EXCLUSIVE - The Jericho Report
McArthur's Revolt Against Truman Over Korea

"Our country is now geared to an arms economy
bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria
and an incessant propaganda of fear."
General Douglas MacArthur

Certainly one of the most famous "revolts" in American military history involved one man against one president - General Douglas MacArthur against President Harry S. Truman. When the Chinese entered the Korean War and Chinese troops invaded the South, Truman did not want to retaliate and widen the war even further. MacArthur did and even sent the Chinese Army an ultimatum, which wrecked Truman's own cease-fire efforts. In a rage, Truman relieved MacArthur of his command April 11, 1951 for insubordination.

The government in Communist China threatened to intervene in the Korean War if UN troops pushed beyond the 38th Parallel. President Harry Truman ordered MacArthur to push to the Yalu River. Truman failed to give the order MacArthur wanted which was to destroy the bridges that crossed the Yalu River. The destruction of these bridges would have made it very difficult for the Chinese to have crossed the river in substantial numbers. As it was, the bridges were not destroyed and the Chinese were able to pour into the Korean peninsula vast amounts of men and supplies. When MacArthur protested about the failure to give the order the destroy the bridges, he was relieved of his command and replaced by General Matthew Ridgeway.

Douglas MacArthur, History Learning Site

Had MacArthur been on the side of the Bonus Army protesters, like Smedley Butler, instead of being the one who sent tanks and machine guns into their squatter's camps to burn them out, he might well have been the one chosen to lead the coup against Franklin Roosevelt. His ego and aggressive personality would have suited him well for the job. America should perhaps be grateful it wasn't meant to be.

One of MacArthur's most controversial acts came in 1932, when President Hoover ordered him to disperse the "Bonus Army" of veterans who had converged on the capital in protest of government policy. MacArthur was criticized for using excessive force to disperse the protesters. According to MacArthur, the demonstration had been taken over by communists and pacifists with, he claimed, only "one man in 10 being veterans." It should be noted, however, that no supporting evidence for MacArthur's charges has ever surfaced. Recent scholarship, including PBS's The American Experience, has shown the Bonus Army was composed overwhelmingly of First World War veterans whose pacifist politics were typical of the era - pacifism was not an uncommon belief among the general public of the 1930s.

MacArthur Opposed Nuclear Bombing of Japan

During World War II, MacArthur was one of a handful of generals opposed to the use of nuclear bombs against Japan, putting him early on in that class of military leaders who felt the civilian commanders were making a grave mistake.

Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall pointed out that the use of the bomb was opposed by Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur and Admiral William Leahy, and that the Japanese had been sending out peace feelers for months. Urging exploration of those peace feelers were several Cabinet officers and one ex-president, Herbert Hoover. Instead, they were ignored, and the Enola Gay did its deadly work.

In addition, Generals Hap Arnold, Curtis LeMay and William Halsey all reportedly felt the bomb was unnecessary, being either militarily redundant or unnecessarily punitive to an essentially defeated populace.

From JOHN McCLOY (Assistant Secretary of War); McCloy quoted in James Reston, Deadline, pg. 500.

"I have always felt that if, in our ultimatum to the Japanese government issued from Potsdam [in July 1945], we had referred to the retention of the emperor as a constitutional monarch and had made some reference to the reasonable accessibility of raw materials to the future Japanese government, it would have been accepted. Indeed, I believe that even in the form it was delivered, there was some disposition on the part of the Japanese to give it favorable consideration. When the war was over I arrived at this conclusion after talking with a number of Japanese officials who had been closely associated with the decision of the then Japanese government, to reject the ultimatum, as it was presented. I believe we missed the opportunity of effecting a Japanese surrender, completely satisfactory to us, without the necessity of dropping the bombs."

On May 28, 1945, Former President Herbert Hoover visited President Truman and suggested a way to end the Pacific war quickly: "I am convinced that if you, as President, will make a shortwave broadcast to the people of Japan - tell them they can have their Emperor if they surrender, that it will not mean unconditional surrender except for the militarists - you'll get a peace in Japan - you'll have both wars over."

On August 8, 1945, after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Hoover wrote to Army and Navy Journal publisher Colonel John Callan O'Laughlin, "The use of the atomic bomb, with its indiscriminate killing of women and children, revolts my soul."

MacArthur biographer William Manchester has described MacArthur's reaction to the issuance by the Allies of the Potsdam Proclamation to Japan:

"...the Potsdam declaration in July, demand[ed] that Japan surrender unconditionally or face 'prompt and utter destruction." 'MacArthur was appalled. He knew that the Japanese would never renounce their emperor, and that without him an orderly transition to peace would be impossible anyhow, because his people would never submit to Allied occupation unless he ordered it. Ironically, when the surrender did come, it was conditional, and the condition was a continuation of the imperial reign. Had the General's advice been followed, the resort to atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have been unnecessary."

