MacArthur Ouster Laid to Pentagon; Truman’s Action Confuses Japanese

Political Aides Split On Wisdom of Move

By a Staff Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

London

The overwhelming reaction to the MacArthur dismissal on the part of the free world seems to be one of relief and approval. Although there is widespread respect for the general’s military ability, it is clear that most of America’s allies have been deeply troubled by the general’s incursions into diplomacy, and believe that his removal lessens the chance of a greater conflict. [Pages 9 and 15]

President Truman’s decision to dismiss Gen. Douglas MacArthur from his Far East commands was taken primarily on the recommendation of his military advisers, Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Omar N. Bradley.

White House political advisers were divided on the wisdom of the step, some of them urging the President to do anything but cross political swords at this moment with the hero of Bataan. It is the political group around the President which now, of course, faces the domestic storm which began to roll up immediately after word of the President’s action.

However, the top military leaders at the Pentagon had informed the President that in their view General MacArthur had defied the specific orders of his Commander in Chief so clearly that for the sake of military discipline in the armed forces there was no possible course of action except dismissal.
The decision was taken about 24 hours after Secretary of the Army Frank Pace had reached Tokyo and had conferred with General MacArthur. Reports from Tokyo during the day indicated that General MacArthur himself had stated his refusal to desist from further public advocacy of policies which are unacceptable to the administration here in Washington.

Outcome of Persistent Defiance

If the general had been willing to promise Mr. Pace to support the official policies of his government, it is believed that the controversy would have been smoothed over. General MacArthur’s tour of duty in the Far East would have ended when the Japanese Peace Treaty is signed. That may happen within six months or less.

However, when Washington was informed that the general would persist in the public urging of policies at variance with the official policies of his own government, Mr. Truman felt impelled to take the drastic step of removing from command the senior active general of the United States Army. He made the announcement at 1 a.m. April 11, just as the dismissal order reached Tokyo.

State Department officials had kept very much on the sideline of this controversy, since the issue of military discipline was more immediate than that of effect upon foreign policy. However, it is clear that if disciplinary action had not been taken quickly, the State Department would have been forced to report to the President the existence of danger to our alliances. The European allies, led by British, were extremely disturbed over the sequence of recent events.

The one incident which more than any other seems to have laid the foundation for the dismissal of General MacArthur was the fact that on March 24 General MacArthur issued a public peace offer to the Chinese Communists which cut across the path of a presidential plan of action communicated to the general four days previously.

The March 20 message from the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff had advised the general that a presidential announcement was being prepared stating a United Nations readiness to discuss a Korean settlement. General MacArthur’s March 24 statement was viewed here as being a deliberate attempt to frustrate any chance of a peaceful settlement in Korea.

However, the climactic incident appears to have been the general’s refusal on the day before his dismissal to promise to subordinate his policies to the policies of his government. Of course, there had been a long series of previous issues between the supreme commander in the Far East and Washington.

The one aspect of the matter that caused least concern was that of the field command in Korea. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway has been in actual command since he took over when Gen. Walton Walker was killed in the retreat from the Yalu River. The Pentagon regards General Ridgway as having already established his position as an outstanding field commander.

The political aspects of the affair are many and spectacular. General MacArthur has increasingly associated his name with Republicans. The news had no sooner broken from the 1 a.m. White House press conference April 11 than Republican legislators began making statements supporting the general and condemning Mr. Truman.

Democrats Rally Behind Truman

In the meantime the President had, however, obtained assurances from Democrats on Capitol Hill that this time they would stand with him through the fight.

Some Republicans are talking of organizing a triumphal tour for General MacArthur across the country in the hope of using the issue as a major weapon against the Truman administration.

It seems unlikely that Republican attempts to capitalize on public sympathy for the military hero will lead as far as serious Republican attempts to overthrow the policies which the general had challenged.
For the general apparently wanted to see the scope of the Korean War extended to China. As a whole, Republicans in Congress seem no more eager than do Democrats to see American boys fighting on more and bigger battlefields with Chinese.