*Includes MacArthur's most colorful and inspiring quotes, including his Victory Broadcast after Japan's surrender and his Farewell Address to Congress.
*Includes pictures of MacArthur and other important people.
*Includes a Bibliography for further reading.
"There is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Of all the military men America produced during the 19th and 20th centuries, it's hard to find one as important, successful and controversial as General Douglas MacArthur. The son of a Civil War veteran, MacArthur rose to become the most instrumental commander in the Pacific Theater during World War II. His legendary return to the Philippines in 1944 made good on one of the war's most famous vows, and it was MacArthur who fittingly who oversaw the occupation and reconstruction of Japan following the war.
Given his long and celebrated career, MacArthur was the obvious choice to lead the newly created United Nations' troops during the Korean War, but his arguments over war strategy and policy eventually led to his controversial firing by President Harry Truman in 1951. After that, in his own words, he "faded away", living out his remaining days on the top floor of the Waldorf Hotel until his death in 1964. For many with a conservative disposition he remains a hero who, had he been listened to, would have prevented the current impasse with the rogue state that is modern North Korea. For some liberal thinkers he was dangerously obsessive while wholly ignorant of geopolitics, and he has been branded as a general who would have used atomic weapons and potentially triggered the third world war.
The truth is far more difficult to discern and much more subtle. Douglas MacArthur was one of the most intelligent soldiers America has produced, and he was also one of the most prominent statesmen of the twentieth century. He made his mark from flamboyant staff officer in the Vera Cruz expedition of 1914 to United Nations Commander in the Korean War. Along the way he found fame in World War I, participated in the controversial Bonus Army incident, lost and won campaigns in World War II, and served as Army Chief of Staff, Superintendent at West Point and as effective ruler of Japan. Rarely out of the limelight, MacArthur was as much an administrator as he was a soldier and a combat commander, and in all of his endeavors he found success and controversy.
American Legends: The Life of General Douglas MacArthur profiles the amazing life and career of the American war hero, while also examining his personality and analyzing his lasting legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about MacArthur like you never have before, in no time at all.