From William Manchester, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964, pg. 512.

Norman Cousins was a consultant to General MacArthur during the American occupation of Japan. Cousins writes of his conversations with MacArthur:

"MacArthur's views about the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were starkly different from what the general public supposed." He continues, "When I asked General MacArthur about the decision to drop the bomb, I was surprised to learn he had not even been consulted. What, I asked, would his advice have been? He replied that he saw no military justification for the dropping of the bomb. The war might have ended weeks earlier, he said, if the United States had agreed, as it later did anyway, to the retention of the institution of the emperor."

From Norman Cousins, The Pathology of Power, pg. 65, 70-71.

The Korean War Gets MacArthur Fired

By the time the Korean War erupted, MacArthur changed his tune and felt nuclear weapons should be used against North Korea and, if necessary, China. MacArthur, as well as much of the military a growing segment of the American people, felt the un-declared war was a disaster because U.S. troops were forced to fight with one hand behind their backs, prohibited from actually defeating the enemy.

It was widely believed that secret plans of forthcoming U.S. troop movements were being handed to the Russians (and thus the Chinese and North Koreans) by UN diplomats. The "ground rules" of the war were that all U.S. military plans had to be run through the United Nations, enabling China and North Korea - through Russia - to have the best intelligence operation available, and guaranteeing the needless slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops.

This enraged most of the U.S. military establishment.

America Comes of Age - The Korean War Like Lambs to the Slaughter US defense spending had reached a modern day low. The military was ill-prepared and ill-equipped, those in authority embraced questionable doctrines. From a post World War II soft life in Japan, with servants to wash their clothes and shine their boots, these American youth were suddenly uprooted and flung into harm's way. There was no "Remember Pearl Harbor." The North Korean People's Army was on a roll. The North Korean People's Army had invaded the Republic of Korea in South Korea only 11 days earlier and overwhelmed the ill-equipped Republic of Korea armed forces. The North Korean People's Army steamrolled into Seoul, driving refugees and regrouping Republic of Korea Army units before it, clogging roads and throwing the countryside into a panic. The invasion caught General Douglas MacArthur and his Far East Command and Eighth Army by surprise, despite recent intelligence reports that North Korea was planning for an attack on the Republic of Korea. General MacArthur had disregarded the reports, saying he did not believe war with North Korea was imminent. The events that unfolded on the Korean peninsula some 45 years ago offer a telling reminder of what happens when a force goes to war unprepared. Disaster lurks around every bend. Facing a force of 130,000 NKP soldiers, 3,000 Soviet advisors, a full array of heavy weapons, aircraft and the formidable T-34/85, arguably the best tank to come out of World War II. American GIs fought bravely at times. At other times when confronted with overwhelming, numerically superior forces, they "bugged-out" to the rear, cursing their government for sending them to this stinking, God-forsaken place where human feces were used to fertilize the land. Photos: The Library of Congress, The Korean War National Museum, U.S. Army Center of Military History, Democratic People's Republic of Korea Audio Clips, The Library of Congress - Veterans History Project, Wessel's Living History Farm Music: Perry Como, Far Away Places; Aaron Copeland, Fanfare for the Common Man; John Williams, Saving Private Ryan; Omaha beach, Hymn to the Fallen Conceived and produced by: Dale Caruso

In 1945, as part of the surrender of Japan, the United States agreed with the Soviet Union to divide the Korean peninsula into two occupation zones at 38th parallel north. This resulted in the creation of two states: the western-aligned Republic of Korea (ROK) (often referred to as "South Korea"), and the Soviet-aligned and Communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (generally referred to as "North Korea"). After the surprise attack by the DPRK on 25 June 1950, started the Korean War, the United Nations Security Council authorized a United Nations (UN) force to help South Korea. MacArthur, as US theater commander, became commander of the UN forces. In September, despite lingering concerns from superiors, MacArthur's army and marine troops made a daring and successful combined amphibious landing at Inchon, deep behind North Korean lines. Launched with naval and close air support, the daring landing outflanked the North Koreans, forcing them to retreat northward in disarray. UN forces pursued the DPRK forces, eventually approaching the Yalu River border with the China. MacArthur boasted: "The war is over. The Chinese are not coming... The Third Division will be back in Fort Benning for Christmas dinner."^[28]

