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The Fog of War Essay The Fog of War is an Oscar winning documentary that examines the conflicts between war and peace during the time that Robert S. McNamara was the U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War (although some topics go back as far as WWI). The movie features Robert S. McNamara who is questioned about his past and present viewpoints on specific events that he oversaw during the war. McNamara was often seen as a controversial figure during the time he worked for the Ford Company and served as U.S. Secretary of Defense. Many of his ideas and decisions regarding the Vietnam War made the public feel that he was an “arrogant dictator” or someone who had “mental instability” that did not care about much, except his personal image. While this may have been true to some perspectives, this film concentrates on the historical background and moral regrets that Robert McNamara has about the decisions he supported. The film’s director, Errol Morris, is the individual who is questioning Robert S. McNamara during the film. Morris is a popular American film director focused on historical documentaries that investigate truths from specific events. The Fog of War features 11 lessons that Morris felt to be important from the experience of Robert S. McNamara. Of these lessons, the three which struck me most were Lesson #7 – “Belief and seeing are both often wrong”, Lesson #9 – “In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil”, and Lesson #10 – “Never say never”. Lesson #7 was “Belief and seeing are both often wrong”. This lesson is very applicable in both today’s world as well as the world during the Vietnam War. While some people may argue the validly of such a statement, there has been historical proof that this statement is true. As discussed in the Fog of War, the Vietnam War is the paramount example that proves this statement valid. During the Vietnam War, Americans believed that North Vietnam was communist and seeking to destroy freedom – this was the basis for the declaration of war. Americans also saw the military force and invasions that the North Vietnamese inflicted on the American supported South Vietnamese. American leaders believed generalizations and saw the actions of the North Vietnamese and declared war without doing further investigations into the motives and desires of the nation. Unfortunately, this was foolish mistake. North Vietnam was communist, but they were fighting for the same democratic process that has been established in America since the end of the Revolutionary War. If America would have dug a little deeper into the intentions and values of North Vietnam instead of making a quick judgement based on what they thought they knew and what they believed they saw, America could have helped North Vietnam reach its goal of democratic freedom without the costly war. In my opinion, this is very real and legitimate proof that both belief and seeing are often wrong. Statistical evidence of the lives lost provides solid, un-opinionated proof, of the validity of this lesson. If we would have had greater communication with the leaders of North Vietnam, we could have avoided this terrible war and helped them achieve democracy – without losing hundreds of thousands of lives. Belief and seeing should not be relied on solely. They can lead to misconceptions and misjudgments of the intentions of others. Instead, we should use belief and seeing in conjunction with research and investigation in order to make more sound judgements.

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The next lesson, #9, is “In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.” Many people view good and evil as opposite things that are not interrelated. The common belief is, if you’re doing good, you’re not doing evil, and vice versa. While I do believe that there are times of unjustified evil, I also believe that there are times of justified evil – which is the point that I believe is trying to be made in this Fog of War lesson. As an example, consider the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). The American Revolutionary War, or the War of Independence, was fought in order to bring the American Colonies out of the rule of England. The British Empire was abusing its rule of the new Americans. People living in the colonies had to pay higher taxes, live by stricter laws, and have constant armed guards around their towns simply because they choose to live “differently”. Eventually, intolerance for this unequal treatment leads many Americans to start a revolution against the British Empire. The Patriot’s intentions were to provide a better life for the people living in America. However, in order to do this, the Patriots needed to engage in evil by killing and weakening the British Army. In my opinion, this is an example of justified evil – or evil in the pursuit of good. Had the American’s not engaged in this evil, people would have to live suppressed lives only because they did not agree with the ideals of the British Empire. These facts prove that you may have to engage in evil in order to do good. And while this “evil in order to do good” is very often a controversial topic, I do believe that it is necessary in order to preserve the happiness and safety of the world. The final lesson, #10, is “Never say never.” This is a very valuable and inspirational maxim to live by. In additional to the inspirational components of this statement, there is historical and factual evidence to confirm that this statement as true. During the time McNamara was the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Americans never would have believed that their government was lying to them about the status of the Vietnam War. There had never been any inclination that the American government was giving out false statistics regarding the war, or would even attempt to do such a thing. Had this been after Richard Nixon’s presidency, the public may have been a bit more skeptical about the government reported facts; however, this was a time where such controversies were never reported – even though they still occurred. Therefore, the thought that things were much worse in Vietnam than what was televised and published never would have crossed the public’s minds. I think that this is valid proof to confirm lesson #10’s relevancy. During the time of McNamara’s career with the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Americans learned that their assumption that the government would never lie to them was wrong. This assumption was further proven with Richard Nixon’s presidency. In my opinion, “Never say never” is a valuable maxim to live by. Anything is possible, and all of our political leaders are human – making them capable of error and misjudgment. In conclusion, I feel that the Fog of War is relevant to today’s society because every lesson mentioned can be applied to today’s lifestyle and political climate. Today’s leaders are capable of making errors just as the leaders highlighted in this film made errors. Also, I believe that this film truly depicts the meaning of war. Because America has not been in an official war like the Vietnam War in years, I am not sure if younger generations understand the sacrifice and cost of war. This film helps people understand what happens during a war, and it highlights the fact that leaders are capable of error. Also, I feel that Robert S. McNamara and Errol Morris were the perfect people to present such a film. They both are great leaders in their respective career areas, and I think that this makes this film all the more real and 2|Page

relevant for viewers. Finally, I feel that the Fog of War is not only relevant today, but will be relevant forever. When large magnitude events like the Vietnam War happen, the lessons to learn will never cease. Therefore, I believe that this movie is a timeless snapshot of history that will forever be relevant to anyone, political leaders and everyday individuals alike.

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