MacArthur Memorial Podcast
The MacArthur Memorial Podcast covers a variety of topics related to the life and times of General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964). From the triumphs and controversies of MacArthur's career to the latest scholarship on the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the World Wars, the Occupation of Japan, and the Korean War, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast is constantly exploring fascinating history. The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA and is dedicated to preserving and presenting the legacy of General MacArthur and the millions of men and women who served with him.
The Conservation of General MacArthur's Cap
In March 2025, General Douglas MacArthur’s iconic cap won the Virginia Association of Museums People’s Choice Award as an important artifact deserving conservation. Inspired by this designation, the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting the MacArthur Memorial, launched a global fundraising campaign to preserve this iconic piece of history. Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors worldwide, conservation began in July 2025, and the cap returned to public display in August 2025. To discuss the conservation of this historic treasure, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Howard Sutcliffe, the cap's conservator and the principal conservator and director of River Region Costume and Textile Conservation.
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Fate of the Generals: MacArthur and Wainwright
General Douglas MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright were very different men. Despite their differences, they shared notable similarities: both came from military families, graduated from West Point, and were decorated World War I veterans. They were also deeply devoted to the Army and driven by a strong sense of duty. Their relationship, largely shaped by the desperate defense and fall of the Philippines during World War II, was complex yet remarkably resilient. To delve deeper into their story, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jonathan Horn, author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines.
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MacArthur's Initial Response to the Korean War + Bonus Q&A
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea, aiming to unify the peninsula under communist control. The conflict rapidly escalated, prompting a United Nations response led by the United States. When the war started, MacArthur, then Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in Japan, was overseeing the post-World War II occupation and reconstruction of Japan. In this episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel discuss MacArthur's initial response to the war. This episode also includes a bonus Q&A of listener questions that were recorded after the main program.
YouTube Version: MacArthur's Initial Response to the Korean War
YouTube Q&A: MacArthur's Initial Response to the Korean War Q&A
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Bearing Witness: A Holocaust Survivor Speaks
On May 8, 2025, the MM in partnership with the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and the Virginia Holocaust Museum, hosted Dr. Roger Loria, a holocaust survivor.
The event was particularly poignant – it was held on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day – the day the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.
A video of the presentation is also available via YouTube: https://youtu.be/nltcQ4eKIgU?si=qsTn9-DI2gZ5qp-u
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Relieved of Duty: MacArthur Reacts + Bonus Q&A
On April 11, 1951, at 1:00AM ET, President Harry S. Truman announced General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of command. Millions of people heard the news on the radio before MacArthur himself heard. How did he find out? MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discuss this and his reaction to the news.
A bonus Q&A of listener questions was also added to the end of this episode.
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MacArthur's Heroes + Bonus Q & A
Douglas MacArthur drew inspiration from mentors, role models, and a personal "pantheon" of historical figures throughout his life. On March 7, 2025, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discussed who was included in this "pantheon" and solicited questions from the audience about this topic. This Q&A, recorded on March 12, 2025, was added as a bonus to this episode.
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General MacArthur's Iconic Cap
General Douglas MacArthur’s iconic cap, one of the most amazing artifacts in our museum, is a finalist for a conservation prize from VAM – the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM). Currently the cap is on VAM’s Virginia Top 10 Endangered List. The list helps raise public awareness of amazing artifacts in Virginia museums and the importance of preserving these artifacts.
General MacArthur's cap is an internationally recognized symbol of America keeping promises, of civilian control over the military, of liberation and peace, and of triumph over fascism and militarism. MacArthur wore this cap from 1936 to 1961, through many important moments in American history. In 1942, saltwater exposure caused the cap to shrink as he escaped the besieged island of Corregidor aboard PT-41. Arriving in Australia during one of the darkest periods of the war, he wore the cap as he famously promised "I Shall Return.” When he kept that promise in 1944, he was wearing the cap as he was pictured wading ashore in the Philippines. He was also wearing the cap when he presided over the surrender of Japan, the Occupation of Japan, and the Korean War.
VAM invites members of the public to vote for the artifact they would like to see receive a $1000 conservation prize. MacArthur’s cap has been assessed by a conservation specialist, and we have a plan for its conservation – but winning this prize would help jumpstart our efforts to fully fund this project. Your vote can help preserve MacArthur’s cap!
You can vote once daily, from FEB 11 – FEB 28, 2025. VOTE: VA's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts - Vote Daily
Learn more about VAM: Virginia Association of Museums | VAM
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The 1945 Battle of Manila + Bonus Q&A
To date, the 1945 Battle of Manila remains the US military's largest and most intense experience of urban warfare. It resulted in 6500 American military casualties, 16000 Japanese military KIA, and a staggering number of civilians were killed and wounded. Manila, the Pearl of the Orient was destroyed. Even against the general WWII backdrop of tremendous worldwide suffering, horror, and millions of civilians and military casualties, Manila stands out as a terrible tragedy. It’s a battle that should be better known.
On February 3, 2025, the 80th Anniversary of the start of the battle, MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel sat down to discuss the battle. In response to listener questions on social media, a bonus Q&A was added to this episode.
To view the YouTube video of the first part of the discussion, please visit: https://youtu.be/KmDsYp6exB4?si=EKYQhp5K6xch1Hfh
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MacArthur's Birthplace: The Little Rock Barracks
The MacArthur Memorial is in Norfolk, VA, the hometown of General MacArthur’s mother, but General MacArthur was not born in Norfolk. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Little Rock Barracks. Today that building houses the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. To discuss MacArthur’s birthplace, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Stephan McAteer, Museum Supervisor of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.
Learn more about the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
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Hellship: The Oryoku Maru
By 1944, as the Americans got closer to the Philippines, the Japanese accelerated their efforts to ship POWs held in the Philippines to other parts of their empire to work as forced laborers. POWs would be packed by the hundreds in the dark holds of transport ships. With little to no food or water, and no proper sanitation, the holds of these ships became another hellscape for the POWs. It is impossible to really explain the horror they faced. The transports were aptly named “hellships.” One of the most notorious of the hellships was the Oryoku Maru. In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda WIlliams and Jim Zobel sat down to discuss the final voyage of the Oryoku Maru.
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The Land Battle on Leyte
On October 26, 2024, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf with a series of presentations.
Dr. Peter Mansoor, a retired US Army officer and the General Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair in Military History at Ohio State University, presented a lecture entitled The Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf. If you would like to see the slides he used, you can also find his presentation on the MacArthur Memorial’s YouTube channel. Link: https://youtu.be/eFBjKmdlt_0
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The Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf
On October 26, 2024, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf with a series of presentations.
Thomas Cutler, a retired USN officer and a preeminent naval historian, presented a lecture entitled The Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf. If you would like to see the slides he used, you can also find his presentation on the MacArthur Memorial’s YouTube channel. Link: https://youtu.be/eFBjKmdlt_0
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The 1944 Leyte Invasion
General Douglas MacArthur’s forces began landing at Leyte on October 20, 1944. That’s the day MacArthur took the famous picture wading ashore at Leyte, but there was a lot more to the operation than that. Why was Leyte chosen over Mindanao? How prepared were Japanese commanders for the invasion? How did the Japanese army and navy try to repel the invasion? Did MacArthur really hope to take part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf aboard the USS Nashville? MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss these questions and more.
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Undefeated: Army's 1944 Basketball Team
During World War II, as many young men joined the military, many college basketball programs in the United States were suspended. The US Military Academy at West Point was one of the schools that continued its basketball program. Army’s 1943 season was not a great season – but the 1944 season was spectacular. Against a backdrop of war, Army delivered a perfect season and then many of the key players on that team went from basketball to the battlefield. To discuss this unique team, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jim Noles, author of Undefeated: From Basketball to Battle: West Point's Perfect Season 1944.
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Battle of Morotai
When most people think about the battles in the Pacific during World War II, they probably think of Guadalcanal, Okinawa, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Leyte Gulf, Midway, etc. It was a very long and difficult war though, and there were dozens of other battles. One of the lesser-known battles is the Battle of Morotai, which began on September 15, 1944. Part of the Halmahera Island group, Morotai is a small island in what is now Indonesia – southeast of the Philippines. Prior to World War II it was part of the Netherlands East Indies. It was occupied in 1942 by the Japanese.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Morotai, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda WIlliams sat down to discuss the battle and the role in played in setting up MacArthur's return to the Philippines.
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MacArthur and the CCC
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the most popular and successful relief programs during the Great Depression. Between 1933-1942, it put 3 million men to work throughout the United States. These young men worked on conservation and transportation projects on Federal, State, and local government lands.
The CCC was the brainchild of President Franklin Roosevelt and his liberal New Deal advisors. In large part, it was successful because of the U.S. Army, a bastion of conservatism at the time, and more specifically, because of the efforts of the anti-New Deal Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur. It was an interesting match made out of necessity.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of MacArthur and the CCC.
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Jack Downey's Cold War
On November 29, 1952, a 22-year-old CIA operative named Jack Downey was shot down over China while taking part in an air drop. Four successive Administrations refused to acknowledge his connection to the CIA. Without this acknowledgement, Downey spent 21 years as a POW - the longest-held POW in American history. His treatment in prison was largely dictated by the events of the Korean War and the Cold War. Barry Werth, author of Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey’s Cold War, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss Jack Downey's experience.
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The Pearl Harbor Conference
In late July 1944, President Roosevelt met with General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The future of the war in the Pacific was discussed at this Pearl Harbor Conference, or Pacific Strategy Conference as it is also called. It was not a "real" conference in the sense that it did not include Admiral Ernest King or General George Marshall, but it was a very consequential meeting. Recently, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss what happened before, during, and after the meeting.
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MacArthur Q&A: Part III
In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams answer some of the more popular and/or unique questions about General MacArthur we have received from MacArthur Memorial Podcast listeners and on social media.
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Tenth Army Commander
On June 18, 1945, one month shy of his 59th birthday, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. became the most senior US military officer to be killed by enemy fire in World War II. At the time, he was leading the Tenth Army on Okinawa. Buckner kept a diary from January 1, 1944, to June 17, 1945. That diary has only recently been fully published. It is an important addition to our understanding of Buckner and the Pacific War. To discuss this diary and Buckner's service, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Christopher Kolakowski, editor of Tenth Army Commander: The Writings of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., 1944-1945.
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PT Boat Commander John D. Bulkeley and D-Day
In 1942, John D. Bulkeley, commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 and skipper of PT-41, spirited MacArthur and his family off Corregidor. Bulkeley received a Silver Star for his role in MacArthur's escape and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in Philippine waters from 7 December 1941 to 10 April 1942. His service did not end in the Pacific though. Bulkeley went on to serve in Europe and played a key role in the operation of PT boats in the English Channel and also participated in the D-Day operation. To discuss this period of Bulkeley's career, John Long, Director of Education at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA, returned to the MacArthur Memorial Podcast.
The National D-Day Memorial (dday.org)
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Beate Sirota Gordon and the Japanese Constitution
The Occupation of Japan after World War II is often considered a masterclass in civil affairs. It was not perfect, but it was successful. General Douglas MacArthur’s primary mission was to demilitarize Japan. Before he even arrived in Japan however, he was convinced that a sustainable peace would require significant legal and social changes – particularly in terms of the status of Japanese women. The MacArthur Memorial Podcast has covered MacArthur’s role in mandating and supporting these reforms in a previous podcast, but we have never focused on any of the staff members in his HQ who drafted these new policies. One of those staff members was a young woman named Beate Sirota. Her daughter, Professor Nicole Gordon, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss Beate Sirota's work during the Occupation.
