Truman and MacArthur: Policy, Politics, and the Hunger for Honor and Renown

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Michael D. Pearlman retired in 2006 as a professor of history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth. He is author of Warmaking and American Democracy: The Struggle over Military Strategy, 1700 to the Present and To Make Democracy Safe for America: Patricians and Preparedness in the Progressive Era. U. S. History “Pearlman understands far better than most the underlying and widespread consequences of the clash between two highly motivated and somewhat egotistical giants. He rightly places the debate between MacArthur and Truman into the larger context . . . of the questions of civilian and constitutional authority, much like those being raised now about the war in Iraq.” Paul Edwards, Director, Center for the Study of the Korean War “Drawing on a lifetime of study and research, Michael Pearlman expertly analyzes the relationship between President Harry S. Truman and General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War, demonstrating how policies, politics, and personalities entwined to shape their confrontation. He deftly places that confrontation within the context of grand strategy, military operations, history, culture, and domestic politics, portraying with verve and color the panorama of conflict in East Asia during a critical period of American history.” Colonel (Retired) Donald W. Boose, Jr., author of U.S. Army Forces in the Korean War INDIANA University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis http://iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796 Truman & MacArthur Jacket photos: Harry S. Truman. Portrait by Leo Stern; Douglas MacArthur. Department of Defense; President Truman and General MacArthur at Wake Island, October 15, 1950. Department of State. All Courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Library. POLICY, POLITICS, AND THE HUNGER FOR HONOR AND RENOWN Truman MacArthur Michael D. Pearlman $29.95 This book offers an objective and comprehensive account of the very public confrontation between a sitting president and a well-known military figure over the military’s role in the conduct of foreign policy. On November 19, 1950, with the army of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea mostly destroyed, Chinese military forces crossed the Yalu River. They routed the combined United Nations forces and pushed them on a long retreat down the Korean peninsula. Hoping to strike a decisive blow, the commander of the Far East Theater, General Douglas MacArthur, pressed the administration of President Harry S. Truman for authorization to attack Manchuria with conventional weapons and for permission to deploy nuclear weapons in Korea. Truman refused, and MacArthur began to argue his case in the press, in violation of long-standing tradition concerning civilian control of the military. In March 1951, after a UN counterattack turned the tide of the war, Truman alerted MacArthur of his intention to initiate cease-fire talks. MacArthur quickly issued his own ultimatum to China, designed to undercut Truman’s negotiating position. Such insubordination could not stand. On April 11, 1951, Truman relieved MacArthur of his command. This book explores partisan politics in Washington and the political power of military officers in an administration too weak to carry national policy on its own accord. It also discusses America’s relations with European allies and its position toward Formosa (Taiwan), the core of the dispute between Truman and MacArthur. Truman & MacArthur ✪ Pearlman Truman & MacArthur Indiana Truman & MacArthur Truman & Policy, Politics, and the Hunger for Honor and Renown MacArthur Michael D. Pearlman Indiana University Press ✪ Bloomington and Indianapolis This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA http://iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 Orders by e-mail iuporder@indiana.edu© 2008 by Michael D. Pearlman All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pearlman, Michael D., date Truman and MacArthur : policy, politics, and the hunger for honor and renown / Michael D. Pearlman.     p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-253-35066-4 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Korean War, 1950–1953—United States. 2. Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972. 3...