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Civilian control of the military is a tenet of American democracy as basic as one person, one vote—and as old as Gen. George Washington relinquishing command of the Continental Army in 1783. And as a Republican nominee for president threatens to use our military to kill the wives and children of suspected terrorists, it couldn't possibly be more relevant.
Threescore and five years ago, this principle endured the ultimate test during the Korean War when President Harry Truman fired his chief commander, Douglas MacArthur, in April 1951. As historian H.W. Brands recounts in his new book, The General vs. the President (Doubleday, 448 pages, $30), the showdown ended the distinguished career of one of history's greatest generals, and effectively doomed Truman's presidency. But it also amounted to our nation stepping back from a precipice.
As caricatured as MacArthur would become, Brands reminds us what an iconic figure the general was at the time. As supreme commander of Allied forces in the Pacific, he administered the occupation of Japan so brilliantly—giving women the right to vote, for instance—that he was worshipped by the Japanese as much as by Americans when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950.
After rescuing a faltering South Korea with landings at Inchon that no one thought could succeed, MacArthur made two fateful errors as commander in the Korean conflict. He brushed too close to China with U.S. troops in North Korea—something he'd been warned not to do—and publicly castigated Truman's moves to limit the war.
As Brands demonstrates, Senate hearings after MacArthur's recall exonerated Truman's decision. MacArthur testified he had wanted to bomb Chinese forces even before they crossed the Yalu River to aid North Korea. The hearings also revealed that a limited war hampered China as much as it did the United States: If U.S. forces didn't bomb bases in China, neither could China justify bombing U.S. bases in Japan.
The Truman-MacArthur clash forever painted the career soldier as the villain. One can't help but wonder what would happen if civilian control of the military were tested today but in reverse. What if a top U.S. military commander urged caution in some far-flung corner of the world, but the president (whose name rhymed with, say, "rump") wanted to wage all-out jihad on Islam—or Mexico? Would we pull back from the same brink?
Ultimately, Truman's decision to sack MacArthur was his alone. Brands recalls how a junior aide urged Truman to say in a press statement that the ouster was backed by his top civilian and military advisers. "Not tonight, son," Truman said with a twinkle in his eye. It was as if the former haberdasher from Missouri were sending a message: Let MacArthur stick this in his corncob pipe and smoke it.
SEE IT: H.W. Brands is at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, 800-878-7323, on Wednesday, Oct. 19. 7 pm. Free.
Willamette Week