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The SS Quanza
On September 11, 1940, the SS Quanza arrived in Norfolk, VA. She was carrying a number of Jewish refugees who were fleeing the Nazi war machine. While they would ultimately find safety through the efforts of the Jewish community in Hampton Roads, this small humanitarian victory would be the catalyst for the virtual elimination of similar opportunities for future refugees. To discuss the story of the SS Quanza, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Wendy Juren, a member of the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
On May 9, 2024, at 7:00PM, the MacArthur Memorial and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host a FREE screening of Nobody Wants Us - a documentary film about the refugees aboard the SS Quanza. Register here: Form Center • Nobody Wants Us Film Screening (macarthurmemorial.org)
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The Hollandia-Aitape Invasions
In April 1944, General Douglas MacArthur’s forces made a 580-mile amphibious leap to seize airfields at Hollandia and Aitape in New Guinea. It was a bold plan that meant making two simultaneous amphibious landings deep in enemy territory and it was the first time Admiral Chester Nimitz’s aircraft carriers supported a MacArthur assault.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of these operations and the logistics involved.
The April 2024 issue of the MacArthur Report will feature maps/pictures related to this podcast and the previous episode on the Admiralty Islands. You can find that issue here after April 30, 2024: The MacArthur Report | MacArthur Memorial, VA - Official Website
Sign up for the quarterly MacArthur Report: Signup Form (constantcontactpages.com)
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Ernie Pyle: Part II
Part II of a two part interview.
From 1942-1945, Ernie Pyle was the most famous American war correspondent. In 1942, his columns were featured in 42 newspapers. By 1945, they were featured in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. He covered the war from the Blitz to North Africa, to Italy, to Normandy, and then the Pacific. The American public found his writing human and accessible. Those in combat found him a particular ally – someone who understood suffering, someone who could explain a little bit of what they were experiencing to those back home. To learn more about Pyle, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast spoke with David Chrisinger, author of The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II.
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General MacArthur's Funeral in Norfolk, VA
General MacArthur's multi-city state funeral concluded in Norfolk, VA on April 11, 1964. Join MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel for a discussion of the events and logistics associated with this final salute to General MacArthur.
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Ernie Pyle: Part I
From 1942-1945, Ernie Pyle was the most famous American war correspondent. In 1942, his columns were featured in 42 newspapers. By 1945, they were featured in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. He covered the war from the Blitz to North Africa, to Italy, to Normandy, and then the Pacific. The American public found his writing human and accessible. Those in combat found him a particular ally – someone who understood suffering, someone who could explain a little bit of what they were experiencing to those back home. To learn more about Pyle, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast spoke with David Chrisinger, author of The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II.
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The Capture of Emilio Aguinaldo
In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. This episode features a lecture on the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo by Dwight Sullivan, author of Capturing Aguinaldo: The Daring Raid to Seize the Philippine President at the Dawn of the American Century.
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The Philippine-American War from the Filipino Perspective
In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. This episode features a lecture by Dr. David O. Lozada III, a history professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, on The Philippine-American War from the Filipino perspective.
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The US Army and the Philippine-American War
In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. Dr. Brian Linn, author of The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899-1902, presented a lecture entitled: The US Army and the Philippine-American War.
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The Admiralty Islands Campaign
From February 29 – May 18, 1944, a thousand troopers of the First Cavalry Division, a few United States Navy destroyers and a handful of “Fighting Seabees” defied the odds and seized the Admiralty Islands, making it possible for General MacArthur to keep his promise to return to the Philippines. The Admiralty Island Campaign was the boldest action of MacArthur’s forces in World War II. Some contemporaries called it reckless, others brilliant. MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel break down the operation and discuss MacArthur's decision to accelerate a planned invasion of the islands.
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11th Airborne: Angels Against the Sun
Former paratrooper, James M. Fenelon, author of Angels Against the Sun: A WWII Saga of Grunts, Grit, and Brotherhood, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss the story of the 11th Airborne and the liberation of the Philippines during World War II.
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The Buffalo Soldiers and the Philippine-American War
The Philippine-American War (1899-1902) was a controversial war. Many Americans did not support it, including anti-imperialists like Mark Twain. Others did. In response to the war, the English writer Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem The White Man’s Burden, in which he encouraged the United States to “take up the White Man’s burden” to maintain colonial control of the Philippines as a way to bring progress to the Filipino people. The great irony of this phrase though was that African American troops – the Buffalo Soldiers – made up part of the force used to “take up the White Man’s burden.” To discuss the service of the Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippines during this period, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jeff Acosta, a former curator of the MacArthur Memorial and a history professor at Tidewater Community College. He is also a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society National Board of Trustees and the Filipinio American National Historical Society - Hampton Roads.
Join us for a FREE event at 10:00AM EST on February 3, 2024, as we mark the upcoming 125th anniversary of the Philippine-American War with a series of lectures and an unveiling of the MacArthur Memorial's copy of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's 1899 declaration of independence. The Filipino American National Historical Society - Hampton Roads and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater are co-sponsors of this event.
Event sign up:
Philippine-American War Remembrance Event
Not able to attend in person? Receive a post-event email with a link to a recording of the event and a new MacArthur Memorial Collections guide for the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Email: [email protected].
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The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust
The Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 and then the 1941 invasion of Soviet occupied-Poland brought an almost unimaginable scale of suffering to the people of Poland. And yet, in the midst of such terror, there were people who risked their lives to help those targeted for extermination. One of those was a woman posing as a Polish countess. Her real name was Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg. She was Jewish AND she was operating in Lublin, Poland – at the heart of the Nazi effort to destroy the Jews. Against all odds, she saved thousands of people. To share this amazing story, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Dr. Elizabeth “Barry” White one of the authors of The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust.
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MacArthur Q&A - Part II
In this MacArthur Q&A Part II, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams answer questions posed by MacArthur Memorial Podcast listeners.
- When did the MacArthur family settle in America?
- What battles was General MacArthur directly involved in during the New Guinea campaign?
- How involved was MacArthur with the United States Army Military Government in Korea during the occupation period from 1945-1948?
- What was it like to work close to the General?
- What was General MacArthur's postwar relationship with some of his peers, namely, Fletcher, Spruance, and especially Nimitz?
- During the Korean War, did General MacArthur consider putting nuclear chemicals on the borderline of the Korean Peninsula and China?
- and more!
Keep your questions coming! There will be future Q&A episodes!
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Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Emilio Aguinaldo
In 1901, during the Philippine-American War, the Governor-General of the Philippines, Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur Jr., father of Douglas MacArthur, approved a daring plan by Frederick Funston to capture General Aguinaldo. Once Aguinaldo was in custody, Arthur MacArthur persuaded him to swear allegiance to the United States and to use his influence to help end the war. What do we know about the discussions between the two men? How did they see the future of the Philippines? How did this event influence Douglas MacArthur’s vision of Philippine independence? In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel discuss these questions and more.
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The No. 1 British Flying Training School
During World War II thousands of British cadets learned to fly at six civilian training schools across the southern United States. The first and largest of the schools was in Terrell, Texas. More than 2,200 Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Corps cadets earned their wings at the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum in Terrell between 1941 and 1945. To explore the history of this flying school in Terrell, the MacArthur Memorial podcast hosted Tom Killebrew, author of The Royal Air Force in Texas: Training British Pilots in Terrell during World War II.
Learn more about the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum: Home Page (bftsmuseum.org)
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The MacArthur Corridor in the Pentagon
On September 10th, 1981, with the help of Mrs. Jean MacArthur, President Ronald Reagan dedicated a corridor in the Pentagon in honor of General Douglas MacArthur. Recently, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to explore the history of the MacArthur Corridor and discuss some of the MacArthur Memorial artifacts on display there.
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Audio - MacArthur's I HAVE RETURNED Speech
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur kept his famous I Shall Return promise when he landed at Leyte with one of the largest invasion forces in history. From the beach, he broadcast his "I Have Returned" speech. It is a short, 2-minute speech, but it is packed with emotion.
MacArthur had written the speech about a month before the landings, and it had gone through several drafts. On September 29, 1944, MacArthur recorded the speech in an OWI office in Brisbane in the event of technical difficulties during the landings. This podcast episode features this recorded version.
After he gave the speech live on the beach on October 20, 1944, the content of the speech made its way around the world. It was panned by newspapers in the US and by later writers. They considered it “sacrilegious,” “flamboyant,” and as proof of “MacArthur’s supreme egotism.” As MacArthur’s air chief General George Kenney explained however, the speech was not meant for Americans or for the world. It was for the Filipino people. That audience received it well. For many, it was a new commitment from a trusted source. - a commitment to see the liberation of the Philippines through to completion.
Just something to think about as you listen to this recording of MacArthur’s I Shall Return Speech.
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Special Exhibit Opening: The Price of Unpreparedness
On September 30, 2023, the MacArthur Memorial opened a new 5000 sq ft exhibit entitled The Price of Unpreparedness: POWs in the Philippines during World War II.
The opening event featured the following presentations:
- Dr. Frank Blazich, Jr. - Defeat, Death, and Defiance: The POW Experience in the Philippines
- Mary Maynard - An American Family's WWII Tail of Adventure and Survival
- Cecily Marshall - The Civilian Internee Experience
- Corey Thornton and Jim Zobel - Overview: The Price of Unpreparedness
Exhibit Guide: https://www.flipsnack.com/FE7AC7BBDC9/special-exhibit-guide-the-price-of-unpreparedness/full-view.html
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Rehabilitation of World War II POWs
20,000 American troops went into captivity after the fall of the Philippines in 1942. Recent scholarship indicates that half of those POWs did not survive captivity. Surviving the POW experience in the Philippines – including the hell ships and labor camps in Korea and Japan – was no easy feat. For those who did survive to liberation – how did the US Army medical system treat them? How were they reintegrated back into society? To examine the repatriation of these former POWs, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast spoke with Scott Woodard, Historian with the US Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage
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Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons
Franklin Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur, and Winston Churchill were all very different men, but they shared a few things. One thing they shared was a common ancestor – Sarah Barney Belcher – a woman born in Massachusetts in 1771. They also all had fascinating mothers who were instrumental in their careers. To explore the roles played by Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast interviewed Charlotte Gray, author of Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt.
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The US Army Veterinary Corps in the Philippines, 1941-1945
The US Army Veterinary Corps (VC) has a fascinating history. Created in 1916, by WWII its activities were chiefly centered on food inspection to ensure animal products going to feed the Army were being sanitarily procured, produced, and transported. The VC also had responsibility across theatres for about 56,000 horses and mules, thousands of war dogs, and pigeons used by the Signal Corps. On December 8, 1941, there were 12 VC officers stationed in the Philippines. As the Japanese invaded the islands, they played an important role in trying to feed the beleaguered defenders, as well as caring for military animals and even human patients. When the Philippines fell to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, these men went into captivity – applying their unique skillset to the challenges of the POW experience. To share these stories, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jon Frank, the son of Charles B. Frank, a VC officer who survived the POW experience in the Philippines.
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The POW Experience of Roy Bodine
In 1942, US Army dental officer, Roy L. Bodine, became a POW when Bataan surrendered to the Japanese. He spent 41 months as a POW - surviving the Bataan Death March, POW camps, Hell Ships, and labor camps. One month after VJ Day, he was liberated from a labor camp in Korea. Throughout his captivity, he kept a diary which was later used as evidence in war crimes trials after WWII.
To discuss Bodine's POW experience and later life, MacArthur Memorial Archivist Jim Zobel interviewed Major General Patrick Sculley (USA, Retired). General Sculley knew Bodine and has spent many years researching Bodine's POW experience.
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The Casablanca Conference
Throughout World War II, Allied leaders met in a series of conferences to discuss and decide joint military and political goals. The Casablanca Conference, held in Casablanca, French Morocco, from January 14-24, 1943, was the third of these meetings. And as with the other conferences, the personalities, the debates, and the eventual agreements are absolutely fascinating. To explore the Casablanca Conference, the MacArthur Memorial hosted James B. Conroy, author of The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan that Won the War.
