The Fog of War is a documentary filmed by Errol Morris that features an interview with former U.S. defense secretary Robert S. McNamara, who served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson from 1961 to 1968, (Holden, 1). Over the course of the film, McNamara delivers eleven lessons regarding war learned from his experience. The title refers to the fact that human knowledge is incapable of full understanding of the complexities of military warfare. As Stephen Holden says in his review of the film, ôIf thereÆs one movie that ought to be studied by military and civilian leaders around the world at this treacherous historical moment, it is æThe Fog of War,Æö (1). In this statement, we find McNamaraÆs point in making the film, to share valuable lessons of military warfare he learned only in retrospect due to the ôfogö of war, so as to help his successors avoid repeating mistakes.
The film is shot in interview style, with McNamara answering questions from Morris. McNamara often provides his lessons learned from a career of being the architect of war in the film. The first two lessons, ôEmpathize with your enemyö and ôRationality will not save us,ö are quite in contrast with the logic and prevailing mentality of top military leaders during the wars in which McNamara served, (Ebert, 1). McNamara was involved in planning the firebombing of Japanese cities, including a Tokyo raid that resulted in more than 100,000 casualties, (Ebert, 1). He provides these lessons in order to show that the enemy is often just like you and me, but painted as an ôevil otherö in times of war.
McNamara also provides these to show that human ration and intellect are incapable of fully understanding war or its ramifications. The lessons learned from war are generally learned in hindsight as the ôfogö of war prevents them from being understood during warfare. McNamara admits no commander is honest if he does not admit to numer
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