General MacArthur's Dismissal; The Truman-MacArthur Controversy
"No office boy, no charwoman, no servant of any sort would have been dismissed with such callous disregard for the ordinary decencies."
- General Douglas MacArthur
"In fact, MacArthur had no detailed plans for how to stop the Chinese advance. He seemed more interested in fighting a public relations battle with Washington." - Victor Davis Hanson: Author of The Savior Generals
"If we are not in Korea to win, then this Truman Administration should be indicted for the murder of thousands of American boys." - Rep. Joe Martin, House Republican leader
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DismissalFrom the very beginning, General MacArthur and President Truman held vastly different political agendas. MacArthur sought to spread the war into China, while Truman feared the outbreak of World War III. MacArthur stubbornly stuck to his belief that America should fight communism wherever it existed. Regardless of the President's requests, MacArthur attempted to seize the Yalu River, but was unsuccessful. This began the deterioration of the United Nations war effort. These acts of insubordination led to his dismissal.
"I got the impression talking to his staff officers that they had an absolute contempt for the Truman Administration. Their idea was that the only man in the world who knew anything about the situation in the Far East was General MacArthur." - General Smith, Marine
President Truman's Dismissal of General MacArthur
"No man in uniform, be he private or five-star general, may decide for himself whether an order is consonant with his personal views. While the loyalty he owes his superiors is reciprocated with equal force in loyalty owed him from above, the authority of his superiors is not open to question." - General Matthew Ridgway
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