The night temperature dropped below freezing, and 14,000-ft. Mount Rainier loomed above like a grim shadow. But not even a badly bruised ankle could keep Defense Secretary Robert McNamara down. So he pulled on his sturdy wool knickers, taped his ankle, kissed his wife Margaret goodbye, and set out from the 10,000-ft.-high base camp an hour after midnight. There were eleven in the party, including 16-year-old Son Craig and 22-year-old Daughter Kathleen. By dawn they were on the peak, admiring the panorama of Washington's Cascade Range stretched out below. "For a man who spends his life behind a desk, it was...
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