S8 Ep383: Tevi Troy details Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s intense efforts to ingratiate himself with the Kennedy administration, specifically by learning to play tennis, which was the preferred sport of the competitive Kennedy clan. To ensure he could play at
S8 Ep383: Tevi Troy details Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s intense efforts to ingratiate himself with the Kennedy administration, specifically by learning to play tennis, which was the preferred sport of the competitive Kennedy clan. To ensure he could play at  
Podcast: The John Batchelor Show
Published On: Wed Jan 28 2026
Description: Tevi Troy details Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s intense efforts to ingratiate himself with the Kennedy administration, specifically by learning to play tennis, which was the preferred sport of the competitive Kennedy clan. To ensure he could play at their level, McNamara took lessons religiously at 6:58 a.m. twice a week, missing only a single session during the Bay of Pigs invasion, illustrating his obsessive desire to please the President.1835 JACKSON