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POWs in the Philippines: Health and Medical Access
When the Philippines fell to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino troops became POWs. Approximately 1 in 3 (possibly more) of the Americans did not survive captivity. Their treatment by their captors and their limited access to medical care/supplies is often highlighted by historians. To discuss this in more depth and to highlight the experiences of US Army medical personnel held captive in the Philippines, Andy Watson, Chief of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast.
Learn more about US Army Medical history and heritage: Home | AMEDD Center of History & Heritage (army.mil)
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D-Day
On June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of Normandy began. D-Day, as the first phase of this invasion has come to be known, was a critical moment in the liberation of Europe. It did not mark the end of the war, but 11 months later, the sacrifices of June 6 would lead to the total defeat of Nazi Germany.
John Long, Director of Education at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to provide an overview of D-Day and "The Bedford Boys."
Learn more about the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA.
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NAS Wildwood and World War II
Between 1943-1945, the US Navy operated Naval Air Station Wildwood in Cape May, NJ as a training center for dive bomber squadrons. Thousands of pilots were trained there and during the peak training months of mid 1944 – early 1945, the air station was home to over 200 warplanes. From a historical perspective, NAS Wildwood is a fascinating study in American mobilization and US naval warfare doctrine. Jim Krombach, a naval aviation historian and a member of the Board of Trustees for NAS Wildwood, joined the MacArthur Podcast to share the story of NAS Wildwood.
Learn more about the NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum: NAS Wildwood Aviation Museum | (usnasw.org)
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The Media Offensive: How the Allied Press and Public Opinion Shaped Allied Strategy during World War II
World War II was a total war. That required it to also be a media war. Media coverage mattered. The opinions and impressions of citizens on the home front and of citizen soldiers on battlefield had to be considered. But exactly how did the nexus of media and public opinion effect military decision making during the war? Did media coverage fundamentally shape Allied strategy? Was media a tool for commanders, or did it encourage commanders to pursue prestige prizes over better military objectives? To answer these questions, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Dr. Alexander Lovelace, a Scholar in Residence at the Contemporary History Institute, Ohio University and the author of The Media Offensive: How the Allied Press and Public Opinion Shaped Allied Strategy during World War II.
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The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line
The Greatest Generation has many female heroines – women and girls who stepped out of line to serve their countries and their communities in the darkest days of World War II. Many of them remain relatively unknown. To discuss some of their stories, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Major General (Ret.) Mari K. Eder, author of The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II.
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Aguinaldo's 1899 Declaration of Independence
During the Spanish American War (1898), Philippine Revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent of Spain. After Spain’s defeat, the Filipinos expected independence. Instead, as part of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the US took over the Philippines. In response, on January 5, 1899, Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent from the US. Philippine newspaper La Independencia printed copies of this declaration which were then put up all over the city of Manila. Amazingly, one of these copies survived! It is in the MacArthur Memorial's collection and is in need of conservation!
Currently, the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) has it listed as one of Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifact’s of 2023. The public can view this list online and vote for the artifact they would like to see receive a $1000 conservation prize. You can vote once a day now through March 3, 2023.
VOTE: Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts 2022 (wishpond.com)
If you are listening to this after March 3 2023 – you can’t vote anymore, but you can still enjoy learning about this incredibly unique artifact!!
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Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in WWII
During World War II, the Nisei, first generation Americans whose parents were immigrants from Japan, fought in the Pacific theater. Their language skills and other intelligence contributions saved lives and shortened the war. And yet, as they served with great distinction, their families back home in America were held in government internment camps under U.S. Executive Order 9066. To discuss the Nisei and the war against Japan, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Bruce Henderson, author of Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II.
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MacArthur's 1945 Birthday and the Drive to Manila
As part of the commemoration of the 143rd anniversary of General MacArthur’s birthday, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down for a virtual discussion of the 1945 drive to Manila in the context of MacArthur’s 65th birthday.
- Did MacArthur try to rush to Manila to celebrate his birthday there?
- Was a birthday parade planned?
Those questions and more will be answered!
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MacArthur Q&A - Part I
In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams answer questions posed by MacArthur Memorial Podcast listeners.
- Why did he not like President Truman?
- Was there ever a serious attempt to become POTUS?
- What world leaders visited him in retirement?
- What if MacArthur had been the ETO commander during WWII?
- What did he plan to do in China during the Korean War?
- Why don't we know more about his early career?
- And more!
Keep your questions coming! There will be future Q&A episodes!
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MacArthur and the Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
In 1925, the court-martial of Billy Mitchell captured national attention. At the center of the controversy was Billy Mitchell, a man who is today recognized as the father of the United States Air Force.
Then Major General Douglas MacArthur, who later described the order to sit on Mitchell's court-martial as "one of the most distasteful orders” he ever received, was the youngest judge on the court. He was also a longtime friend of Mitchell – and one of the only judges who did not have a negative view of Mitchell. However, as an ambitious officer who was said to be on the path to becoming chief of staff of the U.S. Army, how did MacArthur navigate the politics of the trial? Did he vote to convict Mitchell?
In this episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discuss these questions and more!
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December 7, 1941 Medal of Honor Recipients
When most people think about December 7, 1941, they think about Pearl Harbor. They think about the USS Arizona. They think about Battleship Row. But can you name a Medal of Honor recipient from that action? To explore the story of these men, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Colonel Charles A. Jones USMCR (Retired), an expert on the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Honor recipients of December 7, 1941.
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The Occupation of Japan and Women's Suffrage
On August 18. 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving American women the right to vote. When the Occupation of Japan began in 1945, the Nineteenth Amendment was a mere 25 years old but already so well ingrained in U.S. national identity that the thought of women’s suffrage wasn’t revolutionary to General Douglas MacArthur, who led the Occupation as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers to Japan. He made it clear from the start of the Occupation that the emancipation of Japanese women was a top priority – and one of the most sensible things SCAP could do. In his statements at the time – and then later in his autobiography – he made it very clear that enfranchising women was a way to democratize, and then stabilize democracy. To discuss Occupation policy and women’s suffrage in Japan, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Col. Cornelia Weiss (USAF, Ret.), a former JAG officer and an expert on General MacArthur’s women’s emancipation policy.
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MacArthur and Baseball
In his autobiography, General MacArthur summed up the WWII island hopping strategy with a quote from baseball legend Willie Keeler: “hit ‘em where they ain’t.” It wasn’t just a convenient, pithy quote. Football may have been MacArthur’s favorite sport, but baseball was a close runner-up. From playing in the first Army/Navy baseball game as a young cadet to holding special American and National League passes in the 1950s that allowed him a fantastic seat at any MLB game, baseball was a consistent part of his life.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of MacArthur and baseball.
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John Cullen Murphy - Painter to MacArthur's "Court"
The MacArthur Memorial has a collection of 31 works of art by John Cullen Murphy as well as an additional 2 works on loan to the museum. Why? While Murphy is famous for his work as the illustrator for the comics Big Ben Bolt and Prince Valiant, he was also a veteran of the Pacific War and an aide to one of MacArthur’s generals. People often refer to MacArthur’s staff as his “court.” We’ve talked about why that’s true (and not true) on other podcast episodes, but in this case, it’s an interesting way to think about the connection between Murphy and MacArthur. Every court has a court painter/artist. MacArthur had signal corps photographer Gaetano Faillace who captured many of the iconic MacArthur images of the war, but Murphy was clearly the artist of MacArthur’s HQ. To discuss Murphy, WWII, and the MacArthurs, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast interviewed Andrew Woelflein, presiding trustee of the Anne SK Brown Military Collection at Brown University - one of the largest military art collections in the US.
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Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, The Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb
Just after midnight on March 10, 1945, nearly three hundred American B-29s rained incendiary bombs down on the Japanese capital of Tokyo. The bombs created a nearly 2,800-degree inferno that killed more than 100,000 people and left a part of the city about the size of Manhattan nothing but ash. The attack was so horrifyingly effective that Major General Curtis LeMay, who directed the mission, said, “If we lose, we’ll be tried as war criminals.”
On September 22, 2022, the MacArthur Memorial hosted celebrated historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott for a presentation and book signing for his latest book: BLACK SNOW: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb. BLACK SNOW tells the complete story of the 1945 Tokyo firebombing. Drawing extensively on first-person interviews in the United States and with survivors in Japan, air force archives, and oral histories never before published in English (including the 5,000-page Japanese collection known as the Tokyo Air Raid Damage Records), Scott re-creates the bombing and what led to it, bringing to life the military, political, and moral debates that convinced American forces to shift from a policy of daylight precision bombing to low-altitude incendiary raids – a process that helped create the moral and strategic framework for the eventual use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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The Infamous Field Marshal Uniform
When discussing General Douglas MacArthur’s tenure as Philippine military advisor in the 1930s, nearly all of MacArthur’s biographers describe MacArthur as being excited to accept the rank of Philippine field marshal – even in a nearly non-existent force. They also relate a story that he designed a pompous new uniform for his new rank. This uniform is frequently cited as proof that MacArthur was obsessed with image but light on achievement. BUT -- is the uniform story true? In 2005, Dr. Richard Meixsel published some research in The Journal of Military History that answered this question. An expert on Philippine military history, Dr. Meixsel joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss the infamous field marshal uniform.
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MacArthur Arrives in Japan
On September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s surrender in a carefully choreographed ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Many people think that MacArthur landed in Japan after the ceremony and then began the Occupation. In fact, MacArthur had already been living in Japan for several days prior to the surrender. What was he doing during that time? How did it influence his thoughts on the surrender and Japan’s future?
MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discussed these questions and more on the 77th anniversary of the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri.
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MacArthur, Kenney, and Air Power
George Kenney has been described as a “complete airman” and as one of Hap Arnold’s “best-kept secrets.” He wasn’t well known outside of aviation circles in the pre-WWII period and never made a name for himself like Jimmy Doolittle or Carl Spaatz, but he was one of MacArthur’s greatest assets during World War II. Without Kenney, it's arguable that MacArthur’s vision of Island Hopping would never have come to fruition. What is Kenney’s story and how did he shape MacArthur’s understanding of airpower? MacArthur Memorial Historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel discuss these questions in the latest MacArthur Memorial Podcast.
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MacArthur and the US Navy and USMC in the Korean War
It is no secret that Douglas MacArthur’s relationship with the US Navy and the USMC was complicated in WWII – but what about during the Korean War? The Korean War was a very different war – but just as in WWII, the USN and the USMC would play a major role in MacArthur’s operations. In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discuss some of those operations and the relationship between MacArthur and the USN and USMC.
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MacArthur and the US Navy in World War II
Interservice rivalry between the US Navy and the US Army was a major factor in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. While such rivalry is common in all militaries because each service has to compete for funding and stake out a unique identity and mission, some scholars argue that in the case of the Pacific Theatre, the rivalry was so problematic that it led to inefficiencies in the conduct of the war. They attribute this rivalry to the powerful service interests and to personality problems. MacArthur stands out as one of the key personalities that played a role in this rivalry – but what exactly was his relationship like with the US Navy during WWII? Was there a US Navy anti-MacArthur cabal at work as he claimed? Did his personality alienate his naval counterparts? Was he the reason for a divided command in the Pacific? Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of these questions.
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MacArthur and Krueger: a Successful WWII Partnership
It is often said that General Douglas MacArthur didn’t have a staff, he had a court. While there were certainly a few courtiers on his staff, there were also some incredibly gifted men around him – men whose talents helped make MacArthur’s vision for the war in the Pacific a success during World War II, and men whose talents might have led to a different Korean War. General Walter Krueger was one of these men. He is somewhat of an enigma to many people today because he rarely appeared in the communiques coming out of the Pacific during the war and was seemingly uninterested in publicity or politics. MacArthur later compared him to Stonewall Jackson, but MacArthur biographer D. Clayton James compared him to George McClellan. He is often referred to as steady, methodical, and prudent – so much so that he was called “Molasses in January,” – and yet Douglas Southall Freeman considered him one of the greatest American soldiers in history and capable of directing all parts of a campaign. So who was Krueger? How valuable was he to MacArthur? What was their working relationship like?
MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams recently sat down to discuss and evaluate the WWII partnership between the two men.
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Such Splendid Prisons: Diplomatic Detainment in America during WWII
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war against Japan, Germany and Italy, the Roosevelt Administration had to figure out what to do with hundreds of Axis diplomats in the United States. Repatriation was the goal but working that out between the warring powers would take time. While this was worked out, the detainees, their families, and staffs would have to be held somewhere secure. They were ultimately sent to remote luxury hotels in the United States, in the hope that this would encourage reciprocity in the treatment of American diplomats detained abroad. To further explore this fascinating episode in diplomatic/WWII history, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast interviewed Harvey Solomon, author of Such Splendid Prisons: Diplomatic Detainment in America during World War II.
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Battleship Commander: Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee
When most people think of the USN admirals in the Pacific during WWII, Nimitz, Halsey, Kinkaid, and Spruance come easily to mind. Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee is less well known. A career naval officer and a seven-time Olympic medalist, during World War II he played a key role in the Pacific as one of the USN’s top combat admirals. To shed some light on Lee’s career and legacy, the MacArthur Memorial podcast hosted Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr, for a discussion of Lee's life and legacy.
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Milwaukee and the MacArthurs
The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA – the hometown of General Douglas MacArthur’s mother – Mary Hardy. MacArthur himself was born in Little Rock, AR and as the child of a career Army officer, he spent most of his youth moving from post to post. So what place was most like a hometown for him? Was it Norfolk (as he sometimes claimed)? Was it Little Rock? Was it a military fort in the American West where his family had good memories? Was it Manila where his son was born?
If you are thinking Milwaukee, WI – you are correct. That is the place with the longest, most significant, multigenerational MacArthur family connection. Arthur MacArthur Sr., Arthur MacArthur Jr., and Douglas MacArthur all lived in the city at various times in their lives and were all honored as citizens of the city.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of the MacArthur family and their fascinating connection to Milwaukee.
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Marshall and MacArthur: WWII and the Korean War
On the MacArthur Memorial's WWI History Podcast, Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discussed the relationship between Douglas MacArthur and George Marshall during WWI. While both men were certainly aware of each other during that war, contrary to what some MacArthur biographers suggest, there were no seeds of antagonism between them during that war. By WWII and the Korean War, both were still serving in positions of great importance and their relationship was very consequential and increasingly complicated. By all accounts, both men worked well together - even if they didn't always understand each other. That being said, by the end of his life MacArthur was firmly convinced that Marshall ultimately betrayed him. Why? To unravel this question, Jim and Amanda sat down for a second discussion to dissect the relationship of these men during World War II and the Korean War.
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The Golden Thirteen
In January 1944, a small group of sixteen enlisted men gathered at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois to begin an accelerated course that would turn them into the US Navy's first African American officers on active duty. They all knew that if they failed, their failure would continue to justify US Navy policy that prohibited African American officers. Against all odds, all the men passed the course. Twelve were commissioned as ensigns and a thirteenth was made a warrant officer. Today we know these men as the “Golden Thirteen.” To discuss the Golden Thirteen and US USN policy towards African Americans during WWII, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast sat down with Paul Stillwell, author of The Golden Thirteen: Recollections of the First Black Naval Officers and more recently: Battleship Commander: the Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee.
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Wine and World War II
Similar to World War I, World War II had a profound effect on the European wine industry. From labor shortages to Nazi looting, it was a very difficult time for the industry - but it was also a period that produced some standout war year vintages. To discuss wine and World War II, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast recently hosted Walter Wolf III—a lawyer, military historian, and wine expert. The conversation focused on French and Italian wine, the ties between resistance movements and the wine industry, Nazi wine looting, and an evaluation of the Nazi palate.
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General MacArthur's Birthday Parties: 1952-1964
Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas. While little is known of his birthdays prior to World War II, as a senior leader during World War II and the occupation of Japan, his birthday took on more diplomatic significance. Following his return to the United States, an annual birthday dinner/SWPA reunion was held in the dining room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where he lived. This stag dinner ranged from 25-140 participants depending on the year, and included General Walter Krueger, Major General Leif Sverdrup, Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, General George Kenney, and many more. In addition to the distinguished guests, presidents and other world leaders would send birthday messages to be read at the dinner. As part of the MacArthur Memorial's 2022 commemoration of General MacArthur's birthday, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss these birthday parties.
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Santo Tomas: WWII POW Recipe Books and "Food Fantasies"
During WWII, Allied POWs in the Pacific Theatre – whether combatant or civilian – faced physical and psychological hardships. Captivity is difficult. It is particularly difficult when access to food is irregular or insufficient because food is often associated with a sense of security, comfort, health, and memory. For many of the civilian POWs held at Santo Tomas internment camp in Manila, recipe sharing was one way to cope with the POW experience. Thinking about food helped some stay tethered to pre-captivity life, while remaining hopeful about a future life out of captivity. To discuss recipe collection and "food fantasies" at Santo Tomas, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jennifer Cottle, a graduate student and the recipient of a grant to study the Santo Tomas recipe books preserved in the MacArthur Memorial Archives.
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Glenn Miller's WWII Service and Disappearance
During World War II, about 16 million people from all walks of life served in the U.S. military. This number included many of the top celebrities of the day – so much so that historians often refer to the period as a time when “Hollywood went to war.” Stars like Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart famously joined the military – as did many others in the entertainment industry. Some fought on the front lines, while others were placed in positions to use their industry talents to help the U.S. military with training, propaganda, morale, and public relations. The great big band leader Glenn Miller was part of this later group. To discuss Miller’s military service and the latest research on his disappearance, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Dennis M. Spragg, author of Glenn Miller Declassified and Senior Consultant for the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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Brothers Down: Pearl Harbor and the Fate of the Many Brothers Aboard the USS Arizona
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked American military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and propelled the United States into the Second World War. To mark the 80th anniversary of the attack, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum partnered to host a special commemorative lecture by historian Walter Borneman about his book Brothers Down, the story of 38 sets of brothers who served on the USS Arizona.
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Bilibid Prison
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Bilibid Prison served as a POW and a civilian internment camp. Prior to liberation in February 1945, thousands of POWs were processed through Bilibid before boarding the infamous "hellships" that would take them to forced labor camps throughout the Pacific. The camp also held hundreds of Allied civilians in deteriorating conditions.
Join Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams of the MacArthur Memorial for a discussion of Bilibid – it’s function during World War II, the conditions in which prisoners lived, and the eventual liberation of the prison in 1945.
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The Aztec Eagles: The Forgotten Allies of World War II
Mexico was one of the Allies in World War II – but it didn’t just help secure the US border or provide raw materials in support of the war – it contributed a fighter squadron that saw combat in the Pacific Theatre. Few people in the United States are aware of this history, and many Pacific War historians tend to overlook Mexico’s contribution to the war. Nevertheless, the participation of that squadron marked a very significant moment in Mexican military history, in Mexican foreign policy, and in US/Mexico relations. To discuss the Mexican Expeditionary Force, 201st Fighter Squadron and the combat role it played in the Pacific War, we interviewed Walter Zapotoczny, author of The Aztec Eagles: The Forgotten Allies of World War II.
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MacArthur's Busy September 1945
Even historians who loathe General MacArthur tend to agree that the administration of the Occupation of Japan was MacArthur at his best. However, many people don’t realize how much was happening in just the first month of the Occupation, how much could have gone wrong, and how deftly MacArthur was managing a very fluid situation. September 1945 was a tour de force of organizational ability, a masterclass in leadership, and of course, as always, there was controversy. Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams recently sat down to discuss September 1945 - MacArthur's very busy, very consequential month.
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The Death and Legacy of Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
On September 5, 1912, Arthur MacArthur, Jr., a career army officer and the father of Douglas MacArthur, collapsed and died as he was giving a speech. His sudden death shook the entire MacArthur family. Decades later, Douglas MacArthur wrote: “My whole world changed that night. Never have I been able to heal the wound in my heart.” To discuss Arthur MacArthur's legacy and his death, we sat down with Charlie Knight, former Curator of the MacArthur Memorial, and author of Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market and From Arlington to Appomattox: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War, Day by Day, 1861-1865.
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MacArthur and Quezon
In 1904 a young Second Lieutenant Douglas MacArthur and recent law school graduate Manuel Quezon met for the first time at a dinner in Manila. Over the next several decades, both men developed a strong but complicated relationship. This relationship would have a major impact on the Second World War’s Philippine Campaign of 1941-1942 and the future of the Philippines after liberation in 1944-1945.
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MacArthur's 1961 Farewell to the Philippines
In July 1961, an 81-year-old General MacArthur made a ten-day farewell trip to the Philippines to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Philippine independence. President John F. Kennedy was delighted to see MacArthur honored in this way and helped facilitate the trip by putting a Boeing 707 from the Military Air Transport Service at MacArthur’s disposal. It was a particularly moving visit and in Manila alone, millions of people turned out to greet MacArthur. Only papal visits have exceeded the welcome MacArthur received. To mark the 60th anniversary of this trip, Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel sat down to discuss MacArthur's itinerary and the Cold War context of the trip.
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MacArthur, the Escape from Corregidor, and the Mattress Stuffed with Gold
On March 11, 1942 General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and select members of his staff boarded several PT Boats and began a dangerous escape attempt that would take them from the doomed Philippines to the relative safety of Australia, where MacArthur would make the "I Shall Return" promise. Through the years, there have been a number of questions about MacArthur's escape. Why did he leave? What were his orders? And did he smuggle out a mattress stuffed with gold? To answer these questions, the MacArthur Memorial's historians sat down to discuss the rumors and the evidence.
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746th FEAF Band
During World War II, while weapons, ammunition, ships, planes, tanks, etc, were always a big focus, theatre commanders also understood the value of troop morale and went to great lengths to secure things like Coca-Cola, or ice cream, or beer, movies, or music for their troops – even in the most far flung areas of the war. Music was a particularly satisfying treat – and military bands were a big part of this. Many of these bands played shows for the troops very close to the front lines. The 746th FEAF Band was one such band and an album they recorded in 1945 is up for a 2021 Grammy. To discuss the 746th FEAF Band, we sat down with Jason Burt, a historian and history teacher, and the man behind the effort to see a group of World War II veterans honored with one of music’s biggest awards.
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General MacArthur's Mother
Douglas MacArthur biographer D. Clayton James, credited General MacArthur’s mother, Mary “Pinky” Hardy, with instilling in her son “an almost mystical” sense of heritage, duty, and a burning desire to carry on and surpass the achievements of his predecessors. Every MacArthur biographer has analyzed their relationship to try to better understand or explain the general. But who was she??
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Major General James A. Ulio
During World War II, Army personnel nicknamed US Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, and Major General James A. Ulio the “heavenly trinity.” Why? Because the names of these three men appeared on all Army orders from Washington. Marshall and Stimson are well known today, but Ulio’s role in World War II is less known. To explore Ulio's many contributions, we sat down with Alan E. Mesches, author of the book Major General James A. Ulio: How the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army Enabled Allied Victory.
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MacArthur, Nukes, and the Korean War
President Truman and General MacArthur had serious disagreements over Korean War policy. MacArthur is often characterized as wanting to use nuclear weapons during that war. Did MacArthur want to use these weapons??? Join Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams as they discuss the archival evidence.
