Evening star., 1950-10-26
By w. N. Shippen

critics. At Inchon, Douglas Macarthur
did it again. True, the hand that drew
the plan, even the voice which gave the
3 order, may have trembled a bit. Yet
the result bears its own proof that Mac
Arthur at 70 has lost none of his skill.
No less surprising than MacArthur's
continuing ability to make the best of
bad military situation is the fact that
SO many adverse opinions of him are
based on what he says, rather than on
what he does-on his attitude and per-
sonal mannerisms. rather than his
proven ability.
1t is safe to assume, in the light OF
the past. that many men who put the
Inchon plan into execution still are
convinced Macarthur is the biggest
heel who ever donned a brass hat. This
is especially true of sailors and Marines,
who had to take orders from an Army
general in the Pacific war.
The viewpoint is not too difficult to
understand for those with some per-
sonal experience of the Macarthur ap-
proach to public relations. I myself
saw the approach in Washington, dur
ing the bonus marches, and later in the
Pacific in the final stages of the war and
the early weeks of the occupation of
Japan. The approach sometimes was
good, but mostly it was very bad indeed.
This opinion is shared by the gen.
erals latest biographers-Frank Kelley.
acting foreign editor of the New York
Herald Tribune, and Cornelius Ryan Of
Newsweek's staff. Their compact. time
ly book. Macarthur: Man of Action"
is being published today by Doubleday
& Co.
The authors estimate of Macarthur
as military genius made several weeks
before the Inchon landings, will be diff
f1cult to refute, either in this generation
or those to come. Perhaps they are
right also when they suggest that he is
the object of two widely-separated
schools of thought-one rating him as a
genius; the other. as a self-rated genius.
There seems no doubt he is a man
dedicated with near-religious fervor to
upholding democratic ideals in the Pa
ciflc areas Of American influence.
And If genius is mostly hard work,
the general can qualify on this score
He is at his desk seven days a week,
often 10 hours day; he hasn't had a
4CoA tdSdb4O1 olIlCC 1CdIl 11dIUOI, Ic~
turned to the United States since 1887.
Some friends believe he has no inten-
ton Of returning.
It would seem, however. that a man
of such Spartan self-discipline might
require less than eight Japanese servants
in kimonos to serve him luncheon in
the home he shares with his wife and
12-year-old son Arthur The servants,
incidentally were enumerated by the
friendly biographers. This sort of thing,
like MacArthur's II Shall Return" proc
lamation. may 60 over big with the
local populations. but is unlikely to win
votes in presidential election. Yet the
tall, handsome general is q smash hit
in the Philippines, and even more so in
Japan-of all places.
The little people in the street seem
to think he is Clark Gable, or at least
modern deity come to clarity the
mystery Of democracy. MacArthur's
cleverness in making the Emperor his
Charley Mccarthy was misunderstood at
home. He built up the illusion until it
was time to hint that Charley wasn't
all he was cracked up to be.
BY that time. a. lot OF Americans were
almost as mad at him for his handling of
Hirohito as they were for his emphasiz-
ing of the big II" instead Of the broader
us" The truth seems to. be that
MacArthur's 50-year study Of Oriental
psychology left him ill-equipped to
understand psychology at home.
1t seems clear that some of the syco-
plants on MacArthur's public relations
staff in World War II shielded him
against some of the rude facts of
life. Very little was done, from
the human-interest standpoint, to
counteract the bitter and somewhat
prejudiced tales of returning servicemen.
The full weight of this load perhaps
never will be apparent to the general
unless he runs for President.
MacAlthur's relationships with Wash
ington, despite the fact that the late
President Roosevelt was one of his
stanchest admirers, have been almost
wholly official since he left in 1887.
Certainly, he has few fond memories to
look back upon. Here he. met some of
his bitterest defeats. Here, too. he
encountered the bonus army.
No military man ever had brighter
prospects here. One of the all-tine
honor graduates of WestEPoint, he re-
turned from France after World War
as the Army's youngest division COM
mander, with 13 decorations to show
for his valor, leadership and skill on
the battlefield.
He was jumped over the heads Of
senior officers to become the youngest
Chief of Staff in Army history. It was
time Of depression and deep budget
cuts. Macarthur got little help from
Congress for his plans to modernize an
Army which could muster little more
than 10000 combat troops.
Then came the bonus march. BY July
of 1882 the veterans were out of hand.
When the Police Department lost control,
the District Commissioners appealed to
President Hoover for help. and Mac
Arthur was ordered to evict the demon
strators. Already. two men had been