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THE STORY OF DOUGLAS MACARTHUR
33
Arthur is addressing himself with a clarity
center of the Communist conspiracy than
that has been rare in the great flood
Peiping, East Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, or
of words he has loosed since his return.
even, perhaps, Belgrade), but whether we at-
"Alone if necessary," has been a recurring
tack Russia or not is far less important to him
motif in his speeches and his testimony. He
than the speedy abandonment of a policy
concedes that allies can be useful on occasion;
which attempts too close a calculation of Rus-
he is willing to patronize the United Nations
sia's probable moves. That is to him the inex-
as a noble experiment; he has even gone so
cusable, almost treasonous heresy. The basic
far as to say that the troops of other nations
wisdom is "meeting force with maximum
in Korea, as distinct from the nations them-
counterforce." If counterforce brings Russia
selves, have been useful to him. "The actual
or anyone else into the war, so be it, and if the
commands there," as he put it, "have been
war then spreads to Europe or any other part
splendid in every respect." But fundamen-
of the world, again, so be it. Fate, not policy,
tally he thinks that winning and keeping allies
determines such matters, and it is "appease-
is not worth the trouble. The question bores
ment," he has said, "to think that when you
him; he will discuss it only if pressed to. In
use force, you can limit that force." He con-
his public addresses since his return, he has
siders us already at war with world Com-
only once mentioned the organization which
munism, and he thinks that "in war there is
honored him by making him its first military
no substitute for victory." To be sure, he
commander, by giving him the first command
sometimes seems to be advocating the limited-
of its kind in world history. Of course, re-
force heresy himself, as when he says that he
garding allies as a nuisance is one thing; be-
is against the use of ground troops in China,
lieving in the ability of the United States to
and to be denying his own doctrine of no-
go it alone is quite another. By some reason-
substitute-for-victory, as when he says, "Our
ing whose inner processes he has not chosen
only objective is to force the Chinese to stop
to explain, but which are not on that account
their attacks in Korea on our troops." But
necessarily unsound, he seems to have con-
the belief that it is folly and near-cowardice
vinced himself that it would be not only pos-
to continue working toward an eventual dip-
sible but fairly simple, all things considered,
lomatic settlement of the world's conflicts is
for the United States acting on its own initia-
a bright thread running through everything
tive and drawing only on its own resources, to
he has said since his triumphal return.
rid the world of the Communist threat he so
clearly perceives.
LONE-IF-NECESSARY, maximum-counte:
On the second great question-whether
there is any longer any sense in seeking to
A
force, and, rather faintly now, Asia-
first: these are not only MacArthur's
avoid war-MacArthur takes the negative
themes but those of that mid-century isola-
position, but he expresses himself somewhat
tionism with which MacArthur has made so
less clearly than on other matters. Indeed, in
firm and dramatic a political alliance. That
his testimony as a whole, it takes a good deal
alliance has many perplexing as well as many
of probing and fishing around before one can
readily understandable elements. It would
be certain one is representing MacArthur cor-
seem, offhand, as if it would accord better
rectly. At one point, for instance, he said, "I
with MacArthur's temperament, with his
believe the Soviet has so often repeated the
poetic vision and his sense of manifest per-
incorrect statement that we are planning to
sonal destiny, to take the largest possible view
attack him that he has finally begun to be-
of events-a global, even a cosmic, view. He
lieve it himself." Not five minutes later he
is not, or has never seemed to be, a narrow
said, "He [the Soviet] knows just as well as
nationalist; he likes broad vistas of time and
you and I know that we are not going to at-
space; he enjoys playing, as he did in his
tack him." But after one has done a decent
speech to Congress, with bold and sweeping
amount of probing and fishing, one can
historical concepts; he prides himself on his
scarcely avoid concluding that MacArthur is
understanding of aspirations different from
a firm advocate of a species of preventive war.
our own; he has spoken often of outlawing
True, he does not want to attack Russia
war. In view of all this, one would suppose
(which he regards as no more important a
that the command of a planetary army, mak-
S KRUMAN "NATIONAL AND
APCHIVES
RECORDS
ADMIN.
