The 50 Year Career of Gen Mac Arthur: the Rise and Fall
MacArthur’s career spanned almost 50 years, during which time he took part in three major wars and became the most decorated soldier in the history of the U.S. military. He ultimately rose to the rank of General of the Army, one of only a handful of people ever to hold that rank. MacArthur’s OMPF is one of the largest in existence, encompassing more than three cubic feet. It extends from his June 1903 graduation from the U.S. Military Academy (standing no. 1 in a class of 93 members) and assignment as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the April 1951 telegram by which, following a disagreement over whether to attack China, President Harry S. Truman effectively ended the multi-titled general’s military career:
DEEPLY REGRET THAT IT BECOMES MY DUTY AS PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY FORCES TO REPLACE YOU AS SUPREME COM MANDER CMA ALLIED POWERS SEMICOLON COMMANDER IN CHIEF CMA UNITED NATIONS COMMAND SEMICOLON COMMANDER IN CHIEF CMA FAR EAST SEMICOLON AND COMMANDING GENERAL CMA UNCLE SUGAR ARMY CMA FAR EAST PD PARA YOU WILL TURN OVER YOUR COMMANDS CMA EFFECTIVE AT ONCE
Along the way, efficiency reports and citations laud MacArthur as “an able, capable, reliable, and self-reliant officer,” “a particularly intelligent and efficient officer,” “an exceptionally excellent officer in every respect,” and “a brilliant commander of skill and judgment.” But, in keeping with the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words, a photograph in the file speaks perhaps most compellingly about MacArthur’s character. Taken in France in August 1918, it shows the young brigadier general—the youngest one ever in the Army—standing on the steps of a military headquarters building, cigar in one hand and riding crop in the other. How the photograph got into the file is unknown, but its message is unmistakable: Here is a man in charge of his destiny, a force to be reckoned with.In a 1944 evaluation, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower summarized Lt. Gen. George Patton s strengths and weaknesses. (RG 319, Records of the Army Staff)
General of the Army (1880-1964)
Douglas MacArthur was born in Arkansas on 26 January 1880, the son of Army Captain Arthur MacArthur. Graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1903, over the next decade and a half he was assigned to Army posts in the U.S., the Philippines and Panama, served at the War Department and participated in the occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico. During First World War combat in France MacArthur commanded the 42nd (“Rainbow”) Division with the temporary rank of Brigadier General. Following the war he was Superintendent of the Military Academy and had two tours of duty in the Philippines.
Appointed Chief of Staff of the Army in 1930, with the rank of General, MacArthur remained in that post until 1935. He then went back to the Philipines, charged with creating an army for that soon-to-be independent island nation. General MacArthur retired from the U.S. Army in 1937 and was appointed to the rank of Field Marshall in the Philippine Army. As the threat of war with Japan grew, in July 1941 he was recalled to U.S. service as commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, initially in the rank of Lieutenant General. After Japan began hostilities in December 1941 he was responsible for U.S. and Philippines forces in their unsuccessful fight against the conquering enemy, later receiving the Medal of Honor in recognition of his efforts.
At the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General MacArthur was evacuated from the Philippines in March 1942. Given command of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific area, he directed the successful defense of southeastern New Guinea, and beginning later in 1942, the counteroffensive that ultimately swept the Japanese from the region, leading to his return to the Philippines with the October 1944 invasion of Leyte. Promoted to General of the Army shortly before the end of 1944, MacArthur subsequently oversaw the liberation of the rest of the Philippines. After Japan capitulated in August 1945 General MacArthur presided over the formal surrender ceremonies and, during the next five years, was responsible for demilitarizing the defeated nation and reforming its political and economic life.
Beginning late June 1950, when North Korea began the Korean War, MacArthur was in charge of the United Nations’ fight to repel and defeat the aggressor. This successful campaign was followed, in November 1950, by a vigorous Chinese intervention, which was also largely contained by the spring of 1951. However, by that time General MacArthur’s outspoken views had made him unacceptable to the Truman Administration. In April 1951 he was relieved of his commands and recalled to the United States, where he received a hero’s welcome. After an abortive run for the Presidency in 1951-1952, he spent the rest of his life as an elder statesman for conservative and nationalist causes. After a life of great achievement, and equally great controversy, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur died on 5 April 1964.
Background
Harry S, Truman: In 1945, the scars of World War II across the world were still fresh. The fear of having to engage in another world war was very real. A mere two years after the end of WWII, the Cold War began. The United Nations, which was formed to provide a forum to prevent future wars, included the membership of the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and 57 other countries. The US adopted a firm stance to contain the spread of communism, which was being aggressively promoted by the USSR.
The Korean War began when the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. Adhering to its policy of containment, the United States could not ignore the threat of communism in Asia, but neither the president nor the public wanted a long, drawn out war. President Truman hand selected General Douglas MacArthur to lead the U.S. troops in South Korea. MacArthur arrived at his post a World War II hero, having successfully led multiple troops through the war. Following his victories in WWII he had become the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan. MacArthur was revered and highly praised in the United States.
The general assured the president that the Korean War would be short-lived and that the American troops would be home by Christmas. MacArthur was initially successful in driving back the North Korean forces over the 38th parallel. He made a controversial move, however, when he continued to push the North Koreans further north and suggested bombing cities in China that were thought to be aiding the North Korean troops. In pushing for a larger conflict, MacArthur downplayed the risk of inciting a massive war in Asia.
President Truman’s main concern was saving as many lives as possible, even if that meant signing a ceasefire along the 38th parallel. General MacArthur did not think a ceasefire was an appropriate solution. The two men clashed. For Truman, the war represented an opportunity to stop the spread of communism into South Korea. For MacArthur, the war was an opportunity to liberate the North from communist control, and aggressive action was required.
MacArthur thwarted Truman’s attempt to negotiate a ceasefire when the general ordered his troops to invade North Korea and push the NKPA up past the 38th parallel. This was not the first time the general had ignored direct orders from his Commander in Chief. On April 11, 1951, President Truman officially relieved Douglas MacArthur of his command. Word of his firing spread quickly, and the American public found the news upsetting. Truman felt that his decision was just because MacArthur had overstepped his authority, defied direct orders from his superior and interfered with Truman’s hope of ending the Korean War quickly.