategy devised by the Major-General Edward Lansdale
, who had become a counterinsurgency expert after defeating the Huk
rebellion in the Philippines
in the 1950s, Sir Robert Thompson — a British counter-insurgency expert and Roger Hilsman
— a former American guerilla in Burma and the director of intelligence for the Department of State in the Kennedy administration. Edward Lansdale had made the point that the South's dependency had the effect to
. But he died in the crash of Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
with his wife and younger son on July 19, 1967.
, carrying Illinois Route 9
across the Illinois River
, is named after him.
John T. McNaughton Park is a public park just northeast of Pekin off Illinois Route 98
.
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
was United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert S. McNamara's closest advisor. He died in a plane crash at age 45, less than two weeks before he would have become Secretary of the Navy.
Ivory tower to the Pentagon
Tall, taut, fast-talking John McNaughton had graduated in 1948 from DePauw UniversityDePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
. He began his career as an academic, with some confidence in his intellectual powers. Maj. Gen. Charles J. Timmes reports that when he visited McNaughton and his wife in 1964, as his wife was attempting to describe the complexity of the political and social situation in Vietnam, McNaughton had replied that one could find the solution to any problem "by simply dissecting it into all its elements and then piecing together the resultant formula".
He had been friends with strategic theorist, and now Nobel prize winner in economics, Thomas Schelling
Thomas Schelling
Thomas Crombie Schelling is an American economist and professor of foreign affairs, national security, nuclear strategy, and arms control at the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland, College Park. He is also co-faculty at the New England Complex Systems Institute...
since they administered the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1964, Schelling received a call to come and work at the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
as both were teaching at Harvard. He sent McNaughton, promising to advise him on weapons and strategy and McNaughton was appointed Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.
Escalation in Vietnam
Together, they outlined a bombing strategy to intimidate North Vietnam in the spring of 1964, leading to the first phase of Operation Rolling Thunder (March 2, 1965 - October 31, 1968) which took place between March 2 and 24, 1965.The conditions for a bombing halt, outlined in a confidential memorandum by John McNaughton to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were that
- North Vietnam must not only cease infiltration efforts, but also take steps to withdraw troops currently operating in South Vietnam. In addition, the Viet Cong should agree to terminate terror and sabotage activities and allow Saigon to exercise "governmental functions over substantially all of South Vietnam."
The North Vietnamese did not regard the operation as expressing a real will to win and it did not achieve its objectives. Political reality had proved more complex than the abstract models of game theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
. Militarily, the bombing operation couldn't prevent North Vietnam from continuing its war against the South because until March 1972, that was a guerrilla war which was not vulnerable to air attack and required few external supplies, thus negating efforts at air interdiction.
In 1966 John McNaughton and his deputy Adam Yarmolinsky in a JASON study had to admit that the air strikes had failed.
Toward Vietnamization?
A pragmatist, John McNaughton understood that only one aspect of the war effort was not a double-edged sword & could make the difference in the long term: the effort to turn South Vietnam into a viable political society, able to withstand the North's assault with U. S. help. In March 1965, McNaughton told President JohnsonLyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
that while such efforts might not
- "pay off quickly enough to affect the present ominous deterioration, some may, and we are dealing here in small critical margins. Furthermore, such investment [was] essential to provide a foundation for the longer run."
McNaughton was referencing the nation-building strategy devised by the Major-General Edward Lansdale
Edward Lansdale
Edward Geary Lansdale was a United States Air Force officer who served in the Office of Strategic Services and the Central Intelligence Agency. He rose to the rank of Major General and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in 1963. He was an early proponent of more aggressive US actions in...
, who had become a counterinsurgency expert after defeating the Huk
Hukbalahap
The Hukbalahap , was the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines , formed in 1942 to fight the Japanese Empire's occupation of the Philippines during World War II. It fought a second war from 1946 to 1954 against the pro-Western leaders of their newly independent country...
rebellion in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in the 1950s, Sir Robert Thompson — a British counter-insurgency expert and Roger Hilsman
Roger Hilsman
Roger Hilsman is an author and political scientist. He served as an American soldier in Merrill's Marauders and then the Office of Strategic Services in China-Burma-India Theater of World War II during World War II and as an aide and adviser to President John F. Kennedy...
— a former American guerilla in Burma and the director of intelligence for the Department of State in the Kennedy administration. Edward Lansdale had made the point that the South's dependency had the effect to
- "place the U. S. in a position of continuing major help [there] for endless years, on the basis that if our aid were lessened then the enemy would win."
Personal Life
He was married to Sarah Elizabeth “Sally” Fulkman (born February 14, 1921). They had two sons, Alexander “Alex” and Theodore “Ted” (born July 23, 1955).Death
Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, confided privately that McNaughton could have been his choice to replace him as Secretary of Defense. McNaughton resigned from this post of Assistant Secretary of Defense and was to become Secretary of Navy on August 1, 1967 after being confirmed by the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. But he died in the crash of Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 on a scheduled airline flight in the United States from Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina to Roanoke Regional Airport in Roanoke, Virginia. Shortly after departure, the flight collided with a twin-engine Cessna...
with his wife and younger son on July 19, 1967.
Namesakes
The major bridge in Pekin, IllinoisPekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
, carrying Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 9 is a cross-state, east–west rural state highway in central Illinois. It runs from the Fort Madison Toll Bridge over the Mississippi River to Iowa in Niota east to State Road 26 at the Indiana border. This is a distance of ....
across the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
, is named after him.
John T. McNaughton Park is a public park just northeast of Pekin off Illinois Route 98
Illinois Route 98
Illinois Route 98 is a east–west state highway located entirely within Tazewell County in central Illinois. The route runs from Routhe 29 on the border of Pekin and North Pekin east to Interstate 155 in Morton...
.