Introduction to Douglas MacArthur
MacArthur, Douglas (1880–1964), a United States army officer. MacArthur was one of the outstanding military leaders in American history. He was also one of its most controversial and colorful military figures. His active career spanned nearly a half-century and included service in World Wars I and II and the Korean War. MacArthur was a brilliant strategist, a charismatic commander, a skilled administrator, and an eloquent orator. He was inclined to act independently and was convinced that his judgment was superior to that of others; these traits eventually led to conflict with President Harry S. Truman and to MacArthur's removal from command and forced retirement.
MacArthur was born at Fort Dodge, an army post in Little Rock, Arkansas. His father, Arthur MacArthur, was a distinguished army officer. Young MacArthur grew up in frontier posts and entered the U.S. Military Academy in 1899. His scholastic average at graduation in 1903 was the third highest in the Academy's history. MacArthur joined the Corps of Engineers and had his first tour of duty in the Philippine Islands. He was aide-de-camp to President Theodore Roosevelt, 1906–07. In 1914, as a captain, he served in the expeditionary forces in Veracruz, Mexico.
During World War I, MacArthur helped to form the 42nd Division, nicknaming it the “Rainbow Division.” He became its chief of staff and was promoted to colonel. MacArthur later commanded the 84th Infantry Brigade. In November, 1918, he was named commander of the 42nd, with the temporary rank of brigadier general, becoming the youngest divisional commander in the army. His wartime service included the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Sedan offensives. He was decorated 13 times.
As superintendent of West Point, 1919–22, MacArthur broadened and modernized the curriculum. After two additional tours of duty in the Philippines, he served as army chief of staff with the rank of full general, 1930–35. In 1932 he directed the removal of jobless army veterans (the so-called bonus marchers) encamped in Washington, D.C., an action that received widespread public criticism.
MacArthur became military adviser to the new Philippine Commonwealth in 1935 and was made a field marshal of the Commonwealth the following year. In 1937, when orders called for his return to the States, he retired from the U.S. Army so that he could continue to direct the national defense of the Philippines. In 1941, as war with Japan threatened, he was recalled to active duty as commander of U.S. Army forces in the Far East, and the Filipino army was federalized and put under his command.
World War II
Soon after the outbreak of the war in December, 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines and MacArthur withdrew his outnumbered troops to the Bataan peninsula and the island of Corregidor. There they mounted a gallant but futile defense. Shortly before their surrender, MacArthur, under orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, left Bataan, on March 11, 1942. Upon arriving in Australia, MacArthur proclaimed, “I shall return,” a phrase that became a rallying cry for the Allies.
MacArthur was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic conduct in the defense of the Philippines and was made supreme commander of all Allied land, sea, and air forces in the Southwest Pacific. He devised an “island-hopping” strategy that bypassed Japanese strongholds, minimized American casualties, and succeeded in hastening Japan's defeat. MacArthur returned to the Philippines at the head of an invasion force in October, 1944. In December he became the Army's first five-star general. On September 2, 1945, MacArthur received the Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
After World War II
As supreme Allied commander of the occupation forces of Japan, 1945–51. MacArthur exercised broad powers for reconstructing the economy and preparing the Japanese for democracy. He introduced sweeping political, economic, and social reforms, such as religious freedom and the emancipation of women, that transformed Japanese life.
Soon after Communist North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, MacArthur was appointed commander of the United Nations (UN) forces in Korea. He ordered a surprise landing behind enemy lines at Inchon, a brilliant stroke that nearly won the war. Soon, however, Communist Chinese units invaded Korea and forced UN troops to retreat. MacArthur urged a blockade of China, bombing of its Manchurian bases, and use of Nationalist Chinese forces. These tactics were rejected by UN and American policymakers. When MacArthur publicly disputed policy, he was relieved of his duties by President Truman, on April 11, 1951.
MacArthur returned to the United States—the first time since 1937. Huge crowds gave him a hero's welcome. Before a joint session of Congress MacArthur reiterated his views on how to wage the war in Korea. Near the end of his speech, he declared: “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
In 1952 MacArthur sought the Republican Presidential nomination, although he did not officially announce his candidacy. He delivered the keynote address at the party's national convention. Later that year, he became chairman of the board of Remington Rand Inc. (later Sperry Rand Corporation).
Reminiscences, MacArthur's memoirs, appeared in 1964.