Robert S. McNamara's book about the Vietnam War is fast becoming a best-seller, and the former defense secretary may spend some of the profits on a discussion of the war's lessons.
About 175,000 copies of the $27.50 book, "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam," have been printed since it was issued two weeks ago. It will top The New York Times' best-seller list on April 30, according to book industry sources.The Washington Post said McNamara is rumored to have received a $200,000 advance. Peter Osnos, McNamara's editor at Random House, declined comment.
McNamara is negotiating on helping to sponsor a conference on the lessons of Vietnam, a professional associate said, speaking on condition that he not be further identified. It would be comparable to a January 1992 meeting in Havana on the Cuban missile crisis that brought together Cuba's Fidel Castro, McNamara and other former officials.
"My . . . no," McNamara says in a taped C-Span interview to be aired Sunday when asked if he wrote the book to make money. He alluded to the project in the two-hour "Booknotes" interview with C-Span's Brian Lamb.
"I don't know what the profits are to tell you the truth and I don't know what I'm going to do with them," he said. "There is one project that could take all the profits, could need all the profits, but I don't know whether I'm going to do it or not. It depends on parties that are outside my control as to whether we pursue it or not."
He told USA Today he would like to "open a dialogue between Americans and Vietnamese." He was promoting his book in New York on Thursday and was unavailable to elaborate.
The American Legion and a number of veterans have demanded that he earmark the profits for veterans' causes. "He shouldn't profit from this sad, tragic, late confession," said Legion commander William M. Detweiler.