With the DPRK forces largely destroyed, troops of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) quietly crossed the Yalu River. Chinese foreign minister Zhou Enlai issued warnings via India's foreign minister, Krishna Menon, that an advance to the Yalu would force China into the war. When questioned about this threat by President Truman and Secretary of State Dean Acheson, MacArthur dismissed it completely. MacArthur's staff ignored battlefield evidence that PLA troops had entered North Korea in strength. The Chinese moved through the snowy hills, struck hard, and routed the UN forces, forcing them on a long retreat.^[28] Calling the Chinese attack the beginning of "an entirely new war," MacArthur repeatedly requested authorization to strike Chinese bases in Manchuria, inside China. Truman was concerned that such actions would draw the Soviet Union into the conflict and risk nuclear war.

In April 1951, MacArthur's habitual disregard of his superiors^[28] led to a crisis. He sent a letter to Representative Joe Martin (R-Massachusetts), the House Minority Leader, disagreeing with President Truman's policy of limiting the Korean war to avoid a larger war with China. He also sent an ultimatum to the Chinese Army which destroyed President Truman's cease-fire efforts. This, and similar letters and statements, were seen by Truman as a violation of the American constitutional principle that military commanders are subordinate to civilian leadership, and usurpation of the President's authority to make foreign policy. MacArthur had ignored this principle out of necessity while SCAF in Japan. MacArthur at this time had not been back to the United States for thirteen years.^[29]

Douglas MacArthur, Wikipedia

The focus shifted from military operations after President Truman suddenly relieved General MacArthur of all his military commands. The President took this step following five days of consultation with his chief military and civilian advisers. The culmination came on 10 April when he directed General Bradley to send General MacArthur a message stating:

I deeply regret that it becomes my duty as President and Commander in Chief of the United States Military Forces to replace you as Supreme Commander, Allied Powers; Commander in Chief, United Nations Command; Commander in Chief, Far East; and Commanding General United States Army, Far East. You will turn over your commands, effective at once, to Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway.

SOURCE: (Rad, JCS 88180, Bradley (Personal) for MacArthur, 11 Apr. 51)

Among its indefinite conclusions the committee reached the following: "The removal of General MacArthur was within the constitutional powers of the President but the circumstances were a shock to the national pride," and "There was no serious disagreement between General MacArthur and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as to military strategy in Korea." (See MacArthur Hearings, pp. 3601-02.)

U.S. Army Center of Military History - http://www.history.army.mil/books/pd-c-20.htm

By this time President Truman decided MacArthur was insubordinate, and relieved him of command on April 11, 1951, leading to a storm of controversy.^[28] MacArthur was succeeded by General Matthew Ridgway, and eventually by General Mark Wayne Clark, who signed the armistice which ended the Korean War.

MacArthur returned to Washington, D.C. (his first time in the continental U.S. in 11 years), where he made his last public appearance in a farewell address to the U.S. Congress, interrupted by thirty ovations.^[30] In his closing speech, he recalled: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." "And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away — an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good-bye."

On his return from Korea, after his relief by Truman, MacArthur encountered massive public adulation, which aroused expectations that he would run for the presidency as a Republican in the 1952 election. However, a U.S. Senate Committee investigation of his removal (which largely vindicated the actions taken by President Truman), chaired by Richard Russell, contributed to a marked cooling of the public mood, and hopes for a MacArthur presidential run died away. MacArthur, in Reminiscences, repeatedly stated he had no political aspirations.

In the 1952 Republican presidential nomination contest, MacArthur was not a candidate and instead endorsed Senator Robert Taft of Ohio;^[31] rumors were rife Taft offered the vice presidential nomination to MacArthur. Taft did persuade MacArthur to be the keynote speaker at the convention. The speech was not well received. Taft lost the nomination to Eisenhower; MacArthur was silent during the campaign, which Eisenhower won by a landslide. Once elected, Eisenhower consulted with MacArthur and adopted his suggestion of threatening the use of nuclear weapons to end the war.^[32] Had Eisenhower, who was very hesitant, not chosen to run for the Republican nomination, and if instead Taft had won the nomination and then the general election, MacArthur would, as Taft's vice president, have become president when Taft died of cancer in July 1953.^[33]

In 1956, U.S. Senator Joseph Martin introduced a proposal to elevate MacArthur to six star rank; however, this caused issues with President Eisenhower who found the general to be grandiose and an egotist. The issue died in the Senate. MacArthur became head of Remington Rand Corporation and spent the remainder of his life in New York.

