Special Trust

Starting with David Stockman, a common thread has been the reporting of the tug-of-war to dictate policy within the Reagan Administration. Robert C. McFarlane will always be linked with the Iran-Contra Affair, as National Security Advisor and private citizen, and the issues - which cover about 33% of this memoir - dwarf his achievements as a public servant. But he tactfully spells out who was notified of the covert policy from the beginning and his goals to further the tenuous plan as a public and private citizen. It would be convenient to quickly skim the many remaining pages, but it is interesting how McFarlane grew up in New Deal politics, his military career and the near-fatal suicide attempt in 1987, based upon his feeling that he had failed this nation. This remains an important piece of the complicated and confusing story of Iran-Contra & a reminder that even the best public servant can stumble when special trust means more than policy debate within the public arena.

I bought this book only to read more on the Iran - Contra issue. I was at first disappointed that only a third of the book covered the issue, but once I read the full book I was pleased. I found that the coverage of his involvement in Iran - Contra to be fair, but a little bit unconvincing. I have read a number of books on this particular event and the one common theme is that everybody likes to blame Oliver North, except North who blamed Reagan. I did think that some of his explanations came very close to almost a statement that "it was not my fault because I did not know what was going on". I would have liked a little less blame shifting. I think the real value in the book was his coverage of his time involved in foreign affaires and as the National Security Advisor. There was a good amount of detail on basically all the foreign items of interest during the Reagan years. I found his insights into the other players in the administration also rather interesting, but not unreported in other books. Overall the book was interesting, probably more so for a political junky or someone with a deep interest in the Reagan administration.

Unlike the reviewer below, I thought this book was refreshingly honest and self-effacing, and it by no means struck me as a typical "c.y.a." memoir. Bud McFarlane comes across as a dedicated, though perhaps not exceptionally talented public servant who performed a very important job (National Security Advisor) with an uncommon degree of modesty. I couldn't help but thinking that one of his major weaknesses as a player at these high levels might have been that he lacks the guile, expediency, and instinct for self-preservation that characterizes many who work in the upper echelons of government. In this respect, McFarlane stands in marked (and favorable) contrast to his most famous predecessor, Henry Kissinger. McFarlane may not be the brightest or the flashiest National Security Advisor we have ever had, but I came away from this book with a great respect for the man and the ideals of public service he brought to his position. The book is a riveting read, and McFarlane's judgments about the Iran-Contra affair and the culpability of others are eminently reasonable and compelling.

This is the story of a talented foreign policy official whose promising career was destroyed by an irresponsible aloof boss named Ronald Reagan. True, he "had cut too many corners for his own personal ambitions," in the words of a fellow Annapolis Marine Robert Timberg, but one should not doubt his tireless dedication for a cause he strongly believed in. While Lt. Col. Robert McFarlane (USMC, Ret.) claims that he had no intention of covering his ass by writing his memoir, like most memoirs some of his claims maybe self-justifying. It is certainly filled with "I-should've-have done-this-but-I-didn't," and one wonders why he had been indecisive, and lacking in courage throughout his tenure as the National Security Adviser for Reagan. Could it be that his "I-should've-have done-this-but-I-didn't" statements were his cop-outs to avoid his responsibility in the Iran-Contra Affair? His attacks on his protege, LTC North has some element of truth, but it is no different from that of North's attempt at character assassination and slandering of his boss. However, his bitterness and eventual contempt towards his former favorite protege is understandable, given North's dishonest and treacherous character. His questionable half-truths aside, he has shown some amazing insights in the conduct of International Relations. His indepth knowledge and understanding of international politics is the product of his long experience as an insider in the decisionmaking apparatus, first as Kissinger's aide, and eventually, the National Security Adviser. Also worth noting is that the segment on Iran-Contra only comprises a third of his memoir. Indeed, this is a very typical self-justifying memoir. However, I think it's fair to say that what makes this memoir stand out from others is his insight in the affairs of foreign relations, and the fact that he only spent a third of the content making an attempt at self-justification in his part Iran-Contra. While he certainly was one of the victims of Reagan's irresponsibility toward his subordinates, he certainly does bear some responsibility in Iran-Contra.