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William H. Bartsch - Historian Interview
Dr. William H. Bartsch is one of the great historians of the Pacific War. He holds a PhD in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies, and he worked for the UN for a number of years, all over the world. As he worked, he also indulged his passion for Pacific War history and spent years gathering source materials that form the basis of several seminal works including: Doomed from the Start: American Pursuit Pilots in the Philippines, 1941-1942, Every Day a Nightmare: American Pursuit Pilots in the Defense of Java, 1941-1942, Victory Fever on Guadalcanal: Japan's First Land Defeat of World War II, and Dec. 8, 1941: MacArthur’s Pearl Harbor. In late 2019, Jim Zobel of the MacArthur Memorial sat down with Dr. Bartsch to discuss his work as a historian and the process by which he amassed an incredible collection of source material.
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The Liberation of Los Baños
It’s been called the textbook operation of World War II. It was the greatest prison rescue ever; over 2000 prisoners of war liberated and not one them or their liberators killed. Unbelievably, the liberation of Los Baños prison camp by the 511th Parachute Regiment and Hunter’s Philippine Guerrillas went largely unheralded. To share the story of this amazing operation, the MacArthur Memorial hosted Jeremy Holm, author of When Angels Fall: From Toccoa to Tokyo, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II.
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Douglas MacArthur in Love
Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discuss MacArthur’s romantic side – from his early courtships and heartbreak, to the deep bond he shared with his second wife, Jean Faircloth MacArthur.
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Clark Field
From 1919 to 1941, Clark Field in the Philippines was home to American air power in the western part of the Pacific. Attacked by the Japanese at the start of the war and then abandoned in the retreat to Bataan, the airfield was taken over by Japanese troops before being recaptured in 1945. To explore the development and history of Clark Field, we sat down with Dr. Richard Meixsel, author of Clark Field and the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Philippines, 1919-1942.
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On Desperate Ground - Book Talk
On February 13, 2020, the MacArthur Memorial hosted bestselling author Hampton Sides for a discussion of his book On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean Wars’ Greatest Battle. On Desperate Ground explores the Korean War and a controversial chapter of MacArthur’s career.
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V-Mail
Victory Mail - more commonly referred to as V-Mail - was a mail process used by the United States during World War II. It was designed to reduce the weight and fuel costs of mail, while helping citizens correspond with service members stationed overseas. To learn more about V-Mail, we sat down with Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum.
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Land Battle of Manila - Spanish American War
General Arthur MacArthur, the father of Douglas MacArthur, traveled to the Philippines in the summer of 1898 and took part in one of the most interesting battles of the Spanish-American War – the land Battle of Manila. The American victory there began the transition of the Philippines from a Spanish colony to an American territory, and ultimately set the stage for the Philippine-American War.
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History vs Hollywood: The Battle of Midway
History has always been a regular and dependable muse for Hollywood. However, there is always tension between "real" history and "reel" history. The Battle of Midway is an excellent example of this tension and how Hollywood's take on history is influenced by contemporary events and social issues. Recently, we sat down with Dr. Tim Orr to discuss the Battle of Midway and how it has been portrayed in major films since 1942. We also asked if Hollywood was GOOD or BAD for history!
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General Vicente Lim
Who was Vicente Lim? Dr. Richard Meixsel, author of the book Frustrated Ambition: General Vicente Lim and the Philippine Military Experience, 1910–1944, answers this question with a brief exploration of Lim's life and times. The first Filipino to graduate from West Point, Lim’s military career spanned more than three decades. Although disappointed when World War I ended before he could get to France with a Filipino Division, Lim would later be instrumental in the development of the Philippine military and he would serve with distinction in World War II. After the fall of the Philippines and his later release by the Japanese, Lim worked with guerrilla networks to continue to resist the Japanese occupation. He was captured and later executed in December 1944.
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Pearl Harbor Memories
At 2:22 p.m. EST on December 7, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt’s Press Secretary, Stephen Early, announced to the press pool: "The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor from the air and all naval and military activities on the island of Oahu, principal American base in the Hawaiian islands." Within minutes, millions of Americans were informed of the attack. However, it would take days, months, and years for a more complete picture of the attacks to emerge. In this episode, Laura Orr of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, discusses firsthand accounts of several servicemembers who were at Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack. Some of them fought the Japanese, some rescued other servicemembers, and some were killed in the attack (18:14)
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The Battle of the Wilderness
The American Civil War was an immediate and formative experience for General MacArthur’s parents and their families. General MacArthur even referred to himself as the “reunion of blue and gray personified.” In this special lecture, historian Chris Mackowski tells the story of the Battle of the Wilderness.
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A MacArthur Relative at Gettysburg
The American Civil War was an immediate and formative experience for General MacArthur’s parents and their families. General MacArthur even referred to himself as the “reunion of blue and gray personified.” In this special lecture, historian Dan Welch tells the story of a MacArthur relative, William J. Hardy, who fought with the 1st Richmond Howitzers at the Battle of Gettysburg.
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MacArthur's Post-1941 Library
General MacArthur was a voracious reader. Prior to World War II, he owned thousands of books. He had to leave this library behind when he escaped to Corregidor during the Japanese conquest of the Philippines. Sadly, most of the library was destroyed or looted by the end of World War II. Despite this loss, through gifts and purchases, he was able to amass a second library. Today, this post-1941 library is housed at the MacArthur Memorial. It is a fascinating library of over 5000 volumes - with subjects ranging from earthquakes in Japan, to sports, to military history, literature, religion, astronomy, and much more!
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OSS Operation Black Mail
Author Ann Todd discusses her book OSS Operation Black Mail - the story of Elizabeth "Betty" P. McIntosh, who spent eighteen months serving in the Office of Strategic Services in what has been called the "forgotten theater," China-Burma-India.
Her craft was black propaganda, and her mission was to demoralize the Japanese through prevarication and deceit, and ultimately, convince them to surrender. On the front lines of psychological warfare, she met and worked with a cast of characters as varied as Julia Child and Ho Chi Minh. She also witnessed an Asia where the colonial world was ending, and chaos awaited.
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Sibyl Kathigasu
In 1948, Sibyl Kathigasu became the only Malaysian woman to receive the George Medal for gallantry, the highest civilian honor given by King George VI. Why did she receive such an honor? During World War II she actively resisted the Japanese occupation of what was then British Malaya. As a trained nurse, she provided medical care for members of the guerilla resistance movement. She also passed along important information and helped smuggle guerilla fighters through Japanese held territory. Captured by the Japanese in 1943, she was repeatedly tortured but never betrayed the other members of the resistance movement. Her commitment to the Allied cause made her a heroine to the people of Malaya and to the British.
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Bataan Survivor
In April 2018, the Memorial hosted a talk by Dr. Frank A. Blazich, Curator of Modern Military History at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and editor of Colonel David L. Hardee's memoir Bataan Survivor: A POW's Account of Japanese Captivity in World War II. Dr. Blazich gave a fascinating talk about Col. Hardee's POW experience.
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The Air War in Korea
The Korean War always generates a lot of questions. Did MacArthur really want to use nukes? Did China make use of valuable intelligence from the Cambridge Five? Were Russian pilots engaging American planes on the Yalu River? Why was the air war in Korea so restricted? Or was it? To discuss these questions, the MacArthur Memorial staff sat down with Dr. Conrad Crane, Chief of Historical Services and Support at the United States Army Heritage and Education Center and author of American Airpower Strategy in Korea, 1950-1953.
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Evaluating Ned Almond
Ned Almond is regarded as one of the more controversial American generals of World War II and the Korean War. While most historians agree that Almond was talented and had a distinguished combat record, he also openly espoused the idea that black soldiers were less capable than white soldiers. This overt racism has dominated scholarship of his life, but does not help explain why men like George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, and Mathew Ridgway saw him as an asset. To help unpack this complicated story, MacArthur Memorial staff recently discussed Almond’s career with Dr. Michael Lynch, a research historian at the US Army Heritage and Education Center.
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John Bulkeley and the Escape from Corregidor
1942 was an eventful year for the United States military. To mark some of the interesting and important events that happened that year, the MacArthur Memorial and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum hosted a 1942" symposium in October 2017. At the symposium, Pete Bulkeley, son of the skipper of PT-41, discussed his father's role in MacArthur's escape from the Philippines.
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Rocky Boyer's War
In August 2017, Dr. Allen D. Boyer visited the MacArthur Memorial and discussed Rocky Boyer’s War: An Unvarnished History of the Air Blitz that Won the War in the Southwest Pacific. Based on an “unauthorized” diary that was kept by Dr. Boyer’s father, Rocky’ Boyer’s War provides a soldier’s history of General George Kenney’s air war in the Southwest Pacific from New Guinea to the Philippines.
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The Japanese Perspective on Midway
In June 2017, the MacArthur Memorial, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and the VA WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission hosted a symposium to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Anthony Tully, co-author of Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, explored the battle from the Japanese perspective.
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Codebreaking and the Battle of Midway
In June 2017, the MacArthur Memorial, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and the VA WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission hosted a symposium to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Elliot Carlson, author of Joe Rochefort's War, discussed how cryptanalysis and intelligence shaped the outcome of the Battle of Midway.
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USN Pilots at Midway
In June 2017, the MacArthur Memorial, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and the VA WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission hosted a symposium to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Dr. Timothy Orr, co-author of Never Call Me a Hero, explored the role of USN pilots at the Battle of Midway.
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Sailing the Seas to Midway
In June 2017, the MacArthur Memorial, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, and the VA WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission hosted a symposium to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway. Walter Borneman, author of The Admirals and MacArthur at War, kicked off the symposium with an overview of the Pacific War leading up to June 1942.
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'MacArthur's Spies'
Peter Eisner, author of MacArthur's Spies, spoke at the MacArthur Memorial in May 2017. MacArthur's Spies tells the story of several people who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Through espionage and sabotage, they helped pave the way for MacArthur's return to the Philippines in 1944.
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'Eve of a Hundred Midnights' - Bill Lascher
Bill Lascher, author of Eve of a Hundred Midnights, spoke at the MacArthur Memorial in March 2017. Eve of a Hundred Midnights recounts the meteoric rise of Melville Jacoby, a dashing foreign correspondent who fell in love not only with a country - China - but with Annalee Whitmore, a whip-smart Hollywood scriptwriter-turned journalist. Together they covered the opening days of World War II, reported on the besieged Chinese wartime capital of Chongqing, the fall of Manila and the struggle for Bataan.
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MacArthur and Australia
January 26 marks the birthday of General Douglas MacArthur. It is also Australia Day. On January 26, 2017, the MacArthur Memorial partnered with Air Vice-Marshal Alan Clements, Head of Australian Defense Services (Washington), to mark each of these significant occasions. As part of the program, MacArthur Memorial Archivist James Zobel gave a very short address on General MacArthur and the ties between the United States and Australia.
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Tokyo Rose
During World War II, the Japanese recruited dozens of English speaking women to be part of a propaganda broadcast aimed at lowering the morale of Allied troops in the Pacific. The broadcasters would report Japanese successes and describe the overwhelming advantages of Japanese forces. Often these reports were false, and most Allied troops knew it, but shows with the female broadcasters were just simply popular with the troops. These female broadcasters became collectively known to American troops as “Tokyo Rose.” At the end of the war however, only one of these women would be primarily identified as the “Tokyo Rose.” Her name was Ikuko “Iva” Toguri. Shockingly, she was also a U.S. citizen. But how did she become the legendary “Tokyo Rose” – and the seventh person convicted of treason?
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'Angels of the Underground' - Dr. Theresa Kaminski
Dr. Theresa Kaminski, author of the book Angels of the Underground: The American Women Who Resisted the Japanese in the Philippines in World War II, spoke at the MacArthur Memorial’s 2016 WWII Symposium. During her presentation, Dr. Kaminski explored the lives of four different women who survived the fall of Manila and the several years of Japanese occupation that followed. Relatively unknown today, these women served in a little known resistance movement that smuggled supplies and information to the guerrillas and POWs in the Philippines.