John F. Kennedy solicited MacArthur's counsel in 1961. The first of two meetings was shortly after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. MacArthur was extremely critical of the Pentagon and its military advice to Kennedy. MacArthur also cautioned the young President to avoid a U.S. military build-up in Vietnam, pointing out domestic problems should be given a much greater priority. Shortly prior to his death he gave similar advice to the new President, Lyndon Johnson.

In 1962, West Point honored the increasingly frail MacArthur with the Sylvanus Thayer Award, an award for outstanding service to the nation; the year before, the award had gone to Eisenhower. MacArthur's speech to the cadets in accepting the award was, to all intents and purposes, the last great public moment of a very public life; its theme was Duty, Honor, Country. The speech was recorded, and even in MacArthur's old and faltering voice, it is still possible to hear the mesmerizing presence and towering ego which drove him throughout his career. His stirring final passage sounds like a voice from another age:

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell."^[37]

MacArthur spent the last years of his life finishing his memoirs; he died on April 5th 1964, of biliary cirrhosis,^[38] before their publication in book form - they had begun to appear in serialized form in Life Magazine in the months just prior to his death. After he died, his wife Jean continued to live in the Waldorf Towers penthouse until her own death. The couple are entombed together in downtown Norfolk, Virginia

MacArthur is viewed as a controversial figure. His handling of Japan after World War II led to Japan's economic transformation and was generally applauded. However, the fact he chose to protect some major leaders of the Showa regime in World War II is sometimes criticized. Also, his actions during the Korean War remain highly controversial.

His reputation for self-promotion has earned him many detractors. But defenders have claimed "MacArthur's Communiqué was criticized, ridiculed, or lamented by many. Most critics fail to understand that MacArthur did not write the communiqué for the benefit of the troops, the press or the politicians in Canberra, London and Washington. He wrote it for the American public, whose opinion could influence political forces in decisions of strategic planning and control. He wrote his communiqué to focus the attention of the American people on SWPA and its needs... To interpret the communiqué, and all other aspects of MacArthur's activities, in terms of pure, unrestrained ego is a gross oversimplification and underestimation of the General's complex character and of his intellectual capacity."^[40] MacArthur's public pressure campaign to improve Washington's logistical support for the Pacific War was somewhat successful, and combined with the influence of his sometime rival Admiral Ernest King, MacArthur's efforts were largely responsible for the increased diversion of resources to the Pacific by 1943.^[41]

According to one point of view, MacArthur suffered from paranoia, self-destructive impulses, and political aspirations, and he had visions of running against Truman in the 1952 elections. Surrounding himself with sycophants and publicity spinners, MacArthur effectively cut himself off from Washington and ignored suggestions and even orders from superiors, as he felt that none were superior to him. Weintraub asks: "Having long considered himself a reigning sovereign rather than a mere field commander - wasn't he also viceroy of Japan? - he gave little heed to restrictions formulated a hemisphere away."

Douglas MacArthur, Wikipedia

The abrupt dismissal of so distinguished a soldier as General MacArthur aroused considerable furor in the United States and elsewhere. Charges of "cavalier treatment" and "foreign pressure" as well as broad hints of political machination followed his dismissal. MacArthur returned to America as a hero. At the time of his dismissal, the "Chicago Tribune" stated that Truman was not fit to tie MacArthur's shoes.

The entire matter was aired extensively between May and August 1951 before the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the United States Senate. No definite conclusions were drawn, but testimony given the committees provided some indication of the reasons which impelled President Truman's decision. [2] Charges that MacArthur's removal was fostered, and actually engineered, by certain nations allied with the United States in Korea, particularly the British, were not well founded. These nations, through press media and even through official channels, criticized General MacArthur's conduct of the campaign.

MacArthur Predicts Interplanetary War

As a footnote that is basically unrelated to the topic, but which may be some importance in years to come, is an incident that began at  2:25 in the morning of Feb. 25, 1942 in the dark skies over Los Angeles. Some two months after Pearl Harbor, America was at war with Japan, when suddenly strange, unidentified objects seemed to descend on Los Angeles, triggering more than 1500 rounds of anti-aircraft fire in what was called "The Battle of LA." American forces could not destroy a single craft.

Remember now, this was five years before Kenneth Arnold's UFO accounts "launched" the modern UFO wave. Stymied by the Los Angeles incident, the military fell back on the cover story that the strange objects had merely been weather balloons, apparently more prepared to accept the embarrassment over being unable to shoot down slow-moving weather balloons (with 1500 rounds fired) than to admit there were alien craft over American cities in time of war.

True to form, however, years later, on October 8, 1955, MacArthur -now retired - broke the silence with an ominous warning that our next war would be interplanetary, with people from other planets. A rare radio broadcast of the warning, and coverage of the battle, appear in the video below.