What is your opinion of Douglas MacArthur?

Question

My opinion is that MacArthur is an overrated scumball and a lousy military commander. He let his planes get caught on the ground 2 days after Pearl Harbor was bombed. The Bataan defense was incompetently planned by him. He stayed in Australia with his wife while his men endured hardships in the field. The Philipines should have been by-passed to save american lives and resources. It should have been "we" shall return, not "I" shall return. Finally he went off on some kind of god worship that the Japs showed him during the occupation and his mind became totally unhinged. He let the Japanese murder whales despite strong protests from our allies Britain, Australia, New Zealand, China, and the Phillipines. Tens of thousands of magnificent whales were murdered due to MacArthur. Truman was right to fire his ***. "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away" Good. He would have been a worse President than George W. Bush. Comments please.

Answer 1

Some of what you say is true. The story about MacArthur's troops always having the least casualties, that's not true. That's just the way his staff promoted it.
MacArthur was an expert at propaganda and self promotion.
His press corps would of been envied by any later-day politician.
Example: MacArthur's Pacific Campaign casualties were 196,661,including 67,149 deaths. Nimitz Pacific Campaign casualties were 108,906, including 28,859 deaths.
Also MacArthur repeatedly declared battles over when major fighting still remained.Example: Biak,declared secure on June 3, with fighting until Aug. 20. Leyte declared secure on Dec. 25th,1944 and fighting continuing until May,1945.
My opinion, he was an ego-maniac with delusions of grandeur but a good strategic General.

Answer 2

Douglas Macarthur Biography

Answer 3

There have been literally dozens of books written about MacArthur's military career. Given how controversial a figure he was, it's not surprising that different authors have come to very different opinions of him.

The most widely known MacArthur biography is probably still William Manchester's "American Caesar." Manchester's treatment of MacArthur is favorable to the point of being fawning, but it's not very well respected among serious scholars because it's clear that Manchester tended to either exaggerate or outright invent portions of his narrative for dramatic effect.

A much more critical portrayal can be found in Michael Schaller's "Douglas MacArthur: The Far Eastern General." Schaller barely disguises his loathing for MacArthur, and his treatment of MacArthur's career is, not surprisingly, very critical.

The best MacArthur biography, by far, is D. Clayton James' massive three-volume work "The Years of MacArthur." The first volume cover's MacArthur's life and career prior to December 7, 1941, the second volume covers his actions during World War II, and the final volume addresses his time as SCAP in Japan, his service and dismissal in Korea, and his post-military life. James' treatment is very evenhanded. In my opinion, he offers MacArthur credit where it is due, but doesn't shy away from his subject's many flaws, either.

One additional comment needs to be made. A previous commenter argued that Harry Truman fired MacArthur solely because he was jealous of him. While it is true that MacArthur's popularity at the time far exceeded Truman's, this was not the reason for his dismissal.

MacArthur was fired because he openly defied explicit orders from his superiors, military and civilian alike. He continued to publicly advocate for a widening of the Korean War even though he knew that this was not the objective for which the war was being fought, and after he had been explicitly ordered to refrain from further public statements on the issue. When he defied those orders, Truman had little choice but to dismiss him--the surprise isn't that he relieved MacArthur, but rather that he waited as long as he did before acting. It should also be noted that Truman's action was vigorously defended by George C. Marshall, his Secretary of Defense and a former Army Chief of Staff who was very familiar with MacArthur and his foibles.

Answer 4

Gen. MacArthur had to win the war and take out North Korea by any skill accessible. After the chinese language joined the combat and pushed the UN out of North Korea and the lost of Soul, He had to drop the Nuclear Bomb on the North Koreans and chinese language. Truman did no longer want to expand the war to worldwide war 3. He informed MacArthur to no longer threaded to create WW III. MacArthur pronounced he will win the war by any skill. In April Truman pronounced that MacArthur is relived of Command for the protection of the worldwide.