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'War at the End of the World' - James Duffy
James Duffy, author of the book War at the End of the World: Douglas MacArthur and the Forgotten Fight for New Guinea, 1942-1945, spoke at the MacArthur Memorial’s 2016 WWII Symposium. During his lecture, Duffy outlined the epic four year fight for New Guinea and explained why New Guinea was one of the most hostile battlefields of the entire war.
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'MacArthur at War' - Walter Borneman
Walter Borneman, author of the book MacArthur at War: War in the Pacific, presented his latest research at the MacArthur Memorial’s 2016 WWII Symposium. During his lecture, Borneman traced MacArthur’s evolution as a leader during the war and discussed the General’s mastery of combined operations.
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Operation Vengeance
In April 1943, American intelligence officers intercepted the flight plans and travel itinerary of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The plans indicated that the admiral would be traveling through zone that could be reached by American fighter planes. Yamamoto was a high level target for a variety of reasons. He had been instrumental in the Pearl Harbor attack, at Wake Island, the Dutch East Indies, and in Burma. He was also regarded by U.S. intelligence as Japan’s greatest strategist and his popularity with the Japanese military and civilians neared that of Emperor Hirohito. After careful deliberation, a decision was made to launch Operation Vengeance – a mission to assassinate Yamamoto.
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MacArthur and the Fraulein
In November 2000, the Memorial's Archivist was asked to look at four letters purportedly written by Douglas MacArthur shortly after World War I. The letters were authenticated and today they provide a window into a previously unknown chapter of MacArthur's life. The letters were written to Herta Heuser, a young German Red Cross worker who helped nurse MacArthur back to health during the Occupation of Germany. Sent home in 1919, MacArthur began a correspondence with Herta in which he declared his love for her. Since 2000, more letters from this correspondence have come to light. The letters tell a fascinating story of love and loss. They may also help to explain why MacArthur married his first wife. Few close to him could understand why he married Louise Cromwell Brooks - and why he married her in such haste - but the MacArthur-Heuser letters may point to a broken heart.
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MacArthur and Nixon
General MacArthur’s biographers often note that he was regarded with admiration by both John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Generally the MacArthur/Nixon relationship is marginalized in MacArthur biographies, while the MacArthur/Kennedy relationship is highlighted. Nixon however had a long history of being publically pro-MacArthur. He even described MacArthur as “a hero, a presence, an event.” In the end, while his relationship with MacArthur was never deeply personal or close, Nixon was one of the few politicians to articulate MacArthur’s vision of the importance of the Pacific world.
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The Five-Star Rank
Episode Fifty-Nine: The Five-Star Rank
(December 2015)
On December 14, 1944, Congress approved the creation of the grade of "General of the Army” and “Fleet Admiral.” Over the next two weeks, seven officers in the American Army and Navy were promoted to these newly authorized ranks. The reason for these promotions was simple. American senior commanders needed to be able to work on equal terms with their Allied counterparts – including but not limited to British field marshals. The officers promoted to this rank in 1944 included: Admiral William Leahy, General George Marshall, Admiral Ernest King, General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, General Dwight Eisenhower, and General Henry “Hap” Arnold. The last two officers to be promoted to this rank were Admiral William Halsey in 1945 and General Omar Bradley in 1950. Since then, while the Army, Air Force, and Navy continue to maintain the rank, it has not been held by an officer in decades.
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Major General William Marquat
When ordered to leave the Philippines in 1942, General MacArthur handpicked a small number of officers to take with him. The “Bataan Gang” as these men were later known, formed the core of his inner circle for the rest of World War II. Major General William Marquat was a member of General Douglas MacArthur’s “Bataan Gang.” A highly decorated officer of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he had a reputation for avoiding the intrigues that often swirled around MacArthur’s staff. He was also instrumental in post-war economics in Japan and served for a time as Commissioner of baseball in Japan.
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The "I Shall Return" Speech
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte to visit the beachhead U.S. soldiers were in the process of establishing. He was also there to deliver a dramatic radio address to the people of the Philippines announcing that the much anticipated liberation of the islands was underway.
Broadcast from the beach (and from a destroyer off the coast), MacArthur’s “I Have Returned” speech generated mixed reviews among the American people. The speech was ridiculed as over-dramatic, emotional, and narcissistic. It was also criticized for having too many references to Christianity. Despite these criticisms, the speech had an electric effect on the Philippines. Couched in such a sacred way, MacArthur's speech quickly produced dividends. Soon his forces and intelligence networks began receiving pledges of support and requests for instructions from Filipinos across the islands - anxious to expel the Japanese and rally to the cause of liberation.
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The Surrender of Japan
On September 2, 1945, representatives of Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender in a ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. General Douglas MacArthur presided over this carefully orchestrated ceremony as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
Many of the Allied nations had expressed dissatisfaction with the secrecy of the evening surrender of Nazi Germany in May of 1945, so there was enormous pressure on MacArthur and his staff to ensure that the official end of World War II was impressive, flawless, and well covered by the media. The resulting 23 minute ceremony was painstakingly planned start to finish.
This special podcast in honor of the 70th Anniversary of the surrender will take you behind the scenes of this extraordinary event to explore the participants, the planning, and the various mistakes that threatened to derail the event.
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Emory Upton: Reformer and Strategist
Emory Upton is considered one of the most influential reformers of the U.S. Army in American history. He is sometimes referred to as the Army’s version of Alfred Thayer Mahan. A respected combat veteran of the American Civil War, today Upton is remembered for successfully leading infantry against an entrenched enemy and also for suggesting that “excessive civilian control of the military” was the greatest weakness of the U.S. military. Controversial and brilliant, Upton influenced decades of U.S. military thought and his experiences and theories regarding “trench” warfare were proven on the battlefields of World War I.
In 2013, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel David Siry sat down with the Memorial's staff to talk about Upton’s life and legacy. At the time of the interview, LTC Siry was serving as an instructor in American History at the United States Military Academy at West Point. (26:13)
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John J. Pershing: Legacy and Leadership
As the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, John J. Pershing served as a mentor to a generation of generals who later led the United States to victory in World War II. Some of these young officers included: Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar N. Bradley, and George S. Patton.
In 2013, U.S. Army Major Andrew Forney sat down with the Memorial's staff to talk about Pershing's life and legacy. At the time of the interview, Major Forney was serving as an instructor in American History at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
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Scotland to America: MacArthur Family History
From the Scottish Highlands to America, General Douglas MacArthur's ancestors have played prominent roles in world history. As the old Scottish adage goes: "there is nothing older, except the hills, MacArtair and the Devil." This podcast tells the story of the MacArthurs from 1200 AD to the birth of Douglas MacArthur and his son.
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Admiral Halsey
General Douglas MacArthur reportedly liked Admiral William F. Halsey from the moment he met him – describing him as "blunt, outspoken, [and] dynamic." The feeling was mutual, and Halsey later referred to MacArthur as a lifelong friend.
Throughout his long career, Halsey was an enormously popular commander and famously earned his Naval Aviators wings in 1935 at the age of 52. Nicknamed “Bull” Halsey, he gained a reputation during World War II as a fighting admiral. Despite his military achievements however, mistakes at Leyte Gulf and during the Typhoon Cobra in 1944 nearly overshadowed his successes.
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Robert E Lee - Leadership and West Point
General MacArthur was a self-proclaimed child of the "Blue and Gray." He grew up hearing stories of his father's exploits with the 24th Wisconsin during the American Civil War and his Virginia born mother idolized Robert E. Lee. From West Point, to engineering assignments, to Mexico, parts of MacArthur's early military career would mimic Lee's early career.
In 2013, U.S. Army Captain Mark Ehlers sat down with the Memorial's staff to talk about Robert E. Lee, West Point and leadership. At the time of the interview, Captain Ehlers was serving as an instructor in American History at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
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Jean MacArthur: Part 2
Today Jean MacArthur is largely in the shadow of her husband General Douglas MacArthur. By all accounts however, she was a vital member of his inner circle and many of her husband’s biographers considered her an “unusual” but extraordinary woman. Part I covered Mrs. MacArthur’s life up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Part II gives a behind the scenes look at her experiences from the flight to Corregidor on Christmas Eve in 1941 to her death in 2000.
**A listener pointed out an error in this podcast - the MacArthurs did not arrive in Brisbane by train from Adelaide. They actually arrived in Melbourne and then months later relocated to Brisbane.**
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Jean MacArthur: Part 1
Today Jean MacArthur is largely in the shadow of her husband General Douglas MacArthur. By all accounts however, she was a vital member of his inner circle and many of her husband’s biographers considered her an “unusual” but extraordinary woman. She came from a family with a deeply rooted tradition of military service and had a great personal interest in American military history. In possession of a large inheritance, she had spent most of her twenties and thirties traveling around the world – attracting friends and prospective suitors wherever she went. On one of these journeys she was introduced to General Douglas MacArthur – a man 19 years her senior. After a year and a half courtship in Manila, they were married in 1937. MacArthur later wrote that marrying her was the smartest thing he ever did. Part I of the Jean MacArthur story will focus on her early life and marriage to General MacArthur up to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
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West Point and Leadership
Are leaders born or made? Why do places like West Point seem to generate extremely high numbers of business, military, and political leaders? To answer these questions, we sat down with Major Adrienne M. Harrison - a West Point graduate and a veteran of three tours in Iraq. Major Harrison also holds a PhD in History and at the time of this interview was serving as an Assistant Professor of History in West Point's History Department
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MacArthur returns to Leyte
On October 19, 2014 the MacArthur Memorial, the General Douglas MacArthur Foundation, and the Embassy of the Philippines hosted a special reception to commemorate the October 20, 1944 Leyte Landings. The Memorial's Archivist Jim Zobel gave a short lecture on MacArthur's road back to the Philippines.
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Lecture by Mark Perry
On July 24, 2014, the MacArthur Memorial hosted Mark Perry – author of the book: The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur. Perry addressed the Roosevelt/MacArthur relationship and MacArthur’s service during World War II – shedding new light on the General and his legacy.
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The Admiralties Campaign
The seizure of the Admiralty Islands in February 1944 was one of the boldest operations of MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific campaign and perhaps the war in the Pacific. By capturing the islands, the 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Navy destroyers, and a handful of Seabees ensured that MacArthur would go on to become the Liberator of the Philippines.
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MacArthur and the 42nd Division in France
In April 2014, as part of the MacArthur Memorial’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration, the Memorial hosted a special speaker series. One of the speakers, Nimrod Frazer, author of the book Send the Alabamians: World War I Fighters in the Rainbow Division, spoke about Douglas MacArthur and his time with the 42nd Rainbow Division in France. Mr. Frazer is a Korean War veteran and a recipient of the Silver Star.
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MacArthur: America's General
In April 2014, as part of the MacArthur Memorial’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration, the Memorial hosted a special speaker series. One of the speakers, Mitchell Yockelson, author of the book “MacArthur: America’s General,” gave a brief overview of some of General MacArthur’s World War II service. MacArthur: America’s General was published by Thomas Nelson as part of the General’s series.
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MacArthur and West Point Leadership
In April 2014, as part of the MacArthur Memorial’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration, the Memorial hosted a special speaker series. One of the speakers, Dan Rice, coauthored the book: West Point Leadership: Profiles of Courage. This book features hundreds of short biographies of prominent West Point graduates – including leaders like MacArthur, Eisenhower, Grant, Pershing, and Petraeus. While at the Memorial, Mr. Rice discussed West Point and how for centuries, the leadership skills of its graduates have translated into success on the battlefield, the boardroom, and in politics.
