“Truman knew a hero when he saw one...”
Didn’t help MacArthur much.
Actually, MacArthur was vain and relatively unskilled. Except for deep political connections Roosevelt couldn’t afford to offend in WWII, he would have been fired early in the war. The existence of MacArthur probably prolonged the war in Pacific by at least 6 months and cost tens of thousands of lives.
The single honest success MacArthur had was dealing with post war Japan. That was his masterpiece and there he was the perfect man for that moment in history.
Speaking of not recognizing a hero when he saw one, MacArthur had the same affliction. We rightfully condemn the cop in the Capitol building who murdered Ashli Babbitt cold blood.
MacArthur did the same thing to the WWI bonus marchers. Deliberately disobeying a direct Presidential command, he crossed the bridge into their camp and attacked and burned them out killing 2. Ordered to cease the attack, he instead deemed it an insurrection and launched a cavalry charge and intensified his operation.
Isn’t that the truth. There must have been a very good reason he was never told about the Manhattan Project, until he took over as President on FDR’s death.
The issues with MacArthur are deep seated in the fact that Truman was rejected by West Point (he could not see-vision issues glasses had to correct too bad vision), and personality of a “little man”. Which is interesting also, because in WWI he failed to follow direct orders and was to be court martialed for firing artillery where he was not to do so- and saved the 28th Division for that initiative. MacArthur was simply a brilliant military leader, and imperious (another thing in behavour the little banty rooster could not tolerate- since he had to scruffle his way up every chain of command/responsiblity and was an “operator” hustling in the dem Missouri machine).
Never liked Truman- but there are things in his life that explain who he became. FDR dumped a supposed Leftist Henry Wallace (a successful agriculture/seed producer that the urban FDR business thieves of the New Deal did not trust), for Truman’s dem machine delivery of Missouri and midwest agricultural interests, and... oil.