I.

Introduction

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MacArthur, Douglas (1880-1964), American general, who commanded Allied troops

in the Pacific during World War II, supervised the postwar occupation of Japan, and led
United Nations forces during the Korean War.

MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on January 26, 1880, the son of General
Arthur MacArthur, a hero of the American Civil War who was later military governor of
the Philippines. In 1903 he graduated with highest honors from the U.S. Military
Academy and became an engineer officer. During the next 14 years his career included
some routine assignments, but he also toured the Orient as his father's aide, served as
aide to President Theodore Roosevelt, and became the army's first public relations
officer. In World War I, MacArthur reached the rank of general and won numerous
honors for his heroism and his leadership of the 42nd (Rainbow) Division. From 1919
to 1922, as superintendent of West Point, he revitalized the military academy. After
other assignments, including the command of the Philippine Department, he was made
army chief of staff in 1930 and held the post for five years, longer than any
predecessor. During the Great Depression, he fought hard for army personnel but was
pilloried for using force to drive disgruntled veterans, known as the Bonus Army, from
Washington, D.C. In 1935 MacArthur stepped down as chief of staff to serve as chief
military advisor to the Philippine government, a position he filled until 1941.

II. World War II

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Recalled to active duty to command American troops in the Philippines in July 1941,
MacArthur jettisoned a plan that called for U.S. forces to withdraw to Bataan in case of
a Japanese attack and to go on the defensive until help arrived; he optimistically
hoped to stop the Japanese on the beach. When war came, however, he soon reverted
to the original plan. In response to orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he left
the Philippines for Australia before the U.S. defenders surrendered to the invading
Japanese in 1942. MacArthur was embittered and frustrated by the Allied strategy that
gave priority to Europe and forced him to share the Pacific command with Admiral
Chester W. Nimitz. As supreme commander of the Southwest Pacific, MacArthur led a
combined American and Australian force in a series of brilliant victories, gradually
retaking the islands seized by Japan at the beginning of the war. The campaign
culminated with the reconquest of the Philippines (October 1944-July 1945), during
which he was promoted to the rank of General of the Army. He was at work on plans
for the invasion of Japan when the Japanese asked for peace.

III. The Postwar Period and Korea

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Appointed supreme commander for the Allied powers, he accepted the surrender of
Japan on September 2, 1945. During the Allied occupation of Japan, he demilitarized
the former enemy power and implemented a comprehensive policy of social, economic,
and political reforms with the goal of liberalizing that nation. Although he won praise
from some American liberals, his serious bid for the Republican presidential nomination
in 1948 made little headway. Politically, his basic appeal was to ultraconservatives.

When Communist North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the United States
entered the war with the support of the United Nations. Named the UN commander,
MacArthur hastily dispatched U.S. occupation troops from Japan to Korea. By
September he had sufficient reinforcements to take the offensive. After a daring
amphibious landing at Inch'on, he drove the invaders out of South Korea and pursued
them to the Chinese border. In effect, he had won that war by late October, when
Communist China initiated a new conflict by sending troops into Korea. MacArthur
wanted to expand the limited war into a general war against China. In a letter
publicized by a Republican congressman, he criticized the policy of his civilian and
military superiors and advocated a change. For this reason President Harry S. Truman
relieved him of his command in April 1951.

IV. Retirement

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MacArthur returned home to a tumultuous welcome. Although he delivered the keynote

address at the next Republican presidential convention, his popularity was not enough
to gain him the nomination. In retirement he served as chairman of the board of the
Remington Rand Corporation. He died on April 5, 1964, in Washington, D.C. A man
who inspired extreme emotions among admirers and critics alike, MacArthur was a
brilliant soldier who played a crucial role in American military affairs for more than
three decades.