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I have read extensively, and nearly everything I have read about MacArthur lends a negative taint to his persona for me.

He was smart, there is no doubt there. And he had military gifts, Inchon was a good example.

But his actions in the South Pacific with regard to interservice rivalry disgusted me. At one point, it became so contentious, that to head off problems, they simply redefined the latitudes and longitudes that defined responsibility in order to preclude MacArthur throwing a fit about some operational thing or another that was being considered.

His behavior in collaboration was contemptible. I make no bones that I am a huge fan of Admiral Nimitz, and if there ever was a human being who deserved to have a supercarrier named after him, it would be Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

Throughout the war, Nimitz made repeated efforts to meet personally with Douglas MacArthur, and invited him repeatedly to Noumea (when he flew from Pearl Harbor) to meet in person. It is across the Coral Sea, about 900 miles, but MacArthur repeatedly told Nimitz he was too busy. Over and over again. Nimitz had to fly about 4000 miles to get to the South Pacific.

But Nimitz, even being as busy as he was would make the effort to invite MacArthur to meet him, which MacArthur always declined, and would then invite Nimitz to visit him.

Nimitz, being the considerate and gracious man he was, never outwardly criticized MacArthur for this. He was far too polite and circumspect to do that, even to close aides. But to my eyes, that is just terrible.

I don’t care much for MacArthur. I give him credit for the job he did occupying Japan after the war, he was the right person for the job. And his assault at Inchon in Korea was impressive.

I will give MacArthur this, though: after the Typhoon Cobra incident where there were people talking disrespectfully behind Halsey’s back, and doing it quite openly, MacArthur did put his foot down on one occasion when it was done while he was present in a large group, and told people to lay off. Halsey made a mistake, but he was a fighting man that MacArthur apparently respected. Granted, he did try to turn Halsey against his own service by telling him “If you come with me, I’ll make you a greater man than Nelson ever dreamed of being!

Halsey, as puffed up as that may have made him, knew full well he couldn’t do that.