Admiral McDonald served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1963 to 1967--a most difficult period and one of increasing involvement of U.S. forces in Southeast Asia. His career includes a number of strategic assignments prior to his duty as CNO. He served as Flight Training Officer on the wartime staff of Naval Air Operational Training Command, Jacksonville, working under General Norstad, and as Commander of the Sixth Fleet (1961-1963). Discussions cover the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Admiral Rivero and the Office of Program Planning, the "Whiz Kids," and the relationship of President Johnson and SecDef with the JCS. Interspersed are bits of personal philosophy.