Review of American Ceasar - an Autobiography of Douglas Macarthur

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liberties, founding democratic government and plotting a course that would make Japan one of the leading industrial powers of the 21st century. MacArthur was the interim leader of Japan from 1945 to 1948.During this time, he drafted a new Japanese constitution, conducted a major land reform, and enforced the sentences for Japanese war crimes which saw about 4,300 Japanese, Taiwanese, and Koreans convicted, around 1,000 sentenced to death, and hundreds given life sentences in prison. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. The UN delegated the US to select a commander to lead the coalition against the North Koreans. By August, the attacks on the border had lessened by the North Koreans and MacArthur took the fight to them. That September, he led a hugely successful amphibious landing at Inchon, deep behind North Korean lines. The UN Coalition recaptured Seoul and forced the North Korean forces to retreat northwards. Confident in his ability to secure another victory, he brushed off the looming Chinese threat. A month later, his view had changed as 300,000 Chinese soldiers stealthily intervened, moving at night and digging in at day. Starting November 25, the Chinese Army successfully attacked the UN forces in a series of battles, pushing them back further and further. As the war continued, talk of using another atomic bomb arose. MacArthur, however, disapproved of these plans although he did formulate a plan at one point to separate the Koreas with radioactive poisons. After European leaders raised concerns about MacArthur attempting to draw re-focus American policy from Europe to Asia, and on April 10th of 1951, General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of duty to the shock and disapproval of the majority of US citizens. He made his final official appearance in a farewell speech to Congress, where he was greeted with over 50 standing ovations. He went on to become a presidential consultant, referring with presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson about the wars in Korea and Vietnam. He also made journeys to the Philippines and West Point, where President Carlos Garcia decorated him with the Philippine Legion of Honor and he was honored with the Sylvanus Thayer Award for his service to the nation. On April 5, 1964, Douglas MacArthur died at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center of biliary cirrhosis. President Lyndon Johnson, confirming President Kennedy’s authorization before his death, ordered that the General be buried “with all the honor a grateful nation can bestow upon a departed hero.” After a funeral procession to the Capitol Building, about 150,000 people paid their respects to one of the greatest military leaders in US history. He was eventually laid to rest in the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in the Norfolk City Hall in Norfolk, Virginia.

William Manchester’s view of Douglas MacArthur was fairly balanced, praising the general for his tactical genius and administrative skill while condemning his narcissism, paranoia, and multiple insubordinations. As the title implies, Manchester compares MacArthur to the likes of the Ancient Emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar. He notes their similarities in political ambitions, military proficiencies, and egotistical personalities. I feel that the author admires the general for his military and political accomplishments, such as his victories in France during WWI, his conquest of the Pacific in WWII, and his political reforms in Japan. However, Manchester seems to question some of MacArthur’s (and his mother’s) Douglas MacArthur-centered motives such as Pinkie’s behind the scenes petitioning for her son’s promotions and the fit MacArthur threw when being denied the Medal of Honor twice.

While General MacArthur had his egotistical flaws, he was still one of the best military personnel in the United States’ relatively short history. He earned nearly every applicable medal and decoration the army could bestow upon him, such as the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross, as well as some that the Army couldn’t, such as naval, air force and foreign awards as well. What made him an important character in the course of history was his capabilities and victories on the battlefield such as the recapturing of the Pacific during WWII. He not only served in three of the largest wars ever fought on this planet, he was also the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, which means that any and all battles in the Pacific Theater of WWII after 1942 was under his command. If today’s people were to look at MacArthur as a role model, we would be a very successful, albeit self-serving society. This makes him a good role-model for people today, just perhaps not the first choice.

William Manchester’s book, American Caesar, is a brilliant book that I would recommend to any student doing a project on General Douglas MacArthur. Thorough and extremely detailed, this book covers just about any question you could have about the General and will provide you with more than enough information for this to be your one and only needed source for a research project. It also includes 8 war maps featured between pages 430 and 431 that helped me to fully realize the extent of MacArthur’s campaigns. The only downside to this book is its size. Measuring in at about 800 pages, this is not just a weekend read but requires dedicated time to sit and absorb the information held in the pages.

American Caesar is a remarkably well-groomed book, detailing nearly every moment of Douglas MacArthur’s life. Starting with his birth and traveling through the multiple wars and skirmishes he fought in, to the hero’s welcome he received on the homefront, to his eventual death, American Caesar is one of the best military biographies of the 20th Century.

Manchester, William. American Caesar, Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964. New York:

Little, Brown and Company, 1978.