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The Final Salute
General Douglas MacArthur died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on April 5, 1964. Years before, President John F. Kennedy had authorized an elaborate State Funeral for MacArthur. On the General’s death, President Johnson reaffirmed Kennedy’s directive and ordered that MacArthur be buried "with all the honor a grateful nation can bestow on a departed hero." Over the next week, MacArthur’s body lay in state at the 7th Regimental Armory in New York City and then in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C, before coming to the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, VA – a place chosen by the General to be his final resting place. The funeral was held on April 11th, the thirteenth anniversary of MacArthur’s firing by President Truman during the Korean War.
This podcast tells the story of the General’s final days and the impressive funeral that honored his service.
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MacArthur's Air Force
The air war in the Pacific Theater during World War II is often overlooked and over-shadowed by the battles which took place in the skies above Europe. In the Pacific, the Far East Air Forces – “MacArthur’s Air Force” - operated out of more than 50 different islands, flew over an area larger than the United States, and carried the war from Australia to Japan itself, all while turning men and aircraft around for the next mission as quickly as possible. Much of the success in the skies in the Pacific was due to the pairing of General Douglas MacArthur and his air chief General George Kenney, and Kenney’s ability to recognize talent and to get the most out of the officers and men under his command. This podcast tells the story of the creation and the role of the Far East Air Forces in World War II.
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Cabanatuan Raid
On April 9th 1942, Bataan fell to the Japanese. The defenders had bravely held out, but the Japanese juggernaut was unstoppable. As prisoners of war they were forced to march many miles on what became known as the Bataan Death March, only to stop at the infamous Camp O’Donnell, where thousands died from starvation, sickness, and the brutal treatment of their captors. In the months and years that followed, thousands of American and Filipino soldiers would be subject to atrocities that few could even fathom. When MacArthur’s forces returned to the Philippines in 1944-45, there were 500 of these American prisoners in a camp called Cabanatuan, on the main island of Luzon. Intelligence reports indicated that similar camps were being liquidated by the Japanese. Cabanatuan had to be liberated. This podcast will explore the fate of these prisoners of Bataan-Corregidor, and how 500 of them were saved in one of the most daring and heroic raids in history.
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The Grand Tour of Asia
Between 1905-1906, a twenty-five year old Lieutenant Douglas MacArthur traveled through Asia with his father Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur and his mother Mary Hardy MacArthur. Over a period of nine months, he traveled 19,949 miles from Japan to Calcutta, across the plains of India, to the Khyber Pass in Afghanistan, and south to what is now Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Vietnam. He then traveled through China before returning to Japan. Writing of the trip decades later, MacArthur wrote: “[I visited] countless lands so rich in color, so fabled in legend, so vital to history that the experience was without a doubt the most important fact of preparation in my entire life.” For the rest of his life, and the remaining 45 years of his military career, this journey would inform his thoughts about the political, military, and economic potential of Asia. This fundamental knowledge would pay massive dividends – guiding and inspiring many of the major decisions he would later make as a senior leader in the region.
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The Forgotten MacArthur
Arthur MacArthur III, older brother of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, was a United States naval officer for thirty one years. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second highest award next to the Medal of Honor, and the Distinguished Service Medal for service in World War I. He was a man of his own making and during his life he never lived in the shadow of his now famous younger brother. He died prematurely, however, in the prime of his life and in the middle of a promising naval career. As a result, he is often considered the “Forgotten MacArthur.”
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The Honor Guard: Only the Finest
French military historian Henri Lachouque once wrote: “An old adage runs ‘There is no Temple without a God and no Throne without a Guard.’ But there are guards and Guards.” Lachouque was referring to Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, an elite unit which served as the French Emperor’s personal bodyguard and also as his “shock troops” to whom he turned for the most difficult assignments on the battlefield. Throughout history some of the world’s most colorful and charismatic military leaders have surrounded themselves with a personal guard composed of hand-picked men. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur’s Honor Guard was one of the most important and visible parts of the General’s official family during the closing months of World War II and throughout the Occupation of Japan. The members of this elite unit were selected based on their military bearing, intelligence and physical stature, and every combat Division of the U.S. Army in the Pacific was represented in its ranks. They were the best of the best, because when it came to the security for his Headquarters and family, MacArthur would accept nothing but the finest.
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The Hazing Scandal
On June 13, 1899, Douglas MacArthur entered the United States Military Academy at West Point. It was the fulfillment of a boyhood ambition and it was to be the start of his extraordinary military career. But, it was nearly over before it began. A little over a year into his time at West Point, a controversy erupted over allegations that hazing at West Point had resulted in the death of a cadet. As details of the hazing at West Point emerged, it ignited a firestorm of controversy. President William McKinley called for an investigation into the hazing, and some in congress even called for the abolition of the nation’s military academies. MacArthur would play a central role in this drama. Called before a military court of inquiry and then a congressional committee, MacArthur was soon making national headlines as he testified about his own experiences as a first year cadet.
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The Army's First Public Relations Officer
When most people think of General MacArthur, they think of his ability to communicate - his ability to know the value of a good photo-op, his ability to spin stories to reporters and his ability to make dramatic headlines. In many respects, his media savvy was an innate talent. In other more technical aspects though, such as understanding the influence of the media, its ability to sway public opinion, and how to use it as a tool to promote an agenda, MacArthur actually had quite a bit of practical experience early on in his career.
From 1916-1918, a young Douglas MacArthur served as the head of the War Departments new Bureau of Information. In this capacity he served as press censor and the primary liaison between the War Department and the media. As a result, he is today recognized as the Army’s first public relations officer. This podcast will discuss this period of service – an important, but often overlooked part of his early career.
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Baseball Diplomacy and Japan
Baseball came to Japan in the late nineteenth century and quickly grew in popularity. As Japanese interest in the sport grew, Japanese leagues and school teams were formed. Visiting American teams played some of these Japanese teams – and usually won – but even in defeat, Japanese baseball players were learning from the best players in the world and were demonstrating great skill. In 1934, an American All Star team including Babe Ruth, Moe Berg, Clint Brown, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig arrived in Japan to play a series of exhibition games. In one game, Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx were struck out in quick succession by Eiji Sawamura – a 17 year old Japanese pitcher. It was an incredible performance by the young pitcher and a sign that Japanese baseball was on the rise.
During the Occupation of Japan, General MacArthur encouraged “baseball diplomacy” as a way to rebuild Japanese morale and create another bridge between the United States and Japan. Under MacArthur’s tenure, American teams once again traveled to Japan and major Japanese leagues took shape. In later life, MacArthur credited baseball with helping to win the peace in Japan after the war.
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The Emancipation of Japanese Women
In September 1945, with the surrender and occupation of Japan, drastic changes took place that altered the way of life for the Japanese people. Within an incredibly short period of time, Japanese society experienced a complete social revolution. The revised Meiji Constitution that came out of the Occupation enfranchised the people of Japan, but most particularly, the women of the country with the inclusion of Articles 14 and 24. Women who had been denied enfranchisement were suddenly equal partners in the reemerging nation. General Douglas MacArthur was a vocal supporter of Japanese women’s rights and later explained: “Of all the reforms accomplished by the occupation in Japan, none was more heartwarming to me than this change in the status of women.” This podcast will explore the development of women’s rights in Japan during the Occupation.
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MacArthur in Brisbane
General MacArthur’s arrival in Australia in March of 1942 was an electrifying event for many Australians. His presence sent a strong signal that the United States was committed to the defense of Australia and to the war against Japan. MacArthur uttered his famous “I Shall Return” promise in Australia, and it was there that he began gathering forces for the next phase of the war. By July 1942, MacArthur had located his General Headquarters in Brisbane. Today, the MacArthur Museum Brisbane commemorates the General’s time in Brisbane and highlights the history of Brisbane during the war. This podcast focuses on MacArthur’s time in Brisbane and features an interview with Col. John Dwyer and Col. Phillip Gould of the General Douglas MacArthur Brisbane Memorial Foundation.
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Eisenhower and MacArthur
In terms of personality and style, it would be difficult to find two more different men than General MacArthur and General Eisenhower. Praised by newspapers as “Destiny’s Child,” and “Mars,” General MacArthur was larger than life - dramatic, proud, and aristocratic. In contrast, General Eisenhower was often described by his contemporaries as personable, steady, and far more practical than MacArthur. Ten years MacArthur’s junior, Eisenhower would spend a great portion of his career working as MacArthur’s military aide. Predictably, their relationship was at times tense. Privately Eisenhower would write that MacArthur was a “genius” one day, and a “baby” the next. In a similar fashion, MacArthur would write that Eisenhower’s value to the Army was “Superior,” but would later make it clear in his autobiography that he thought himself far superior to Eisenhower. Publically however, both men always presented a united front – refusing to ever criticize each other in the press. This podcast will explore the MacArthur-Eisenhower relationship – their similarities, differences, and the tensions.
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West Point Class of 1903
A photograph of the United States Military Academy Class of 1903 was taken the day the young men of that class were admitted to the school as plebes in 1899. Of the 160 that posed for that photograph, 93 of them would graduate four years later. Douglas MacArthur graduated top in this class – and of his classmates, he had the longest career and earned the most honors and decorations. However, his service was no more dedicated than that of his classmates. Members of his graduating class represented the United States in the Olympics, in World War I, World War II, and were also pioneers in business, academia, and science. This month’s podcast highlights the many accomplishments of the Class of 1903.
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MacArthur for President, 1944
As a boy, General Douglas MacArthur’s mother exhorted him to follow the example of George Washington. What was implied in this advice was that he should become a general and a president. As he grew older, his career would take shape with an eye on the White House. Most American generals with presidential ambitions try to maneuver behind the scenes to be “drafted” for the job by others. MacArthur was no different. He would be a potential candidate in 1944, 1948, and 1952, but he would never officially declare himself a candidate and left his campaigning to surrogates. In the end, he would never become President, but his enormous popularity would put the office tantalizingly within his reach at times. This podcast will address MacArthur’s 1944 presidential ambitions.
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Audio Tour of the MacArthur Memorial
Visiting the MacArthur Memorial? Download a guided tour! Walk through the MacArthur Memorial gallery by gallery and explore the life and times of General MacArthur, as well as various items in the collection.
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Hirohito and MacArthur: The First Meeting
Assuming his duties as leader of the Occupation of Japan in September 1945, General MacArthur was faced with a daunting task. No modern occupation had been successful, and history was not in his favor. Some of the great commanders in history – including Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Wellington, Kitchener, and Petain – had seen their battlefield triumphs unravel in occupations. However, just a few short weeks into the Occupation of Japan, on September 27, 1945, a single black and white photograph would set the Occupation on track for success. The photograph captured the first meeting between General MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito of Japan. This month’s podcast will examine this meeting and evaluate the effect it had on the Occupation.
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Papuan Campaign 1942-1943
The Papuan Campaign of 1942-1943 was one of the most costly of General MacArthur’s campaigns in the Southwest Pacific. Casualty rates exceeded those on Guadalcanal, and the learning curve for jungle fighting was particularly steep for American and Australian forces. The General made mistakes and ruffled the feathers of the U.S. Navy, military leaders in Washington, D.C., and those of his Australian allies. In the end however, he emerged victorious – confident that he had laid the groundwork for the return to the Philippines and ready to lead the next phase of the drive on Rabaul.
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1928 Olympics: A MacArthur Production
According to MacArthur biographer William Manchester, “American participation in the 1928 Olympics…was a MacArthur production.” As President of the U.S. Olympic Committee, MacArthur traveled to Amsterdam with Team U.S.A., marched in the Parade of Nations, and had a front row seat to all of the events. He would later write of his experiences: “Athletes are among the most temperamental of all persons, but I stormed and pleaded and cajoled. I told them we represented the greatest nation in the world, that we were there to win, and win decisively.” Under MacArthur’s leadership and constant encouragement, Team U.S.A. won decisively – winning the medal count and setting more World and Olympic records in international competition than any other nation to that date.
