Evening star., 1961-01-15


and. surprisingly enough, his per-
sonality. Already he Is liked and
respected. He has little knowledge
Of defense. however, and this wor-
ries some people.
They worry because It takes O
long time to acquire q basic
knowledge Of the intricate opera
tions Of the three semi-independ-
ent, suuabbling armed services.
Decisions, however, cannot wait.
Ready or not, he win begin judg-
ing the most difficult disputes Of
the Pentagon the day he is
sworn In.
So far Mr.. Mcnamara looks like
9 man who loves to learn and
loves to lead. His high subordi-
nates-if they like work and re-
spect q decisive mind-are prob
ably in for wonderful time.
The most surprising thing
about Mr.. Mcnamara is that he
is immensely hkeable. One Off
cial who had read stories from
Detroit about the grim, taciturn
and abrupt automobile tycoon was
ordered last week to Mr.. McNa-
mara's temporary Pentagon Of
lice to give q briefing. The boss
to-be wanted a quick birdseye
view OF one defense problem, and
this expert, who would Just as
soon have foregone the honor.
was thrown to the wolf.
The Informal Approach
Mr.. Mcnamara. however, got lid
from his small desk and greeted
the official with smile and a
handshake. He inquired solici-
tously If he was keeping him from
some more important work. He
made q few humorous remarks
about finding ones way through
Pentagon corridors, and then he
invited the official to proceed in
whatever way he though best.
After the session, Mr.. Nc
Namara said he wanted to hear
more on the subject. The official
said he would be happy to return
at any time. Mr.. Mcnamara said:
oh. no. Wen work out a time
that doesn't interfere with your
schedule"
This not square with Mr..
McNamara's advance billing. He
was reputed to have run Ford
humorlessly and ruthlessly. II is
difficult to credit these stories.
however. for Mr.. Mcnamara
f. strikes one as being a man whom
1t Is a pleasure to be with, work.
ing or playing.
. He is fluent talker on a wide
range Of subjects. He explains
himself clearly, often with a ouip.
His straight mouth, rimless glasses
: and symmetrically slicked- down
hair could give him a forbidding
appearance. but he laughs too
much to scare visitor.
When he Is making a serious
point his expressive face helps to
explain his meaning. Perhaps if
his meaning is that you are an
incompetent fool and are being
fired. the Mcnamara of the De-
troit story may be there with
sparks flying. If you are only try
ing to do some important part of
the Nations business and if you
are as competent as the taxpayers
have a right to expect, then it
should be a pleasure to work with
Mr.. Mcnamara.
He is a bear for work. So far
ne has been in his Pentagon office
before 1880 o'clock every morning.
and he has worked far into the
evening. "He turns out more work
in each 18-hour day than the
average man could in a." one
official said ruefully.
The Right Questions
A high-ranking officer explain
ing a problem In an area totally
unfamiliar to Mr.. Mcnamara said
he listened carefully and alertly.
He asked frequent questions. and
the questions were almost always
the ones the officer felt were
worth extra attention in q crowded
day.
Mr.. Mcnamara indicated in
some nf his nI,asfion. fbok l..