Talk about a man who "slipped through the cracks" of history! Makes you wonder how different things could have been without General Conner.
Once again in our history the right man at the right time.
I just ran across this article on MG Conner. How wonderful! Good for You! He has been a source of fascination to me for several years and I have devoted the last four to writing a soon to be published book on his life, as well as Eisenhower's mentoring while assigned to Camp Gaillard, Panama. It is unfortunate that Gen. Berry's article is still sold as accurate history. With all due espect to the General, who probably was ghost written, many of his dates and assignements do not jive with the official record nor does his version of Eisenhower's intro to Conner square with the historical record. Virgina Conner's long lost book, "What Father Forbad" offers unique insight into that relationship. Berry does not use it as a source.His date of the meeting is also a year off. His fact checker was asleep at the switch. It's unfortunate Gen. Berry put his name to this much used article, without having the facts verified. Also, as an aside, the picture of the bi-plane aircraft on the site is not from Panama in the 20's, but from actually from Eisenhower's assignment in the Philippines..next to Ike stands his close friend "Gee" Gerow who was killed in an aircraft accident while stationed there with Ike as the two were assigned as aides to MacArthur. An assignment that Ike came to loathe.
General Conner was a talented and blunt spoken man whose lines Patton often used; "the crap through a goose" line of the Geo. C. Scott film can be traced to a lecture given by Conner at the War College in 1933, with Patton attending. Conner and Patton were good friends having both married wealthy, strong willed women who were both pharmaceutical/notions heiresses.Avid outdoorsmen, they once rented a houseboat and fished their way from Tampa to Havanna Bay.
I agree MG Conner is a historical enigma...so much so that most of the bio's and snippets of his life are highly innacurate...being a very private man...he probably liked it that way.
I am happy to correspond with anyone regarding MG Conner, Camp Gaillard and young Major Eisenhower. My address is russlaw2000@yahoo.com
My best,
Russ S.