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American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964 #1
American Caesar
ok at a controversial American figure, based on meticulous, three-years' worth of research.
- GenresHistory
Audio Cassette
Published January 1, 1992
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About the author
William Manchester
79 books562 followersWilliam Raymond Manchester was an American author and biographer, notable as the bestselling author of 18 books that have been translated into 20 languages.He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 8, 2014
I've never been a big MacArthur fan. His hyper-ego, his imperial ways, his tendency to play the blame game, and his fondness for extremely purple pronouncements spoken with Shakespearean fervor disinclined me to feel otherwise.
The fine historian W.R. Manchester makes no effort to overlook these less-than-charming qualities in the general's character. But this extensive and balanced account made me more aware of MacArthur's more sterling qualities, such as his personal courage--he won 7 Silver Stars in WWI, for example, and eventually added twenty-some others, including the Medal of Honor.
Manchester quotes more than one senior officer or statesman--including some who didn't like MacArtur-agreeing that the general was one of the greatest large-theater commanders, both in tactics and strategy, in the history of the country and of the West. And as the American dictator in situ for Japan, he was surprisingly benign, setting the stage for the successful democracy that ensued.
In war, MacArthur played to win, which is why he had a problem in Korea. The general's suggestions, for example, included using nukes to create an impassible radioactive belt between North Korea and China. Effective, perhaps, but rather draconian.
My appreciation for the general increased--but I'm glad he never became president, as many of his adherents wanted.
The fine historian W.R. Manchester makes no effort to overlook these less-than-charming qualities in the general's character. But this extensive and balanced account made me more aware of MacArthur's more sterling qualities, such as his personal courage--he won 7 Silver Stars in WWI, for example, and eventually added twenty-some others, including the Medal of Honor.
Manchester quotes more than one senior officer or statesman--including some who didn't like MacArtur-agreeing that the general was one of the greatest large-theater commanders, both in tactics and strategy, in the history of the country and of the West. And as the American dictator in situ for Japan, he was surprisingly benign, setting the stage for the successful democracy that ensued.
In war, MacArthur played to win, which is why he had a problem in Korea. The general's suggestions, for example, included using nukes to create an impassible radioactive belt between North Korea and China. Effective, perhaps, but rather draconian.
My appreciation for the general increased--but I'm glad he never became president, as many of his adherents wanted.
December 3, 2022
It is easy to dislike MacArthur, seeing his vanity -- no matter how well founded -- a basis for the insubordination that predated Truman was such an issue for Truman to deal with. However, for the benign, benevolent and even beneficial rule over conquered Japan I see him as wide and enlightened. Imagine what the Middle East political landscape today if the Coalition Provisional Authority transitional government of Iraq established following the invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by the U.S.-led Multinational Force (or 'the coalition') and even the Afghan Interim Administration, the first administration of Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime was guided so sagely.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews