More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
I recall that Truman described Macarthur's farewell address to Congress as 100% pure bullsh*t, which was probably accurate. Macarthur was a winner and a bastard.. He's even less favourably remembered in Australia --- for most of 1942, most of his land forces were Aussies, and from his office in Melbourne he rode them hard, considering they were overwhelmingly made up of reservists and/or conscripts (the regular army being mostly in the Middle East and in POW camps in Malaya at the time). Even though Australians achieved the first clear land victory in the theatre (at Milne Bay), as soon as Macarthur gained enough US troops he virtually disregarded his non-US land forces (allegedly reluctant to share the glory). regards, Grant. PS Response Jim C: Add to his long list of crimes, MacArthur was instrumental in shielding many Japanese Class-A war criminals including those from the infamous Unit 731 in China in return for these criminals turning over their research on chemical, biological and nuclear weapons using live human subjects including U.S. and allied prisoners of war. Like another general, also a malignant narcissist, megalomaniac and control freak--General Patton--MacArthur put leading Japanese fascists back into power in postwar Japan as Patton had done with nazis in postwar Germany ( no, it wasn't simply a matter that the fascists were the only ones with requisite skills for postwar reconstruction). Then there was the opening fire and killing of bonus marchers (in direct violation of an order given by Commander in Chief Herbert Hoover) in 1932 who had come to Washington, D.C. to protest not being given the bonus bonds promised them for service during World War II. Then there was the staging of his courageous exit from the Philippines and covert lobbying for the Medal of Honor he thought he deserved and desperately wanted as his own father Arthur MacArthur (another malignant narcissist and megalomaniac who ran the Philippines as Governor like a slave plantation)had obtained. He publicly rebuked General Wainwright for not fighting to the death in the Philippines, yet used a presidential order as a cover (he had violated many presidential orders previously and did so subsequently in Korea) for his own escape from the Philippines. When he gave his famous I shall return shit, he was asked by a reporter: General, shouldn't it be We shall return? to which the asshole replied I don't see the point. in a rather imperial and dismissive fashion. Of all the major U.S. generals, this creature was probably the lowest scum of the bunch. Many of his crimes, such as his involvement in the plot to overthrow FDR and set up a fascist dictatorship in the U.S. are only now partly coming to light. My own father used to say, and he also called him dugout Doug, that had he seen him in the field (MacArthur was his theater commander) he would have likely tried to put a bullet or two into him as was done in some cases with career-climbing officers and non-coms who needlessly risked the lives of troops for their own glory and from their own positions of relative safety. See An American Caesar (film or book) for more details. Jim C.
Re: More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
Jim C. writes: Like another general, also a malignant narcissist, megalomaniac and control freak--General Patton--MacArthur put leading Japanese fascists back into power in postwar Japan as Patton had done with nazis in postwar Germany Patton MacArthur were both from the most aristocratic families. I understand that they both had their own strings of polo ponies and both played polo, a very aristocratic sport. Jim Devine
More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
Jim C. writes: Like another general, also a malignant narcissist, megalomaniac and control freak--General Patton--MacArthur put leading Japanese fascists back into power in postwar Japan as Patton had done with nazis in postwar Germany Patton MacArthur were both from the most aristocratic families. I understand that they both had their own strings of polo ponies and both played polo, a very aristocratic sport. Jim Devine Yes indeed. Both went to the right prep schools, both got into West Point through the ol inside fix, both pursued tactics of leap-frogging in deploying forces (sometimes it worked out sometimes it didn't), both got meteroic promotions relative to time in service, both were repeatedly censored for violating orders of higher-ups and not giving due deference of military protocol to superiors while at the same time coming down hard on those who did--or were alleged to have done--the same to themselves. MacArthur was a total Mommy's boy whose mother, Pinky MacArthur, even moved in right next to West Point so she could be near him the whole time and who used her own standing to cover him while at West Point. Both believed in reincarnation and believed they were reincarnations of previous great generals and leaders. And the list of similiarities goes on and on. It all reminds me of my times with my father who used to tell me stories from World War II and whever a picture of MacArthur would pop up on some historical thing on the tv, my father would just get this look on his face and shudder. My father used to fly regularly to the Philippines that he knew so well and he would tell me that sure their were Filipinos who revered MacArthur from the I shall return shit but he told me that he also knew Filipinos who had been guerrilas against the Japanese, who saw Japanese war criminals get off and even used as postwar police as had been done by the French in Vietnam, who absolutely hated MacArthur but whose own views would never be aired on tv in the Philippines because of the even postwar influence of the MacArthur name (e.g. the family owned San Miguel brewery--one of the most famous of the beers in the Philippines--plus a whole lot of land, plus many gold mines etc. Jim C.
Re: More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
Hey Jim, I played polo for twenty years and I am not now, nor was I ever, an aristocrat nor were any of those that I played with. On the other hand, my string of ponies never exceeded three, the minimum needed to play a full game. Paul Devine, James wrote: Patton MacArthur were both from the most aristocratic families. I understand that they both had their own strings of polo ponies and both played polo, a very aristocratic sport. Jim Devine
Re: More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
_most_ polo players -- and people with strings of polo ponies -- are aristocratic, no? if there are a lof of exceptions, it would be people who live on farms. Jim D. -Original Message- From: paul phillips [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Mon 2/9/2004 3:17 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: Re: [PEN-L] More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge Hey Jim, I played polo for twenty years and I am not now, nor was I ever, an aristocrat nor were any of those that I played with. On the other hand, my string of ponies never exceeded three, the minimum needed to play a full game. Paul Devine, James wrote: Patton MacArthur were both from the most aristocratic families. I understand that they both had their own strings of polo ponies and both played polo, a very aristocratic sport. Jim Devine
Re: More on Beware Generals Bearing a Grudge
...the MacArthur name (e.g. the family owned San Miguel brewery--one of the most famous of the beers in the Philippines--plus a whole lot of land, plus many gold mines etc. I've always figured the I shall return quote was inaccurate. It was actually, With beer like this, I'll be back. Dan Scanlan
