WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Rumsfeld did not intimidate members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during planning of the Iraq war as some retired generals have charged, a former chairman said yesterday.

With Mr. Rumsfeld described by his critics as a micromanager who did not listen to military leaders, the Pentagon circulated a one-page memo late last week detailing the defense secretary’s frequent contacts with numerous military and civilian advisers.

Richard Myers, the Air Force general who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 2001 until last fall, dismissed criticism that military leaders failed to stand up to Mr. Rumsfeld and President Bush when they disagreed with those civilian officials.

“We gave him our best military advice and I think that’s what we’re obligated to do,” General Myers said on “This Week” on ABC. “If we don’t do that, we should be shot.”

A half-dozen retired generals have called for Mr. Rumsfeld’s ouster, citing mistakes in the conduct of the war in Iraq. Some have suggested that intimidation by Mr. Rumsfeld kept military leaders quiet even when they thought policies were flawed.

“You’d have to believe that everybody in the chain of command is intimidated, and I don’t believe that,” General Myers said. He added that Mr. Rumsfeld allowed “tremendous access” for presenting arguments.

“In our system, when it’s all said and done …the civilians make the decisions,” he said. “And we live by those decisions.”

The Pentagon memo, which was not dated or signed, put onto paper information that had been provided orally to reporters on Friday. It is not unusual for the Defense Department to distribute such information to analysts, military officials and others who might be reporting or commenting on a Pentagon policy.

Senior military leaders “are involved to an unprecedented degree in every decision-making process” in the Defense Department, according to the memo. Mr. Rumsfeld, it said, had met 139 times with members of the joint chiefs and 208 times with combat commanders from 2005 to the present.

Mr. Bush on Friday said that Mr. Rumsfeld “has my full support” and praised the defense secretary “for his leadership during this historic and challenging time for our nation.”

On yesterday’s news shows, Republican lawmakers either backed Mr. Rumsfeld or declined to take issue with Mr. Bush’s support for him. Democrats continued to call for a change in Pentagon leadership.

Senator Allen, a Republican of Virginia, suggested that people are looking for a “scapegoat,” yet he called the retired generals who have criticized Mr. Rumsfeld “people of credibility.”

Allen, on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” questioned whether replacing Mr. Rumsfeld would have any impact on the insurgents in Iraq, the training of security forces there or on how Iraqi leaders form their government.

Senator Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Mr. Bush is making “a good call” in retaining Mr. Rumsfeld. Facing a large agenda of foreign-policy issues, the president should not be distracted by operational disputes, said Mr. Lugar, a Republican of Indiana.

Senator Bayh, a Democrat of Indiana, who called for Mr. Rumsfeld to resign two years ago, said the issue now is about “the president’s decision making and judgment.”

Mr. Bush’s inability to put more important concerns ahead of keeping Mr. Rumsfeld as defense secretary “is not healthy for our country,” Mr. Bayh said in a joint appearance with Mr. Lugar on ABC’s “This Week.”

Senator Dodd, a Democrat of Connecticut, told “Fox News Sunday” that criticism from retired generals “is a very, very important event.”

“We ought to pay a lot of attention,” Mr. Dodd said. “And the president would be very wise, in my view, asking him to step aside.”