newspapers defended MacArthur, not just in big cities, but in small towns across the country. The Indianapolis News predicted it would instill “a new pride in [the] federal structure,” and the Santa Cruz Sentinel faulted authorities only for waiting so long. Ike was not deceived, and press coverage gradually soured as details of the rout were revealed. Eisenhower knew better than to break publicly with his commanding officer, but he had seen what he had seen.
In 1935, as MacArthur concluded his tenure as chief of staff, Eisenhower looked forward to leaving the Pentagon and receiving a command of his own, a return to leading troops rather than aiding a great man. MacArthur, however, was invited to command the construction of the army for the newly independent Philippines. He accepted and insisted that Ike join him. Twenty years after requesting the Philippines upon graduation from West Point, Eisenhower now received the belated assignment. Reluctantly, he went.
By the time Eisenhower shipped out to the Philippines in the final days of 1935, he recognized that he was entering the higher ranks of history. He began to keep a journal, and though his attention to it was sporadic, it marks the first evidence of an emerging self-awareness, of a sense that his was a story worth recording. It also supplies a convincing counterargument to the later contention that Eisenhower was clumsy with words. It is a direct and graceful document, not exactly introspective, but self-critical and occasionally deep. It records his admiration for MacArthur’s ability alongside his increasing skepticism of MacArthur’s integrity. In May 1936, Ike remarked on a decision made “quite suddenly” with unexpected effects on their mission. A few months later, Eisenhower noted MacArthur’s vacillation over the acceptance of a Filipino military title and observed the general’s reaction to the offer: “He is tickled pink—and feels he’s made a lot of ‘face’ locally.” By the fall of 1936, bemusement had grown to outright critique, as Eisenhower complained of a “bawling out” over a difference of opinion with MacArthur regarding the coming presidential election, in which MacArthur had become convinced that Alf Landon was a shoo-in to defeat Roosevelt. When Ike and a colleague disagreed, MacArthur responded with an “almost hysterical condemnation of our stupidity.” Eisenhower’s diary entry for that day concludes with the universal lament of the subordinate in the service of an unworthy boss: “Oh hell.”
The relationship between Eisenhower and MacArthur stretched over decades and defies glib synopsis. Their correspondence is a study in guardedness, with Eisenhower frequently writing to flatter his former boss and complain that reporters had fabricated enmity between them. Invariably, MacArthur shrugged off the suggestions of discord or jealousy as his former subordinate claimed an ever more prominent role in the life of the nation. No matter how much Ike disavowed those reports, however, they captured his essential view of MacArthur: he was, in Eisenhower’s estimation, startlingly vain and alarmingly contemptuous of command. Eisenhower similarly was flabbergasted at MacArthur’s willingness to casually blame his subordinates for his own mistakes. “He had an obsession that a high commander must protect his public image at all costs and must never admit his wrongs,” Eisenhower said in 1967.
The Eisenhowers weathered the Philippine years together. John spent much of his youth in the islands. He was a successful Boy Scout and shared the unair-conditioned hotel suite with his parents, absorbing military culture and eventually finding his steps within his father’s. Thus, by the time Washington summoned Ike home, he was a proud father and a seasoned senior officer. It was with his son that Eisenhower shared his most considered thoughts on leadership, those acquired from the likes of Conner, Patton, and MacArthur.
“The best
In 1935, as MacArthur concluded his tenure as chief of staff, Eisenhower looked forward to leaving the Pentagon and receiving a command of his own, a return to leading troops rather than aiding a great man. MacArthur, however, was invited to command the construction of the army for the newly independent Philippines. He accepted and insisted that Ike join him. Twenty years after requesting the Philippines upon graduation from West Point, Eisenhower now received the belated assignment. Reluctantly, he went.
By the time Eisenhower shipped out to the Philippines in the final days of 1935, he recognized that he was entering the higher ranks of history. He began to keep a journal, and though his attention to it was sporadic, it marks the first evidence of an emerging self-awareness, of a sense that his was a story worth recording. It also supplies a convincing counterargument to the later contention that Eisenhower was clumsy with words. It is a direct and graceful document, not exactly introspective, but self-critical and occasionally deep. It records his admiration for MacArthur’s ability alongside his increasing skepticism of MacArthur’s integrity. In May 1936, Ike remarked on a decision made “quite suddenly” with unexpected effects on their mission. A few months later, Eisenhower noted MacArthur’s vacillation over the acceptance of a Filipino military title and observed the general’s reaction to the offer: “He is tickled pink—and feels he’s made a lot of ‘face’ locally.” By the fall of 1936, bemusement had grown to outright critique, as Eisenhower complained of a “bawling out” over a difference of opinion with MacArthur regarding the coming presidential election, in which MacArthur had become convinced that Alf Landon was a shoo-in to defeat Roosevelt. When Ike and a colleague disagreed, MacArthur responded with an “almost hysterical condemnation of our stupidity.” Eisenhower’s diary entry for that day concludes with the universal lament of the subordinate in the service of an unworthy boss: “Oh hell.”
The relationship between Eisenhower and MacArthur stretched over decades and defies glib synopsis. Their correspondence is a study in guardedness, with Eisenhower frequently writing to flatter his former boss and complain that reporters had fabricated enmity between them. Invariably, MacArthur shrugged off the suggestions of discord or jealousy as his former subordinate claimed an ever more prominent role in the life of the nation. No matter how much Ike disavowed those reports, however, they captured his essential view of MacArthur: he was, in Eisenhower’s estimation, startlingly vain and alarmingly contemptuous of command. Eisenhower similarly was flabbergasted at MacArthur’s willingness to casually blame his subordinates for his own mistakes. “He had an obsession that a high commander must protect his public image at all costs and must never admit his wrongs,” Eisenhower said in 1967.
The Eisenhowers weathered the Philippine years together. John spent much of his youth in the islands. He was a successful Boy Scout and shared the unair-conditioned hotel suite with his parents, absorbing military culture and eventually finding his steps within his father’s. Thus, by the time Washington summoned Ike home, he was a proud father and a seasoned senior officer. It was with his son that Eisenhower shared his most considered thoughts on leadership, those acquired from the likes of Conner, Patton, and MacArthur.
“The best
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