"We need more understanding of human nature, because the only real danger that exists is man himself...We know nothing of man, far too little. His psyche should be studied because we are the origin of all coming evil."
—Carl Jung, BBC interview, 1959
"Any military commander who is honest with himself, or with those he's speaking to, will admit that he has made mistakes in the application of military power. He's killed people unnecessarily - his own troops or other troops - through mistakes, through errors of judgment. A hundred, or thousands, or tens of thousands, maybe even a hundred thousand. But, he hasn't destroyed nations." —Robert S. McNamara
LESSON #1: EMPATHIZE WITH YOUR ENEMY.
"Kennedy was trying to keep us out of war. I was trying to help him keep us out of war. And General Curtis LeMay, whom I served under as a matter of fact in World War II, was saying 'Let's go in, let's totally destroy Cuba.'"
LESSON #2: RATIONALITY WILL NOT SAVE US.
"I want to say, and this is very important: at the end we lucked out. It was luck that prevented nuclear war."
LESSON #3: THERE'S SOMETHING BEYOND ONE'S SELF.
"I took more philosophy classes - particularly one in logic and one in ethics. Stress on values and something beyond one's self, and a responsibility to society."
LESSON #4: MAXIMIZE EFFICIENCY.
"In that single night, we burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo: men, women, and children."
LESSON #5: PROPORTIONALITY SHOULD BE A GUIDELINE IN WAR.
"[I]n order to win a war should you kill 100,000 people in one night, by firebombing or any other way. LeMay's answer would be clearly 'Yes' . . . Proportionality should be a guideline in war. Killing 50% to 90% of the people of 67 Japanese cities and then bombing them with two nuclear bombs is not proportional, in the minds of some people, to the objectives we were trying to achieve."
LESSON #6: GET THE DATA.
"I was present with the President when together we received information of that coup. I've never seen him more upset. He totally blanched. President Kennedy and I had tremendous problems with Diem, but my God, he was the authority, he was the head of state. And he was overthrown by a military coup. And Kennedy knew and I knew, that to some degree, the U.S. government was responsible for that."
LESSON #7: BELIEF AND SEEING ARE BOTH OFTEN WRONG.
"We spent ten hours that day trying to find out what in the hell had happened. At one point, the commander of the ship said, 'We're not certain of the attack.' At another point they said, 'Yes, we're absolutely positive.' And then finally late in the day, Admiral Sharp said, 'Yes, we're certain it happened.' So I reported this to Johnson, and as a result there were bombing attacks on targets in North Vietnam. Johnson said we may have to escalate, and I'm not going to do it without Congressional authority. And he put forward a resolution, the language of which gave complete authority to the President to take the nation to war: The Tonkin Gulf Resolution."
LESSON #8: BE PREPARED TO REEXAMINE YOUR REASONING.
"Were those who issued the approval to use Agent Orange: criminals? Were they committing a crime against humanity? Let's look at the law. Now what kind of law do we have that says these chemicals are acceptable for use in war and these chemicals are not. We don't have clear definitions of that kind. I never in the world would have authorized an illegal action. I'm not really sure I authorized Agent Orange. I don't remember it but it certainly occurred, the use of it occurred while I was Secretary."
LESSON #9: IN ORDER TO DO GOOD, YOU MAY HAVE TO ENGAGE IN EVIL.
"How much evil must we do in order to do good? We have certain ideals, certain responsibilities. Recognize that at times you will have to engage in evil, but minimize it."
LESSON #10: NEVER SAY NEVER.
"One of the lessons I learned early on: never say never. Never, never, never. Never say never. And secondly, never answer the question that is asked of you. Answer the question that you wish had been asked of you. And quite frankly, I follow that rule. It's a very good rule."
LESSON #11: YOU CAN'T CHANGE HUMAN NATURE
"We all make mistakes. We know we make mistakes. I don't know any military commander, who is honest, who would say he has not made a mistake. There's a wonderful phrase: 'the fog of war.' What 'the fog of war' means is: war is so complex it's beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people unnecessarily."
Fog of War Trailer
wez - 2008-12-29 09:53:53
Immensely powerful this movie, every thinking individual must see it. Twice.
t - 2009-06-03 19:59:51
I watched this movie in school, and it was literally the most intresting movie I think I've ever seen in my life. And usually I get pretty bored during school movies. I suggest anyone that has the chance to watch this movie.
berdman - 2009-10-21 18:47:16
I also watched this for one of my school class. Out of the 120 17 year olds that watched it, only my friend and I found it interesting. The others hated it.
Sherry - 2009-12-13 13:02:52
Should be required viewing for EVERY individual in the US.
karabelle - 2009-12-17 21:08:29
this movie was actually pretty interesting. Robert McNamara is so sute when he's 85!! aw and then when he cried about Kennedy's death.. that was so sweet! the movie was enjoyable to watch and very informative
NrichD - 2010-03-14 07:36:34
...karabelle.. your a fkn idiot.Ok.?? A guy who killed millions of Japanese ppl, innocent civillians, there is nothing cute about that..!! or sweet-about crying.. This guy is a murderer of children, what about all of them..?? and their REAL tears, of PAIN, and ANGUISH, and HORROR.. !! Do you think that's cute, and sweet too..?? Well, i guess you'll be standing next to him on the coming Judgement Day, sticking up for him.. ALL these warmongers are going to hell.. IDI AMIN, POL POTT, GEORGE BUSH AND HIS ADMINISTRATION, SADAAM HUSSAIN, ROBERT MAC NAMARA ETC ETC.. and the list goes on.. these same ppl will condemn us,.for stealing, for hitting, etc etc all the days of our lives, and even beyond, but they steal the most, rape the most, kill the most.. and some of them even use the name of God to kill - but 1 of the Ten Commandments of God is - THOU SHALT NOT KILL - the japanese only targeted the army, navy etc.. america killed millions, and millions, of innocents.. what - karabelle.. is so "sweet" about that. Man, i'm down with Cassius Clay.. "throw me in fkn prison".
Noah Lewis - 2010-03-16 12:13:56
Well, the Fog of War was packed with facts, especially when listing all of the Japanese civilians that died from American fire bombers. However, NrichD, a person's entry into heaven is not dependent on their actions because "all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven", Mark 3:28. Jesus loves everyone, :))))))))))
To whom it may concern - 2010-04-10 00:21:15
NrichD, I agree almost completely with everything you said. However, no nation during this period, or any period in history for that matter, is exempt from committing atrocities against civilian populations. The Japanese murdered countless thousands of innocent Chinese civilians during this time. And if you know your history they also sent balloons filled with explosives over the pacific to reach the U.S. coast, killing few, but killing civilians none the less. I agree, that bitch is stupid in her remarks but the Japs were as ruthless as any. Dont forget their treatment of U.S. military personnel, just as atrocious as American tactics in ending the war. Plus, they would commit their own civilian population to suicide through propaganda, so dont exonerate one murderous group over another.