Page 94 - Demo

Five Star General Douglas MacArthur, who had been quite popular with the public, was relieved of command by President Truman for insubordination in 1951. While he continued to be respected by a majority of Americans after his dismissal, Truman once commented, %u201cI fired him because he wouldn%u2019t respect the authority of the President. I didn%u2019t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that%u2019s not against the law for generals. %u201dMacArthur was born in 1880 and graduated at the top of his West Point class in 1903. Three years later he was made an aide to President Theodore Roosevelt, then later served as a general in the first World War. Retired in 1937, he was recalled to active duty by President Franklin Roosevelt, and eventually became Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area.In September 1950, during the Korean War, Truman met with MacArthur on Wake Island, where he was awarded a fifth Distinguished Service Medal. When nuclear weapons were seriously considered as a means to end the Korean conflict, MacArthur was almost put in charge of the operation. After setbacks and miscalculations on the General%u2019s part, Truman learned that MacArthur had secretly told foreign governments he planned to initiate actions in Korea that were counter to United States policy. This led to his firing, after which Truman%u2019s approval rating dropped to 22 percent. MacArthur received a tickertape parade in Chicago after he returned to the U.S., and remained popular as a civilian. A postage stamp was issued in his honor in 1971. This cover does not celebrate a particular event. But at the time it was created, MacArthur had recently said, %u201cI shall return,%u201d and escaped from the Philippines to Australia. Although unknown to most, a few months before leaving, he had accepted $500,000 from President Quezon for his services in the Philippines before the war. When the gift was made public in 1979, it permanently tarnished his reputation. Patriotic cover in honor of General Douglas MacArthur, Indianapolis, June 3, 1942.