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THE STORY DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
27
aging in its effect on his troops, had a brac-
MacArthur sent back an absolute refusal.
ing effect on the home front. The country
The haroosh went on for months, Mac-
desperately needed a hero then. MacArthur,
Arthur eventually winning out. His stub-
as the only American general in active field
bornness was not petty vanity; his egotism in-
command, would have been an inevitable
cludes vanity but rises far above it. For
candidate under any circumstances. But there
him, "I" meant the entire Allied forces, even
is no doubt that his communiqués-bold, in-
though he must have known that many of his
spiring, and very casual with the facts-
men resisted this amiable identification.
helped give the country the sort of symbol it
MacArthur's past, re-examined, resounds
wanted and needed. And the performance
with many faithful echoes of the present.
itself was really superb. In a succession of
In the early forties, he not only identified
campaigns, imaginatively conceived, executed
himself with his theater but his theater with
with skill and daring, he swept back from
the war. He never reconciled himself to the
Australia to the Philippines and eventually
grand strategy of achieving victory in Europe
to Japan. Though it is assuredly true that
first. Washington's every application of that
the war in the Pacific was one in which the
strategy was taken as a vindictive personal
Navy must get a larger share of the credit
thrust at MacArthur. "There are unmistak-
than he has ever been willing to award it, the
able evidences of an acute persecution com-
fact remains that, in his own theater, he
plex at work," Robert E. Sherwood reported
deserves some share of the Navy's share. He
after a visit at MacArthur's headquarters.
seems to have argued for long leaps forward
"To hear some of the staff officers talk, one
and urged the by-passing of centers of resist-
would think that the War Department, the
ance like Rabaul, which would otherwise have
State Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
been costly to reduce. In the New Guinea
-and possibly even the White House itself-
campaign, which lasted roughly a year, he
are under the domination of "Communists
advanced eighteen hundred miles to the west
and British Imperialists.' According to
and seven hundred miles north, using this
Arthur Bliss Lane, MacArthur even resisted
strategy. He got out of his generals-Eichel-
British participation in the Pacific war. His
berger, Buckner, Krueger-their best profes-
own world excluded all others for him, and
sional efforts, and although the Pacific war was
he was at its center. The tangible impress
not a coalition war to the extent that the
of this world were the MacArthur communi-
European war was, there was no equivalent
qués, which continued to be a problem all by
in MacArthur's theater to the open feud be-
themselves in the Pacific. Their lush and
tween Montgomery and Bradley in Europe.
elaborate narrations, in devoted but vulgar-
He may, as has been charged, have tended
ized mimicry of the General's own style, gave
to demean his subordinate commanders in
them a special air of South Sea fantasy. To-
order to increase his own prestige, but even
ward the end of the war, the Navy, in self-
if coolly they served him well, and there is no
defense, produced a ballad:
record of the kind of sewing-circle atmos-
phere that grew up in Europe, with argu-
For two long years, since blood and tears
ments still going on as to who ran the show.
have been so very rife,
Confusion in our war news burdens
ET MacArthur was never content, like
more a soldier's life.
Y
Eisenhower and Bradley, to let his vic-
But from this chaos, daily, like a
tories speak for themselves. He gave
hospice on the way,
Like a shining light to guide us,
them voice; he kept getting into word trou-
rises Doug's communiqué.
TRUMAN
ble; the words fashioned a legend; the leg-
His area is quite cosmic and capri-
"NATIONAL
end overshadowed reality, and in the long
APCHIVES AND
run swallowed it up. Part of the legend
cious as a breeze,
RECORDS
ADMIN
hinged on MacArthur himself. "I will re-
Ninety times as big as Texas,
4. s.
turn," he said when he left the Philippines.
bigger than Los Angeles.
The Office of War Information wanted to
It springs from lost Atlantis up to
where the angels play,
change the message to "We shall return"
And no sparrow falls unheeded-
before dropping it on enemy-held territory;
it's in Doug's communiqué.