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Trial For Effect: The Yamashita Trial
Following World War II, hundreds if not thousands of Japanese were accused of war crimes. General MacArthur’s appointment as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers on August 15, 1945 made him responsible for the prosecution of war criminals. Though MacArthur called this his “most repugnant duty,” he did not shy away from it. Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita was the first to face trial for atrocities committed by Japanese troops. MacArthur informed his staff that Yamashita’s trial would be the “bellwether” and predictably, his hand was heavy on the proceedings. In the end, Yamashita was easily convicted. For some, the trial reeked of victor’s justice. For others, regardless of the legal irregularities of the trial, command responsibility made Yamashita guilty of the atrocities committed by those under his authority. This month’s podcast will tell the story of MacArthur’s involvement in the Yamashita trial and the subsequent criticisms of the trial.
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Vera Cruz, 1914
In 1914, as tensions between Mexico and the United States heightened, the United States occupied Vera Cruz, Mexico. President Wilson wished to avoid open war, but his generals and the Secretary of War wanted to be prepared for any contingency—even a total invasion of Mexico. Thirty-four year old Captain Douglas MacArthur was tapped to play a key role in their preparations for war. Sent to Vera Cruz on an intelligence gathering mission, MacArthur trekked deep into enemy territory in search of missing locomotives that the army could use in a potential invasion. Despite being attacked several times by armed men, he accomplished his mission – garnering his first nomination for the Medal of Honor. This month’s podcast will tell the story of MacArthur’s Vera Cruz mission – an event he later referred to as “a wild night under the Southern Cross.”
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6th VA Infantry
Douglas MacArthur came from a distinguished military family. His father Arthur, a Medal of Honor recipient, was a veteran of both the Civil War and Spanish-American War. Several of MacArthur’s mother’s brothers also served in uniform. Three of them attended Virginia Military Institute, and of these, two served in the 6th Virginia Infantry during the Civil War. The 6th Virginia fought in nearly every major engagement in the Virginia theater – including the controversial Battle of the Crater in July 1964 at Petersburg. This month’s podcast will examine the 6th Virginia and the military service of MacArthur’s maternal uncles – revealing an often overlooked chapter of General Douglas MacArthur’s military ancestry.
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POW’s: The Nurses of Bataan and Corregidor
For many young women in 1940, being an Army or Navy nurse meant a life of adventure and independence – a thrilling alternative to a normal, routine life. Those stationed in the Philippines looked forward to a life of luxury – and it was even said that no nurse’s wardrobe was complete without an evening gown and a swimsuit. All of this changed abruptly on December 7, 1941. Thrust into a warzone, these nurses found themselves struggling to save lives in the jungles of Bataan and in the tunnels of Corregidor. Within a year, they would all be prisoners of the Japanese Army. This month’s podcast provides a brief overview of these women’s military service.
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MacArthur's Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest honor that any member of the armed forces can receive. The award is granted to a person who distinguishes “himself by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of…life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual combat with the enemy.” General Douglas MacArthur received the Medal of Honor on April 1, 1942. Prior to this, MacArthur had displayed courageous actions in Vera Cruz, Mexico and in France during World War I which had almost resulted in him receiving the Medal of Honor. This podcast will explore these early events as well as explain the circumstances surrounding the award of the medal in1942.
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The 26th Cavalry Regiment and the Final U.S. Cavalry Charge
Many people believe that with World War I, the horse became a relic of the past. This belief is understandable. More than any other war; the deadly stalemate of World War I proved that muscle and sinew could not resist the crushing force of modern mechanized war or chemical weapons. Nevertheless, while the horse faded from the battlefields of Western Europe, it did not become completely obsolete. The final charge of the U.S. Army Cavalry would take place in the Philippines during World War II. This historic charge pitted the exhausted 26th Cavalry Regiment against a vastly superior enemy force. This podcast will examine final charge – an event many historians have called a fitting tribute to the legacy of the U.S. Army Cavalry.
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Billy Mitchell and MacArthur
In 1925, the court martial of Billy Mitchell captured national attention. The trial was so sensational that it would go on to inspire numerous books and even a movie starring Gary Cooper. At the center of the controversy was Billy Mitchell, a man who is today recognized as the father of the United States Air Force. An advocate of air power at a time when few could envision aircraft ever having a major impact on the battlefield, Mitchell would be a martyr for this cause. Douglas MacArthur was a friend of Mitchell, but was also a member of the jury trying Mitchell. This month’s podcast will discuss the friendship between the two men and the events surrounding the court martial.
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MacArthur and JFK
Today, many people are amazed to learn that General MacArthur and President Kennedy admired each other. Given MacArthur’s track record with Democrats and the generational gap between the two men, this is not surprising. Despite their differences however, Kennedy and MacArthur actually had a great deal in common – both were patrician and charismatic, both had been raised in an environment that valued drive, success, and destiny, and both had demonstrated courage in war. More than any other president, Kennedy understood MacArthur – and MacArthur reciprocated – respecting Kennedy far more than his predecessors. This month’s podcast explores the relationship between the two men.
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"I Shall Return" - The Pledge
Many people are familiar with General Douglas MacArthur’s famous “I shall return” pledge. The pledge was made after the General’s successful escape from the Philippines during World War II, and it soon became the cornerstone of his strategy in the Pacific Theatre as well as a rallying cry for the guerilla movement in the Philippines. Although the pledge is very famous, few people understand how difficult it was to make the promise a reality. This month’s podcast takes a look at the battles – both military and bureaucratic – that MacArthur fought to honor his promise.
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"A Striking Ornament" - The MacArthur Memorial Building
Many visitors are curious about the building that houses General Douglas MacArthur’s tomb and museum. Known today as the MacArthur Memorial, the building was once the City of Norfolk’s City Hall and Courthouse. Constructed in 1850, the building has played a central role in many local and national dramas over the years. This month’s podcast delves into the history of the building - from the initial wishes of Norfolk’s citizens to create “a striking ornament” to represent the city, to the building’s eventual role as the MacArthur Memorial.
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Wainwright & MacArthur
The careers of General Douglas MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright are indelibly intertwined with one of the darkest moments in American military history – the fall of the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. Even though both men received the Medal of Honor for their handling of the doomed situation in the Philippines, Bataan and Corregidor would haunt them for the rest of their lives. This month’s podcast highlights both men against the backdrop of Bataan and Corregidor.
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Investigating MacArthur's Decorations
During his 52 year military career, General Douglas MacArthur received more than 100 decorations – including the Medal of Honor – making him one of the most highly decorated officers in U.S. military history. Many of these decorations are on display in the MacArthur Memorial today, and visitors to the Memorial are often curious about the circumstances behind some of these awards. This podcast will provide background information on MacArthur’s three Distinguished Service Crosses, seven Silver Stars, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and two Purple Hearts.
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Superheroes, the Comics, and World War II
As part of the material culture of the 1940s, comic books can provide World War II historians with information about everyday people and the times they lived in. Superman, Captain America, and other superheroes didn’t really fight in World War II, but the comics did influence public perceptions of the war and provide an outlet for national aspirations and fears. They created a black and white world of heroes and villains, whose adventures were acted out against the backdrop of a very real war and its very real players. As we will see, even General Douglas MacArthur was featured in the comics!
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The General's Mother
Mary “Pinky” Hardy MacArthur was a formidable woman. Her son General Douglas MacArthur regarded her as one of the dominating factors of his life. As Army Chief of Staff in the 1930’s, he remarked that she had raised his father to a Lieutenant General’s three stars, and he attributed his own greater success to the fact that she had a much earlier start with him. This month’s podcast provides a brief overview of the life of “Pinky” and her relationship with her son.
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Truman Fires MacArthur
On April 11, 1951, General MacArthur was relieved of his command by President Truman, ending his 52 year military career. Both men had been increasingly at odds with each other since August 1945 - almost from the day Truman chose MacArthur to accept the Japanese surrender and oversee the occupation. It was during the Korean War however that their divergent views on U.S. foreign policy and Communist China brought them into open conflict. This month's podcast reviews the final events that led to MacArthur's relief.
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Escape From Corregidor
In March 1942, General MacArthur, his wife Jean, his son Arthur, and select members of his staff quietly boarded PT 41 in the Philippines. They were embarking on a dangerous escape attempt. Against all odds, the escape was successful, and from the safety of Australia MacArthur would utter the famous promise: “I shall return.” For the next two and a half years however, those left behind on Bataan and Corregidor knew only captivity, horror, and death. This month’s podcast examines the escape and MacArthur’s thoughts on leaving.
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MacArthur, Thurgood Marshall, and Integration During the Korean War
On January 14, 1951, right in the middle of the Korean War, Thurgood Marshall arrived in Japan as a special representative of the NAACP. He had been sent to meet with General MacArthur and to conduct an investigation into irregularities in the courts martial of thirty nine black soldiers. This podcast examines MacArthur and integration during the Korean War through the lens of the issues that brought Thurgood Marshall to Japan and Korea.
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These Fields of Friendly Strife - The General and Football
Today, few people are aware of General Douglas MacArthur’s contributions to football. As a player, a devoted fan, and an advocate of the sport, MacArthur’s interest in football was both personal and professional. A competitor at heart, he just loved the game. As a leader, he recognized the practical benefit of football on leadership and citizenship. Summing up his feelings about football, MacArthur once explained: “In war and peace, I have found football men to be my greatest reliance.”
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Nine Hours to Disaster - MacArthur's Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States of America at Pearl Harbor. While December 7th is a date etched in the minds of many Americans, few are aware that a similar attack on American forces took place in the Philippines on December 8, 1941. At the time, General MacArthur was commander of US forces in the Philippines. This month we are going to examine MacArthur’s response to the attacks – something that has bewildered scholars for decades.
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Arthur MacArthur, Jr. and the Civil War
Decades before Douglas MacArthur became a household name during World War II and the Korean War, his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr. achieved almost equal military fame during the Civil War. Although he was initially ridiculed by the men of his command at the beginning of his military career in 1862, by the time the Civil War ended he was a recognized war hero and a 20 year old Colonel, affectionately known as the “Boy Colonel.” Arthur MacArthur’s Civil War service would have a major impact on his son Douglas, who was driven throughout his own career to emulate if not surpass his father’s success.
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The Meeting at Wake Island
On October 15, 1950, President Harry S. Truman and General Douglas MacArthur met on Wake Island. Five and a half years into Truman’s presidency, it was their first meeting. Given the extreme differences that ultimately emerged between both men, many look to the meeting at Wake Island for hints of the drama to come. This month’s podcast will address why the meeting took place and what actually happened there.
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MacArthur and the 5000 to 1 Gamble
The amphibious invasion at Inchon in September of 1950 was General MacArthur’s greatest battlefield triumph. It completely surprised the North Korean forces and altered the momentum of the Korean War. Although the invasion was ultimately successful, in the beginning there was little support for it and many were convinced that Inchon would be a disaster. This month, we take a look at how MacArthur ultimately packaged and sold the idea of landing at Inchon to its critics.
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MacArthur and the Atomic Bomb
On the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we take a look at MacArthur and the atomic bomb – how and when he found out about the bomb, what he knew about the potential targets, and how he reacted to its use on both cities. As with many things about MacArthur, his thoughts on the bomb were complex.
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MacArthur and the Bonus March
This month, we take a look at the Bonus March of 1932 and MacArthur’s actions and decision making during this controversial event. In popular culture, MacArthur has played the role of villain of the Bonus March – he did after all help to evict homeless and jobless World War I veterans from Washington, D.C. where they had been pressing Congress for benefits. But is there more to the story?
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