The General vs. the President

Posted on 13 June 2017 by H.W. Brands

From master storyteller and historian H W Brands, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America s future in the aftermath of World War II At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world When asked by a reporter about the possible use of atomic weapons in response to China s entry into the war, Truman replied testily, The military commander in the field will have charge of the use of the weapons, as he always has This suggested that General Douglas MacArthur, the willful, fearless, and highly decorated commander of the American and U.N forces, had his finger on the nuclear trigger A correction quickly followed, but the damage was done two visions for America s path forward were clearly in opposition, and one man would have to make way.Truman was one of the most unpopular presidents in American history Heir to a struggling economy, a ruined Europe, and increasing tension with the Soviet Union, on no issue was the path ahead clear and easy General MacArthur, by contrast, was incredibly popular, as untouchable as any officer has ever been in America The lessons he drew from World War II were absolute appeasement leads to disaster and a showdown with the communists was inevitable the sooner the better In the nuclear era, when the Soviets, too, had the bomb, the specter of a catastrophic third World War lurked menacingly close on the horizon.The contest of wills between these two titanic characters unfolds against the turbulent backdrop of a faraway war and terrors conjured at home by Joseph McCarthy From the drama of Stalin s blockade of West Berlin to the daring landing of MacArthur s forces at Inchon to the shocking entrance of China into the war, The General and the President vividly evokes the making of a new American era. New Read Books The General vs. the President By H.W. Brands – kino-fada.fr We know what we are in for The Americans can bomb us, they can destroy our industries, but they cannot defeat us on land They may even drop atom bombs on us What then They may kill a few million people Without sacrifice, a nation s independence cannot be upheld General Nieh Yen jung, Chief of Staff of China s People s Liberation Army, to Indian Ambassador K.M Panikkar, September 1950 North Korea best not make anythreats to the United States They will be met with fire and fury l We know what we are in for The Americans can bomb us, they can destroy our industries, but they cannot defeat us on land They may even drop atom bombs on us What then They may kill a few million people Without sacrifice, a nation s independence cannot be upheld General Nieh Yen jung, Chief of Staff of China s People s Liberation Army, to Indian Ambassador K.M Panikkar, Septembe...In another of his wonderful pieces, H.W Brands takes the reader into the world of the Korean War, alongside a battle that superseded that country s geographic and ideological fate The true clash arose between the military and political wings of the United States,specifically, General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman Opening the narrative, Brands provides the reader with context necessary to understand how both men reached their respective commands MacArthur had been working In another of his wonderful pieces, H.W Brands takes the reader into the world of the Korean War, alongside a battle that superseded that country s geographic and ideological fate The true clash arose between the military and political wings of the United States,specifically, General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman Opening the narrative, Brands provides the reader with context necessary to understand how both men reached their respective ...Interesting and informative look at the controversial decision to relieve Douglas MacArthur of command during the Korean War Perhaps too much time was spent on the introductory phase, but once the war began, the story picked up MacArthur s ego certainly played a great part in what happened In some ways, the situation reminded of that experienced between McClellan and Lincoln during the Civil War MacArthur seemed to have the same contempt for the civilians who ran the government Perhaps th Interesting and informative look at the controversial decision to relieve Douglas MacArthur of command during the Korean War Perhaps too much time was spent on the introductory phase, but once the war began, the story picked up MacArthur s ego certainly played a great part in what happened In some ways, the situation reminded of that experienced between McClellan and Lincoln during the Civil War MacArthur seemed to have the same contempt for the civilians who ran the government Perhaps the ...This is a great comparison study Professor Brands is a master storyteller I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.After World War II MacArthur was extremely popular The lessons he learned from WWII were absolute appeasement leads to disaster, and a showdown with the communists was inevitable and as far as Douglas MacArthur was concerned the sooner the better At the time, Truman was an unpopular president Truman faced a struggling economy, a ruined Europe and increasing hostilities with the This is a great comparison study Professor Brands is a master storyteller I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.After World War II MacArthur was extremely popular The lessons he learned from WWII were absolute appeasement leads to disaster, and a showdown with the communists was inevitable and as far as Douglas MacArthur was concerned the sooner the better At the time, Truman was an unpopular president Truman faced a struggling economy, a ruined Europe and increasing hostilities with the Soviet Union Senator Jo...On June 25, 1950 North Korea unleashed an attack against its southern neighbor that set off a war that resulted in 36,914 American casualties Many Americans are aware of the role of General Douglas MacArthur in the conflict, in particular his brilliant, but risky landing at Inchon that beat back the North Korean attack, and later in the war pursuing a strategy that led to Chinese intervention MacArthur s actions were very controversial and once the Chinese crossed the Yalu River with over 100, On June 25, 1950 North Korea unleashed an attack against its southern neighbor that set off a war that resulted in 36,914 American casualties Many Americans are aware of the role of General Douglas MacArthur in the conflict, in particular his brilliant, but risky landing at Inchon that beat back the North Korean attack, and later in the war pursuing a strategy that led to Chinese inter...A detailed, readable and engaging history of Truman and MacArthur s relationship Brands treats Trumanfavorably, but his treatment of both men is fair and evenhanded Brands describes the course of the war and MacArthur s attitude toward the possibility of Chinese intervention, as well as the schism between MacArthur on one side and the administration and the Joint Chiefs on the other, along with the Joint Chief s apparent lack of concern for the possibility of MacArthur advancing northwar A detailed, readable and engaging history of Truman and MacArthur s relationship Brands treats Trumanfavorably, but his treatment of both men is fair and evenhanded Brands describes the course of the war and MacArthur s attitude toward the possibility of Chinese intervention, as well as the schism between MacArthur on one side and the administration and the Joint Chiefs on the other, along with the Joint Chief s apparent lack of concern for the possibility of MacArthur advancing northward Truman also comes off as in over his head at times MacArthur s naivety is often breathtaking Al...This is the best way to learn history.read The General vs The President H.W Brands MustRead 5 parts, 68 chapters, 416 pages MustListen audio book is alsoexcellent 15 hrs 22 min ReviewTells the story of Truman and MacArthur and the Korean war How it nearly lead to WWIII and nuclear war but did in fact lead to Truman firing MacArthur under a storm of criticism It surveys events in Korea and W...I had read Truman s biography by David McCullough many years ago In fact, it was that very book that got me hooked on reading in my adult life excellent book However, prior to reading this book I had never read anything specifically about MacArthur This author did a great job blending their two stories in the context of world affairs during one of the main Cold War battles, Korea in the 1950s I really enjoyed reading this author because he convinced me MacArthur was totally justified in hi I had read Truman s biography by David McCullough many years ago In fact, it was that very book that got me hooked on reading in my adult life excellent book However, prior to reading this book I had never read anything specifically about MacArthur This author did a great job blending their two stories in the context of world affairs during one of the main Cold War battles, Korea in the 1950s I really enjoyed reading this author because he convinced me MacArthur was totally justified...A very good book, the author clearly comes down on Truman s side of history, but overall a fair treatment of all parties I am always amazed how many huge political decisions arethe result of personality than policy As a bonus this is a quite good, but basic, primer of the conflict in Korea.

English
13 June 2017

H.W. Brands