American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964

Come on. Aren't you all getting sick and tired of a book like this making Dougout Doug out to be the brilliant general who just was not understood although a bit eccentric. But, that is OK, all geniuses are due their peculiarities. But what Manchester does NOT consider is that MacArthur---although perhaps brilliant in a classroom or in writing or in speaking was an ineffective and even dangerous general. Aside from Inchon---which was really his staff---his record was worse than dismal. How many months did his ego cost us in the Pacific. And perhaps, if Nimitz had his way, the Soviets would not have gotten into North Korea. Again, not an American Caesar but more an American McClellan or American Westmoreland is more like it.

It's been over 30 years since William Manchester's definitive classic of Douglas MacArthur was first published. What the reader will learn is the rise of a military General's son who was both brilliant and also how do I say this without offending people, a legend in his own mind. As in all of Manchester's writing, his prose reads like a novel. Even though it does read easy, it is well researched. I read this book twice, once back in 1979 and later in 2003. What stands out is that MacArthur was indeed a man living in the 20th Century but with the mindset of a 19th Century man. MacArthur's matriculation at West Point was both historic in the fact that academically he was rated the highest standing of any cadet to graduate from West Point. Also his stay was rather odd in the fact that he was a mother's boy stated by the fact his mother lived for 4 years at the Hotel Thayer adjacent to USMC. His Army assignments took him to the Philippines and the Western Front as the youngest American General. He was fearless in combat and used his superior mind as a tactician and as a strategist. He indeed climbed the ranks rapidly. He became the Superintendent of West Point and later the Chief of Staff. He was both revered during World War II as well as despised. There seemed to be no middle ground. He was in charge in the Pacific when the instruments of surrender were signed on the USS Missouri in 1945. His greatest act as an occupying Governor of Japan ruling from the Dai Ichi, was his guidance of the Japanese government in post World War II. He was instrumental in developing a democratic form of government. He also was responsible for developing its economy. No small task indeed. It was later as Supreme Commander of the Allies in the Pacific during the Korean Conflict where MacArthur usurped his authority and undermined the President of the United States. MacArthur's failures in a flawed intelligence of the Red Chinese which led to the defeats at the Chosin Reservoir and Kanurni led to needless loss of lives. There was no excuse for these failures, it indeed was the result of hubris. To further complicate the matter MacArthur did not take any responsibility for these said failures. The fact of the matter Macarthur blamed the Truman administration and argued for an escalation to the hostilities with the Red Chinese. Truman did what needed to be done, he fired Macarthur. It indeed cost Truman another term as President but in the end he did do what was right. As for MacArthur, he had his parade in New York City. He addressed Congress. Later he gave his farewell speech at West Point. MacArthur was brilliant, but flawed. This book was done very well. Manchester wrote it with no bias. It is what it is. Five Stars! Good Job!!

This book is a classic. Even the title page is brilliant. MacArthur is The American Caesar, imperious and outstanding, always posturing and yet commanding a fanatical following. A complex man, his brilliance is constantly dogged by his insecurities, his successes balanced by his failures and so on. truly the modern Prometheus! He completely misread the Japanese intentions to bomb the Philippines and the Chinese determination to hang on to North Korea. His bizarre and brazen behaviour towards the last days of his command points to a man losing his grip with reality. Perhaps, the strain of playing centrestage for so long had taken its toll. Definitely not pro-MacArthur, Manchester does paint a sympathetic portrait of this great man.

This is perhaps the best biography of an American ever written. Manchester juxtaposes the good MacArthur (the military genius and patriotic family man) with the bad MacArthur (the megalomaniacal general whose lapse led to his entire air force being destoryed on the ground at Leyte; not even his wife called him "Douglas"). MacArthur is still one of the most polarizing figures in American history; I have spoken to WW2 and Korean veterans who either love him or hate him. This book is a study of greatness. No matter your opinion of MacArthur, one cannot deny the fact that he graduated from West Point with one of the highest averages ever, or how his post-war control of Japan shaped that nation's history. An excellent look into the life of an American Hero/Villain.

Manchester has produced a book that covers the entire life of the controversial five star general, from his infancy to his death, in the finest of detail and in a lively literary style. - If you want to know about MacArthur, this is the book for you. The author very carefully presents facts about the general and lets you the reader make up your mind on where the truth lies. Manchester does not appear to "take sides" in this book; he does not take the general and make him a god, nor does he denigrate what the general has done. He presents the many sides of this mysterious general and lets you, the reader, put it all together which is not difficult, since Manchester provides you the tools to do it: plenty of rich detail, plenty of quotes, excerpts of memos and messages, much detail on his private family life. Again, Manchester does not tell the reader what to think. For example, with the fall of the Philippnes, it seems that the general has made up his mind to stay and, along with his family, expects in a matter-of-fact way to commit suicide rather than be taken prisoner by the Japanese. You wonder about his wife and child, but Manchester doesn't tell you what they want to do: he lets them speak. - An excellent biography and significant historical account. Probably the best ever on MacArthur whether you like the general or not.

Manchester always writes a great book--he is a superb stylist and has an unusual knack for placing a historical figure in the context of his times. (I have previously read his biographies of H.L. Mencken and Churchill as well as Death of a President and The Arms of Krupp.) In this book, he really attempts to explore what motivated Douglas MacArthur, an extremely complex warrior-statesman. Especially good is his review of the famous Truman sacking of the general during the Korean War; in Manchester's eyes, this incident evolved out of ambiguous directions from the Joint Chiefs and the Chiefs' unwillingness to confront a powerful, winning senior officer. Especially amazing is the breadth of experience MacArthur had throughout his life--from Wild West stations with his general father through the post-Spanish-American War period in the Philippines, then the trenches of World War I, and finally the general's phenomenal recoveries after early disasters in the Philippines in World War II and in Korea. This is a balanced though sympathetic review of MacArthur's life--Manchester concedes that he was both a vain popinjay with a touch of paranoia, but also a brilliant military strategist and a true old-style liberal democrat in his viceregency in Japan after World War II. This is a "must read" for anyone interested in World War II and is a good companion to Manchester's personal account of his own experiences as a Marine in the South Pacific.