I leaerned that William Manchester is one darn good writer. Now I understand why Jacky Kennedy wanted him to write "Death of a President." He also wrote a history of the Pacific War that is excellent.

He is able to show Douglass Mac Arthur as a real person. No eeasy task for MacArthur was vain & had cultivated a persona tht was at times impossible to penetrate. Yet penetrate it Manchester did and American history is the richer for his efforts.

I was in the 4th grade when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Gen. MacArthur immediately became the Man of the Hour. almost every student in my class had a picture of him somewhere, on their notebook, locker, book covers, Looking back, I realize it must have been hard for our teachers to keep us from worry and depression as defeat followed defeat in the Pacific. We were too young to understand the ebb and flow of battles, actually even our teachers had not had that experience. That might have been why so much attention was focused on Gen. MacArthur. When he & his family arrived in Australia after escaping from the Philipines, it was hailed as a major victory.

Gen. MadArthur was at his peak as commander of the Pacific war. And he was exactly what the situation called for as he govermed defeated Japan.
Unfortunately, he stayed on the stage a little too long. Manchester shows us how MacArthur was not the man to lead the UN forces in Korea. He was over 70, he had his days of glory and ready to be retired, whether he wanted to or not. These are the years & months Manchester portrays best. He is sensative, caring and doesnt sugar-coat the facts. "American Caesar should be one of the first books read by any student of the Pacific War.