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Old 12-07-2011, 10:25 PM
 
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Why were Admiral Kimmel and General Short removed from office after the attack on Pearl Harbor yet General MacArthur who was just as derelict in his duties after the Japanese attack in the Philippines was not?
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Old 12-08-2011, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles area
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Isn't the answer basically political? Pearl Harbor grabbed the attention of the American public like nothing else could, so our unpreparedness there cried out for scapegoats. But the Japanese onslaught in the Philippines was less dramatic and MacArthur did continue to direct resistance on the ground for quite some time - a fighting retreat, really.

What a mixed bag MacArthur was! Vain and egotistical, he frequently ignored intelligence estimates if they weren't what he wanted to hear, but still showed moments of brilliance as a general. He was obsessed with retaking the Phillipines to the point that it interferred with his judgement, but was the perfect American shogun to rule occupied Japan. Truman was correct to sack him; among other defects MacArthur was way too old to be running a major shooting war, even if Inchon was a brillant coup de main. He dismissed the possibility of the Chinese coming into Korea and was proved disasterously wrong. More of the mixed bag thing.
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Old 12-08-2011, 09:54 AM
 
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I think Escort Rider hit the nail on the head. Pearl Harbor was such a major event that the public was looking for someone to blame. Who better than the commanders responsible? MacArthur could have certainly done more in the Phillipines, but his missteps were not as great and the Phillipines campaign not as prominent in the American psyche. MacArthur was also actively engaged in combat and made the best of the situation in his fighting retreat.

You also have a situation where Kimmel and Short were easy to replace. Short had no direct experience in Pacific operations and was more of a training and organizational commander. Kimmel was experienced, but they had another commander with even more Pacific experience waiting in the wings, Nimitz. Even if they had wanted to sack MacArthur, there was no one with his experience and background that could replace him. Even if we consider him derelict of his duties in the opening phase of the battle, he recovered and made the best of the situation after that and was still the Army's foremost expert on the Pacific.
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Old 12-08-2011, 10:30 AM
 
Location: On a Long Island in NY
7,801 posts, read 10,074,197 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT View Post
I think Escort Rider hit the nail on the head. Pearl Harbor was such a major event that the public was looking for someone to blame. Who better than the commanders responsible? MacArthur could have certainly done more in the Phillipines, but his missteps were not as great and the Phillipines campaign not as prominent in the American psyche. MacArthur was also actively engaged in combat and made the best of the situation in his fighting retreat.

You also have a situation where Kimmel and Short were easy to replace. Short had no direct experience in Pacific operations and was more of a training and organizational commander. Kimmel was experienced, but they had another commander with even more Pacific experience waiting in the wings, Nimitz. Even if they had wanted to sack MacArthur, there was no one with his experience and background that could replace him. Even if we consider him derelict of his duties in the opening phase of the battle, he recovered and made the best of the situation after that and was still the Army's foremost expert on the Pacific.
Agreed, we held off the Japanese in the Philippines for 4 months .... far longer than anyone else. The British, French, and Dutch could barely hold off the Japanese for more than a few days tops. The Portuguese were only able to hold off the Japanese in Portuguese Timor (aka East Timor) for a few hours before they surrendered.
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Old 12-08-2011, 11:00 AM
 
Location: Parts Unknown, Northern California
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One more factor regarding MacArthur and blame...neither Kimmel nor Short was on the same planet as Mac when it came to managing the media's coverage of him. America knew that MacArthur was a hero because he had a publicity department which worked 24/7 to inform America that this was so.
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Old 12-08-2011, 05:47 PM
 
Location: FROM Dixie, but IN SoCal
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Wow! Everyone presented their points so eloquently that there's really nothing left to say, other than "Yep!" Well done, y'all!

-- Nighteyes
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