MacArthur Dies: Controversial General's Six-Decade Career Ends

Douglas MacArthur waded ashore in the Philippines on October 20, 1944, with cameras rolling, and delivered the line he had been rehearsing for two and a half years: "People of the Philippines, I have returned." Born on January 26, 1880, in Little Rock, Arkansas, MacArthur was the son of a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient and grew up in the military establishment. He graduated first in his class at West Point in 1903 with the highest academic record in 25 years. His military career spanned both world wars, the Korean War, and the American occupation of Japan. He commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II, accepting Japan's formal surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. He then served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers during the occupation of Japan, effectively governing the country for six years and overseeing the drafting of a new constitution that renounced war and established democratic institutions. When North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, MacArthur commanded the United Nations forces and executed the brilliant amphibious landing at Inchon that reversed the course of the war. But as Chinese forces entered the conflict, MacArthur publicly advocated for expanding the war into China, including the possible use of nuclear weapons. President Truman, who wanted to keep the war limited, fired him on April 11, 1951, for insubordination. The dismissal triggered a political firestorm. MacArthur addressed a joint session of Congress, receiving 30 minutes of standing ovations. Truman privately called the speech "nothing but a bunch of damn bullshit." MacArthur died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on April 5, 1964. He was 84.