Preservation Copy
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"ocrText": "THE STORY DOUGLAS MACARTHUR\n27\naging in its effect on his troops, had a brac-\nMacArthur sent back an absolute refusal.\ning effect on the home front. The country\nThe haroosh went on for months, Mac-\ndesperately needed a hero then. MacArthur,\nArthur eventually winning out. His stub-\nas the only American general in active field\nbornness was not petty vanity; his egotism in-\ncommand, would have been an inevitable\ncludes vanity but rises far above it. For\ncandidate under any circumstances. But there\nhim, \"I\" meant the entire Allied forces, even\nis no doubt that his communiqués-bold, in-\nthough he must have known that many of his\nspiring, and very casual with the facts-\nmen resisted this amiable identification.\nhelped give the country the sort of symbol it\nMacArthur's past, re-examined, resounds\nwanted and needed. And the performance\nwith many faithful echoes of the present.\nitself was really superb. In a succession of\nIn the early forties, he not only identified\ncampaigns, imaginatively conceived, executed\nhimself with his theater but his theater with\nwith skill and daring, he swept back from\nthe war. He never reconciled himself to the\nAustralia to the Philippines and eventually\ngrand strategy of achieving victory in Europe\nto Japan. Though it is assuredly true that\nfirst. Washington's every application of that\nthe war in the Pacific was one in which the\nstrategy was taken as a vindictive personal\nNavy must get a larger share of the credit\nthrust at MacArthur. \"There are unmistak-\nthan he has ever been willing to award it, the\nable evidences of an acute persecution com-\nfact remains that, in his own theater, he\nplex at work,\" Robert E. Sherwood reported\ndeserves some share of the Navy's share. He\nafter a visit at MacArthur's headquarters.\nseems to have argued for long leaps forward\n\"To hear some of the staff officers talk, one\nand urged the by-passing of centers of resist-\nwould think that the War Department, the\nance like Rabaul, which would otherwise have\nState Department, the Joint Chiefs of Staff\nbeen costly to reduce. In the New Guinea\n-and possibly even the White House itself-\ncampaign, which lasted roughly a year, he\nare under the domination of \"Communists\nadvanced eighteen hundred miles to the west\nand British Imperialists.' According to\nand seven hundred miles north, using this\nArthur Bliss Lane, MacArthur even resisted\nstrategy. He got out of his generals-Eichel-\nBritish participation in the Pacific war. His\nberger, Buckner, Krueger-their best profes-\nown world excluded all others for him, and\nsional efforts, and although the Pacific war was\nhe was at its center. The tangible impress\nnot a coalition war to the extent that the\nof this world were the MacArthur communi-\nEuropean war was, there was no equivalent\nqués, which continued to be a problem all by\nin MacArthur's theater to the open feud be-\nthemselves in the Pacific. Their lush and\ntween Montgomery and Bradley in Europe.\nelaborate narrations, in devoted but vulgar-\nHe may, as has been charged, have tended\nized mimicry of the General's own style, gave\nto demean his subordinate commanders in\nthem a special air of South Sea fantasy. To-\norder to increase his own prestige, but even\nward the end of the war, the Navy, in self-\nif coolly they served him well, and there is no\ndefense, produced a ballad:\nrecord of the kind of sewing-circle atmos-\nphere that grew up in Europe, with argu-\nFor two long years, since blood and tears\nments still going on as to who ran the show.\nhave been so very rife,\nConfusion in our war news burdens\nET MacArthur was never content, like\nmore a soldier's life.\nY\nEisenhower and Bradley, to let his vic-\nBut from this chaos, daily, like a\ntories speak for themselves. He gave\nhospice on the way,\nLike a shining light to guide us,\nthem voice; he kept getting into word trou-\nrises Doug's communiqué.\nTRUMAN\nble; the words fashioned a legend; the leg-\nHis area is quite cosmic and capri-\n\"NATIONAL\nend overshadowed reality, and in the long\nAPCHIVES AND\nrun swallowed it up. Part of the legend\ncious as a breeze,\nRECORDS\nADMIN\nhinged on MacArthur himself. \"I will re-\nNinety times as big as Texas,\n4. s.\nturn,\" he said when he left the Philippines.\nbigger than Los Angeles.\nThe Office of War Information wanted to\nIt springs from lost Atlantis up to\nwhere the angels play,\nchange the message to \"We shall return\"\nAnd no sparrow falls unheeded-\nbefore dropping it on enemy-held territory;\nit's in Doug's communiqué.\nPreservation Copy"
}