MacArthur got his on Arpil Fool’s Day, 1942. (Here in about 10 days). I bet his pants aren’t even dry yet from leaving the Philippines.
I can’t remember when Wainwright was recommended, I think it was June or July of this year, but MacArthur would doggedly block the recommendation until Truman stepped in (September 1945ish) and saw to it that Wainwright got the CMH.
I would certainly hope that there is more to his opposition than MacArthur’s patented arrogance but, like you, I haven’t looked at this any further than an analysis I did on the details of his citation itself over two years ago.
Life isn't fair and one is frequently reminded of that as men awarded valor medals say what they did didn't deserve mention when compared against things they saw others do yet received no recognition for. So much depends on the disposition of the commander at that point in time.
As it pertains to Wainwrights MOH, I would begin any analysis by allowing for the possibility that MacArthur had a personal metric based on his two previous MOH recommendations that had been blocked.
That Wainwright surrendered the entire archipelago probably played a role in MacArthur's mind. I don't know the answer but up until that point, had anyone been awarded a MOH that surrendered?
I also think MacArthur awarding Wainwright a DSC in Jan '42 for his service on Luzon and Bataan is also significant in that Wainwright's MOH citation specifically states that it is for his actions Between March '42 and May '42 after MacArthur was ordered to Australia. I can envision a number of different angles here.
The MOH may have amounted to a review and upgrade of the DSC when his service between March '42 and May '42 was also included. If true, he was still able to keep his DSC. Is this normal practice in event of an upgrade to also retain the lesser award? I don't know.
Having read none of the paper trail, I don't know but it would be interesting to learn when in relation to VJ-day Truman got involved with approving Wainwright's MOH.
Had it been filed away collecting dust between 1942 and mid 1945, I then think one would have to consider the mindset of Truman in light of reports by Americans recently freed from Japanese POW camps.
Someday, I'll look into these questions.