A Presidential Medal of Freedom That Leaves One Speechless
FREE ESTIMATE. To auction, buy, consign or sell a Presidential Medal of Freedom or other civilian award, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.
We are proud to be auctioning Robert McNamara’s Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest civilian award the US can offer.
Medal of Freedom
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McNamara, Defense Secretary under JFK and Johnson, received the prestigious award with Distinction in 1968 after a tumultuous period in American history — the Vietnam War.
His prestigious medal became symbolic in his career because of his and Johnson’s further and further differing of opinion in strategy as the war escalated.
His position as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and Cuban Missile Crisis made him one of the most high-profile, influential and controversial public figures of the 20th century. McNamara later became president of the World Bank and advocated a cautious approach to nuclear arms.
Controversial because some considered and even blamed him for pushing a full throttle approach to the intensifying, often blurry “fog of war” that became Vietnam.
Here, McNamara accepts the prestigious award, which features a white five-point star surrounded by five eagles with wings spread and a blue center dotted with stars. As a special grade of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded “with Distinction”, this is a larger medal than its counterpart.
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With the Medal comes a 5-page copy of “Executive Order 11085” or the law providing for the Medal’s issuance.
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The 2003 documentary “The Fog of War,” directed by Errol Morris, won an Oscar and masterfully helped to shed light on McNamara’s conflicted feelings in looking back at the war.
Scroll through the video below to 4 minutes and in you can hear McNamara in his own words describe the mixed emotion in accepting the award. You can hear the humanness in his voice, the inner conflict, and this award becomes a significant testament to the somewhat harried relationship between McNamara and Johnson.
He simply couldn’t respond with words as he accepted the award.
Or read his words in the Transcript of the film:
Said McNamara of Johnson, “…he awarded me the Medal of Freedom in a very beautiful ceremony at the White House. And he was very, very warm in his comments. And I became so emotional, I could not respond…Mr. President, I cannot find words to express what lies in my heart today. And I think I better respond on another occasion. And had I responded, I would have said: “I know what many of you are thinking. You’re thinking this man is duplicitous. You’re thinking that he has held things close to his chest. You’re thinking that he did not respond fully to the desires and wishes of the American people. And I want to tell you: “You’re wrong.” Of course he had personal idiosyncrasies, no question about it. He didn’t accept all the advice he was given.’”
McNamara remains an important and influential part of American history and this medal, an interesting totem to his career.
FREE ESTIMATE. To auction, buy, consign or sell a Presidential Medal of Freedom or other civilian award, please email Nate at [email protected] or call the Nate D. Sanders Auction House (http://www.NateDSanders.com) at (310) 440-2982.
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