Answer 5

MacArthur Major Mistakes:
1. Actions against "Bonus Army" were way over the top (1932)
2. Philippine Army poorly trained and equipped. (1935-37)
3. Failed to transfer sufficient food to Bataan (1941-42)
4. Disastrous attempt to fight Japanese on all fronts in the Philippines. (1941-42)
5. Attempted to use Chinese Nationalist troops in Korea(1950)
6. Failed to believe China would enter Korean Conflict(1951)
7. Called for an attack on China (1951)

MacArthur Major Accomplishments:
1. Led 42nd Inf. Div to major victories (1918)
2. Aggressive defense of Bataan (1941-42)
3. Attack on New Guinea (1942)
4. Liberated Solomon, Bismarck, Admiralty Islands (1942-43)
5. Defeated Japanese forces in the South Pacific and Central Pacific. (1943-44)
6. Invaded Leyte, Mindoro then Luzon (1944-45)
7. Captured Manila (1945)
8. Accepted surrender of Japan Sept 2, 1945
9. Brilliantly commanded the occupation and rebuilding of Japan. (1945-1950)
10. Utilized poorly equipped UN forces to delay N.Korean advances in S. Korea (1950)
11. Amphibious attack at Inchon succeeded famously.
12. Pushed North Korean forces to Yalu River border of China.

Note: MacArthur's planes were destroyed in the Philippines 8 hours after Pearl Harbor not 2 days. his defense of Bataan is considered brilliant given the situation. As to Japanese "murdering" whales under his watch; that was the resumption of traditional methods and keep in mind the times (1945). There wasn't any sensitivity to the plight of whales then.

MacArthur was highly egocentric, arrogant, brilliant, stubborn, superb combat commander, overly sensitive. In short he was human, with human foibles.

Answer 6

It is interesting the intensity level of your dislike for General Douglas MacArthur. Others here, namely memere and Michael j and most particularly Humanities Grad, have offered more balanced (and correct) replies concerning this complex individual. Wondering why you have this intense dislike I looked to your previous questions and found it similar to your intense dislike for American manufactured automobiles.

Certainly anyone has the right to whatever perspective they wish on any subject, however, I have found that such slanted spinning of perspectives is more often wrong than right.

While a very complex individual, General MacArthur served his country well and with honor. The same can be said about President Truman, President Eisenhower, either of the Presidents Roosevelt, and certainly about President Lincoln.

Having worked for many years in manufacturing with a significant percentage within the American automobile industry, I find much the same with your thoughts which have been applied to it. Other automobile industries (namely the Japanese) learned from the American Automobile industry. The worst mistake made was to protect the American Automobile from foreign competition so that they were not forced (through competition) to continue to advance both product and process. Time (as it always occurs) has seen the pendulum begin to swing back.

If one is to fault American industry it (in my opinion) should be focused on government interference in the private sector. This has greatly altered the processes within industry much as the same interference has altered the agriculture industry.

Primarily I’m suggesting that things are rarely as ‘black and white’ as you have alleged either with individuals or with business or any other situation. Certainly it is not as you have portrayed it with General MacArthur.

Answer 7

I agree with you that Truman was right to fire him, but:
FDR ordered Mac out of the Phillipines. He wanted to stay with his men and fight. And:
He was against using nuclear weapons against the Japanese.

I think he made another huge mistake by letting Hirohito off the hook after the war ended. Hirohito should have been prosecuted as a war criminal.

I agree that he would have made a horrible President.

Answer 8

MacArthur..wow good question. Not a good general,sacrificed way to many of his troops for nothing.another in a long line of military commander who think they are God. you want a great general .....Robert E Lee

Answer 9

The fighting in the Philippines turned out to be unnecessary but he wasn't to know that at the time.
The landings in Korea were a success big enough to outweigh all sorts of other failures.

Answer 10

You are so wrong. He served his country as a soldir for more than 60 yrs. He achieved the highest accalim for his exploits as a grand stratergist in the WW II and in korea and then held the center stage in one the the bitterest civil versus military contoversies in the history of the nation. Virtually every military honor was bestowen on him, yet his active career ended in bitterness an recrimination when he was relieved of his comman in he midst of a war by his Commander in Chief. Out of jealousy no doubt. His life was marked by no struggle against poverty or lack of privilege. His rise to prominence was unmarred by temporary setbacks or misfortune. Even the final, discordant note of his career--his removal from command---left him serenly confindent in his judgement, outwardly unmoved by the events that swirled about him. When he was asked if he could explain his success, he said "I believe it was destiny." He came from a military family/ He died April 6. 1964. I was 18. No, he was not overrated or a scumbag. You are judging one of our best generals. You have to know the facts. If he was what you said, then why was he the most highly decorated general in our history? What you say about his career could be brought on by the commader who relieved him of duty out of what I believe is pure jealousy. I loved this guy and all he stood for. I don't know about the whale slaughter.. Your right. Old soldiers don't die and his legacy will never die. Please read the real history of General MacMarthur.