GLOSSARY - EISENHOWER IN WAR AND PEACE

[Bryan]

Good job guys.

[José Luís]

Patrick J. Hurley



Patrick J. Hurley, (born Jan. 8, 1883, Indian Territory, U.S.—died July 30, 1963, Santa Fe, N.M.), military diplomat who served abroad—especially in the Far East—as a personal representative of high U.S. political officials during World War II.

Beginning the practice of law in Oklahoma (1908), Hurley served as a colonel in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. During the 1920s he became active in Republican Party politics, serving as secretary of war in the administration of President Herbert Hoover (1929–33). When the United States entered World War II (1941), he was promoted to brigadier general and went to the Far East as General George C. Marshall’s personal representative to examine the possibility of relieving U.S. troops on the island of Bataan. Three times he succeeded in delivering food and ammunition to the beleaguered force there and was present in Australia to greet General Douglas MacArthur when he was flown out.

Though Hurley was a staunch Republican, throughout the remainder of the war he served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s personal representative in various diplomatic capacities. After serving as minister to New Zealand (1942), he flew to Moscow and received permission to visit the Eastern Front—the first foreigner to do so; he next visited the Near East, Middle East, and China (1943) and Afghanistan (1944). As U.S. ambassador to China (1944–45), in the interest of unifying and strengthening the Chinese war effort, he attempted to reconcile the Nationalist (Kuomintang) government and the Communist faction in the north; his mission was a failure, and he resigned his post in November 1945.
(Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica)

More:
Hurley's 1945 resignation letter
Miller Center's biography
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Very brief informations on Hurley's military activities
Wikipedia's article on him
Hurley's diplomacy in China
(no image) Patrick J. Hurley and American Foreign Policy by Russell D. Buhite (no photo)
by Xiaobing Li (no photo)
by Lyman P. Van Slyke (no photo)
by David Shavit (no photo)
by David Mayers (no photo)
by James S. Hirsch (no photo)

[José Luís]

Bonus Army and Bonus Army fiasco



In 1924, a grateful Congress voted to give a bonus to World War I veterans - $1.25 for each day served overseas, $1.00 for each day served in the States. The catch was that payment would not be made until 1945. However, by 1932 the nation had slipped into the dark days of the Depression and the unemployed veterans wanted their money immediately.

In May of that year, some 15,000 veterans, many unemployed and destitute, descended on Washington, D.C. to demand immediate payment of their bonus. They proclaimed themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force but the public dubbed them the "Bonus Army". Raising ramshackle camps at various places around the city, they waited.

The veterans made their largest camp at Anacostia Flats across the river from the Capitol. Approximately 10,000 veterans, women and children lived in the shelters built from materials dragged out of a junk pile nearby - old lumber, packing boxes and scrap tin covered with roofs of thatched straw.

Discipline in the camp was good, despite the fears of many city residents who spread unfounded "Red Scare" rumors. Streets were laid out, latrines dug, and formations held daily. Newcomers were required to register and prove they were bonafide veterans who had been honorably discharged. Their leader, Walter Waters, stated, "We're here for the duration and we're not going to starve. We're going to keep ourselves a simon-pure veteran's organization. If the Bonus is paid it will relieve to a large extent the deplorable economic condition."

June 17 was described by a local newspaper as "the tensest day in the capital since the war." The Senate was voting on the bill already passed by the House to immediately give the vets their bonus money. By dusk, 10,000 marchers crowded the Capitol grounds expectantly awaiting the outcome. Walter Waters, leader of the Bonus Expeditionary Force, appeared with bad news. The Senate had defeated the bill by a vote of 62 to 18. The crowd reacted with stunned silence. "Sing America and go back to your billets" he commanded, and they did. A silent "Death March" began in front of the Capitol and lasted until July 17, when Congress adjourned.

A month later, on July 28, Attorney General Mitchell ordered the evacuation of the veterans from all government property, Entrusted with the job, the Washington police met with resistance, shots were fired and two marchers killed. Learning of the shooting at lunch, President Hoover ordered the army to clear out the veterans. Infantry and cavalry supported by six tanks were dispatched with Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur in command. Major Dwight D. Eisenhower served as his liaison with Washington police and Major George Patton led the cavalry.

By 4:45 P.M. the troops were massed on Pennsylvania Ave. below the Capitol. Thousands of Civil Service employees spilled out of work and lined the streets to watch. The veterans, assuming the military display was in their honor, cheered. Suddenly Patton's troopers turned and charged. "Shame, Shame" the spectators cried. Soldiers with fixed bayonets followed, hurling tear gas into the crowd.

By nightfall the BEF had retreated across the Anacostia River where Hoover ordered MacArthur to stop. Ignoring the command, the general led his infantry to the main camp. By early morning the 10,000 inhabitants were routed and the camp in flames. Two babies died and nearby hospitals overwhelmed with casualties. Eisenhower later wrote, "the whole scene was pitiful. The veterans were ragged, ill-fed, and felt themselves badly abused. To suddenly see the whole encampment going up in flames just added to the pity."
(Source: Eyewitness to History)

More:
Article on History Net
Eyewitness account
PBS' doccumentary
Bonus Army and the legacy of the Bonus Army fiasco
Article on the Bonus Army with lots of pictures and songs
by W.W. Waters (no photo)
by Michael J. Rawl (no photo)
by Donald A. Ritchie (no photo)
by Louis W Liebovich (no photo)
by Paul Dickson