TONKIN LIES: McNamara told Congress the Gulf of Tonkin attacks were"unequivocal"and"unprovoked."Both claims were false. The second attack never happened, and the U.S. had been conducting covert operations against North Vietnam.

WAR ESCALATION: McNamara oversaw the buildup from 16,000 advisors to over 500,000 troops. He approved massive bombing campaigns that dropped more tonnage than all of WWII.

BODY COUNT: McNamara's Pentagon measured success through"body counts"and"kill ratios"- dehumanizing metrics that incentivized civilian casualties and false reporting.

PRIVATE DOUBTS: McNamara privately doubted the war could be won as early as 1965-1966, yet continued publicly supporting escalation. The Pentagon Papers revealed the depth of internal pessimism.

AGENT ORANGE: Under McNamara, the military sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange over Vietnam, causing cancer, birth defects, and environmental devastation that continues today.

LEAVING OFFICE: McNamara left the Pentagon in 1968 and became World Bank president. He never faced consequences for the war's deceptions.

LATE ADMISSION: In his 1995 memoir and 2003 documentary"The Fog of War,"McNamara admitted the war was wrong."We were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why."But he stopped short of calling it criminal.

NO ACCOUNTABILITY: Despite his role in a war that killed millions based on lies, McNamara lived comfortably until age 93. His late-life remorse changed nothing for the dead.