Details
Synopsis
This is more than a group portrait of the 'Whiz Kids', 10 Army Air Force statistical control officers who sold themselves in a package deal to Henry Ford II at the end of World War II. Despite major successes in some of their careers, the author suggests they had an inimical impact on American life and business practice. There are also cautionary tales of how soaring success can ricochet into stunning failure. The group's leader, Tex Thornton, left Ford to create Litton Industries, America's first major conglomerate; a doomed monument to numbers over quality. Robert McNamara, feared in Detroit as the human computer, tried later, as secretary of defense, to win the Vietnam War by escalating enemy kills. Jack Reith, built a car for Detroit that was a lemon, then committed suicide after the automobile's failure cost him his career. Several others of the group went on to lead major institutions, culminating in what the author calls a "twilight of honor."
| Size | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.8 in | | Weight: | 32.8 oz |
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