Evening star., 1951-04-27
The Riddle Of Macarthur
The Riddle Of Macarthur
Generals Split With Truman
Over Policy Was Inevitable
Commander Credited With nchon Success;
3Sth Parallel Started First Major Dispute

ootH FuTQltel ST0Frl
This is the last in a series iron
John Gunther's new book, "Th
Riddle of Macarthur. Mr.. Gun
ther completed the book befor
the climax of the Truman-M Mac
Arthur controversy which resulte'
in the generals custer and, there
fore. does not write of that phase
By John Gunther
The Inchon landing was from
top to bottom a Macarthur con
cept. The Joint Chiefs were fright
ened by it. and Gen. Collins ant
Admiral Sherman went all tn
way to Tokyo to talk to Gen. Mac
Arthur before they were convinced
that it was not too dangerous ant
risky. Gen. Macarthur was, a.
usual, brilliantly persuasive. ane
the landing went through withou
o hitch. His chief motive for In
chon was to try to end the wal
quickly.
Immediately after the capture o.
Seoul came a major policy dispute
whether or not United Nations
forces should penetrate into North
Korea above the 38th parallel
and ferocious polemics between
Gen. Macarthur and his critics in
Washington. London. Paris. Lake
Success, and elsewhere, have beer
proceeding ever since. For a time
strictly military news from Korea
was all but inundated by the fierce
exchange of charges and counter
charges between Gen. Macarthur
and his various critics.
Late in November. after the
American capture of Pyongyang
and when it seemed that the war
would end soon with a resounding
u. N. victory, the Chinese started
to fight. This was, needless to say
a profound and brutal shock to
Gen. Macarthur. A shower OF
statements trying to explain what
had happened continued to pour
out of him. He cried out that he
was suddenly forced to face IAN
entirely new war" and that he
confronted handicaps without
precedent in military history"
Mr.. Truman, the President at
home; Gen. Macarthur, the pro-
consul in the f1eld-solne sort OF
argument, if not conflict, was in
evitable between them. Two more
different types of men can scarcely
be imagined, and the issue-who
was boss-waS classically funda-
mental.
Formosa Visit Was Surprise
Mr.. Truman on June 27, 1850,
made a celebrated double refer
ence to Formosa. First, he ordered
the United States 7th Fleet to pre-
vent any attack on Formosa" by
the Chinese Communists. Second,
he requested the Chang Kai-shek
government to stop any military
action against the mainland. out
Of fear that this might precipitate
a wholesale conflict between the
United States and China.
On July 81 Gen. Macarthur sud-
denly few to Formosa, and spent
a day and a half consulting with
the Generalissimo. Neither Mr..
Truman nor Gen. MacArthur's
chiefs in the Pentagon were in
formed beforehand of this step,
according to the first news re-
leased. The General took the line
that. as American commander IN
Japan and United Nations COM
mander in Korea, he had not
merely the right but the duty to
inspect personally the Formosa
sector, since he had the specific
obligation to defend it. The visit
was interpreted almost everywhere
in the East-particularly by
Chiang's own people-as meaning
that the United States at long
last had come around to well
coming the Generalissimo back in
to the fold and forgiving all.
This was too much for Wash
ington to take. After all it is the
function of the President, not of
any theater commander, to make
foreign policy. Mr.. Truman sent
Averell Hartman out to Tokyo.
Mr.. Hartman made the trip out
to Japan and back in five days.
There followed much bleary face
saving. Mr.. Hartman announced
that the administration leaders
had, after all, known of the Mac
Arthur trip beforehand (but not
exactly when he was going) and
that it was entirely natural" that
the Supreme Commander should
want to visit Formosa. The Amer
ican attitude to Formosa, Mr..
Hartman said, was unchanged.
Then on August 10. Gen. Mac
Arthur issued a statement in his
most furious vein. He said with
aggressive emphasis that his visit
to Formosa was limited entirely
to military matter" my visit. +"
the general stated, has been
maliciously represented to the
public by those who invariably. in
the past, have propagandized a
policy of defeatisrn and appease-
ment in the Pacific.
Repercussi0ns Heard Abroad
This uproar had important re-
percussions abroad. In important
organs of the London press came
editorials under such titles as
THE Menace of Gen. Macarthur. !"
In reply the Supreme Commander
issued another indignant state
ment, this time directed against
London, and protesting at the
attempt of the British government
ito arrogate it itself, under the
guise of membership in the United
Nations" the right to pass judg-
ment on "the propriety of the mis-
sion of an American officer"
Later there came another ex-