Proservation Copy
Es
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"ocrText": "THE STORY OF DOUGLAS MACARTHUR\n33\nArthur is addressing himself with a clarity\ncenter of the Communist conspiracy than\nthat has been rare in the great flood\nPeiping, East Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, or\nof words he has loosed since his return.\neven, perhaps, Belgrade), but whether we at-\n\"Alone if necessary,\" has been a recurring\ntack Russia or not is far less important to him\nmotif in his speeches and his testimony. He\nthan the speedy abandonment of a policy\nconcedes that allies can be useful on occasion;\nwhich attempts too close a calculation of Rus-\nhe is willing to patronize the United Nations\nsia's probable moves. That is to him the inex-\nas a noble experiment; he has even gone so\ncusable, almost treasonous heresy. The basic\nfar as to say that the troops of other nations\nwisdom is \"meeting force with maximum\nin Korea, as distinct from the nations them-\ncounterforce.\" If counterforce brings Russia\nselves, have been useful to him. \"The actual\nor anyone else into the war, so be it, and if the\ncommands there,\" as he put it, \"have been\nwar then spreads to Europe or any other part\nsplendid in every respect.\" But fundamen-\nof the world, again, so be it. Fate, not policy,\ntally he thinks that winning and keeping allies\ndetermines such matters, and it is \"appease-\nis not worth the trouble. The question bores\nment,\" he has said, \"to think that when you\nhim; he will discuss it only if pressed to. In\nuse force, you can limit that force.\" He con-\nhis public addresses since his return, he has\nsiders us already at war with world Com-\nonly once mentioned the organization which\nmunism, and he thinks that \"in war there is\nhonored him by making him its first military\nno substitute for victory.\" To be sure, he\ncommander, by giving him the first command\nsometimes seems to be advocating the limited-\nof its kind in world history. Of course, re-\nforce heresy himself, as when he says that he\ngarding allies as a nuisance is one thing; be-\nis against the use of ground troops in China,\nlieving in the ability of the United States to\nand to be denying his own doctrine of no-\ngo it alone is quite another. By some reason-\nsubstitute-for-victory, as when he says, \"Our\ning whose inner processes he has not chosen\nonly objective is to force the Chinese to stop\nto explain, but which are not on that account\ntheir attacks in Korea on our troops.\" But\nnecessarily unsound, he seems to have con-\nthe belief that it is folly and near-cowardice\nvinced himself that it would be not only pos-\nto continue working toward an eventual dip-\nsible but fairly simple, all things considered,\nlomatic settlement of the world's conflicts is\nfor the United States acting on its own initia-\na bright thread running through everything\ntive and drawing only on its own resources, to\nhe has said since his triumphal return.\nrid the world of the Communist threat he so\nclearly perceives.\nLONE-IF-NECESSARY, maximum-counte:\nOn the second great question-whether\nthere is any longer any sense in seeking to\nA\nforce, and, rather faintly now, Asia-\nfirst: these are not only MacArthur's\navoid war-MacArthur takes the negative\nthemes but those of that mid-century isola-\nposition, but he expresses himself somewhat\ntionism with which MacArthur has made so\nless clearly than on other matters. Indeed, in\nfirm and dramatic a political alliance. That\nhis testimony as a whole, it takes a good deal\nalliance has many perplexing as well as many\nof probing and fishing around before one can\nreadily understandable elements. It would\nbe certain one is representing MacArthur cor-\nseem, offhand, as if it would accord better\nrectly. At one point, for instance, he said, \"I\nwith MacArthur's temperament, with his\nbelieve the Soviet has so often repeated the\npoetic vision and his sense of manifest per-\nincorrect statement that we are planning to\nsonal destiny, to take the largest possible view\nattack him that he has finally begun to be-\nof events-a global, even a cosmic, view. He\nlieve it himself.\" Not five minutes later he\nis not, or has never seemed to be, a narrow\nsaid, \"He [the Soviet] knows just as well as\nnationalist; he likes broad vistas of time and\nyou and I know that we are not going to at-\nspace; he enjoys playing, as he did in his\ntack him.\" But after one has done a decent\nspeech to Congress, with bold and sweeping\namount of probing and fishing, one can\nhistorical concepts; he prides himself on his\nscarcely avoid concluding that MacArthur is\nunderstanding of aspirations different from\na firm advocate of a species of preventive war.\nour own; he has spoken often of outlawing\nTrue, he does not want to attack Russia\nwar. In view of all this, one would suppose\n(which he regards as no more important a\nthat the command of a planetary army, mak-\nS KRUMAN \"NATIONAL AND\nAPCHIVES\nRECORDS\nADMIN.\nProservation Copy\nEs"
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