Thing is they hired a copy editor to go through and check the facts and spellings. They checked the names of these american soldiers and it was remarkable the kind of work they did. I taught english, not history. And as you might expect, i had some discussions with them. They wanted me to explain the unknown soldier was. And i said look if i ask you to people that are going to buy a history book that the soldiers and unknown soldier from france i said i would be laughed out of the whole. The general ever a justification for what he did, or did he protect him enough that he never had to deal with them . The one thing he did, this isnt the first thing he did Something Like this to another officer. It had happened before. But he knew the best defense was isa good offense. And after he passed by, he began to complain they are shooting at us from the hill. So that takes a lot to complain about but when you havent done what you should have done is complain about the troops that took the plaintiff would have to happen after the. Over the course i wrote a lot of press releases and speeches. This was a daily task for me. I collected the three stories i wanted to write. The second one is totally different. Its about a race car driver in indianapolis in the 1930s, wonderful story. Then i have a story that i would like to try at some point. I have a friend that lives in williamsburg who is a holocaust survivor and he has a remarkable story that i would like to tell. Hes a wonderful man and human being that survived this horrible turmoil and cannot just outstandingly. So those are the three. What do you say to people who love history . Thinking a lot about that. I have to give a speech at washington shuttle in valley forge to the 314th infantry regiment which is a world war i group. The thing i find most irritating having written about world war i is that you find a number of books nowadays throughout history that glorified the war. And i think that we need to have a realistic view of what happened. There were lots of mistakes and people dying needlessly. When people begin to talk about making the desert below with radioactivity and invading north korea that we need to pay very close attention to get sucked in that can be so destructive. To go back to this magazine, the first account from this reporter kind of seems like hes talking to them. He writes this. Nothing of critical historical value can be written about the battle today. The documents, the orders, the reports even for the eyewitness story i dont know how there can be an attempt at more than half ton. If i write almost as a diary its because i saw what anyone could have seen having the credentials to come and go. Sleep was a luxury to be seen somewhere and somehow rationed upon the generosity the mud and the cold were democratically everybody. The monotony of the devastation can ever be described. It is a country blasted on the redemption. Thank you very much. [applause] thank you all. Its great to see so many friends out there. Maybe his worst fault is the fact that hes a bornagain christian who brings the ideology into the presidency. He believes that he was here to fight evil. Bush called the president of france on the telephone to try to get them to join in the attack and during the course we are fighting the fourth final judgment. They are on the book of revelations on the new testame testament. Thats the center of the universe for many evangelicals and fundamentalists christians and bush generally believed that he was here on earth to fight evil. [inaudible conversations] good morning and welcome to the roosevelt president ial library. We are glad to have you today. We are very happy about the annual reading festival and thii wonderful turnout for the 75th anniversary which we are celebrating on june 30. 30 president roosevelt would be quite pleased to see everyone in this turnout and to know that his library is as he intended it would be used for research and scholarships to continue to explore the issues of his era and how they still have an impact today on political and social life. Now im going to speak for just a moment about how this works. Many of you already know there will be 30 minutes during which he will speak about his book and then we will follow with ten minutes worth of questions. Nu we ask you to go to the microphone because we are fortunate to have cspan with us today. Its great if your questions can be heard so that everybody can benefit an in so that he can rey provide a good analysis and explanation in response to. I forgive you a little background. He is a military and political historian. His work is particularly interesting. I just read the book and its great. He explores a lot about the outline of macarthurs life but what i found particularlyfound t interesting was the attention that he gets to the realities of macarthur and rooseveltsus realt relationship. We often speak about truman and macarthurs relationship and the one with president roosevelt is equally compelling. Hes previously written about the winner of the award in literature. His commentaries appeared in the new york times, washington post, wall street journal and other places. So, without continuing for too long, we are all here to hear walter. Plus the thank you so much. Its wonderful to be here to talk about macarthur at four, world war ii and th in the paci. But i thought i wanted to frame this because of our historic venue here. A little bit more about the relationship between Douglas Macarthur and Franklin Roosevelt. Nu and permit me if you will to actually start with someone else, admiral leahy. Now you roosevelt scholars in the room you know him as the chief of staff. His wartime counselor, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the de facto National Security adviser after the position was set up. Four years ago when i published the admirals that you mentionedh in the introduction aboutntione americas fivestar admirals a scheduling conflicts prevented me from being at the conference. I jumped at the chance to talkt about macarthur. But if i had been here four years ago to talk about way he and the admirals, he was the man during the last three years of roosevelts life who was the mainstay of his administration, and perhaps more to the point that one who i think sort of transitions and explains the Roosevelt Legacy to truman. Legacy to truman. Okay how does that relate tookao macarthur . He is a great segue because his older brother arthur iii, heres the story, was a classmate athea annapolis. Arthur graduated in 86 and became a navy captain before hiu untimely death in 23 of appendicitis. Flaky graduated a year behind arthur iii also in 1897 and by no small coincidence, among the best friends was thomas hart who would go on to command the fleet in the philippines in 1941. What that means is that lady and heart new the foundation for a long period of time. They think absolutely nothing of calling him douglas. And as Douglas Macarthur goes on to this great status, here are the two men that are o on a firt name basis. If you know anything about Douglas Macarthur there arent many people that walked up to him and called him douglas. In fact his second wife is on record as always calling him general. And referring to him in her soft southern drawl. From the standpoint of the man that is so close to him in terms of being a counselor really knows macarthur while. It really goes a long way to sort of hoping roosevelt. They knew each other from the days that roosevelt was assistant secretary of the navy during world war i. Interestingly enough on the publicity side of things. Someone on december 71941. If he had really retired in the philippines and not accepted Franklin Roosevelts recalled to active duty in 1941. By the macarthur at war, world war ii in the pacific is really that. Those four years. Shes not the great hero or the American General that he would become during the course of that time. And i think it is fascinating in terms of focusing on the period to see how he evolves in a number of different levels. Let me tell you a couple themes in the book. One of the themes is certainly how he manages to go from again being known but certainly not being renowned on december 71941 through a sixmonth period of time to where he really is by the summer of 1942 the main mans on the scene in terms of pacif pacific. Its a pretty tenuous time. We are still not sure whatspl going to go on in europe and wea are shocked by what happened at pearl harbor. H i think Douglas Macarthur for that role very well. It was the truth of the relationship with the u. S. Navy. Its one of those persons that does in fact call him douglas. Get your self a real fleet and then you will belong to the truth of the matter is admiral hart. There is a little bit there in terms of ego and played a. A. Its how contentious things are and you begin to wonder a bit help obese people cooperate and actually be able to win a conflict and when a war and i would suggest on the navy site in particular Douglas Macarthur even though he would never have admitted it became the h beneficiary of the navy and in particular in terms of watching resources, men and material poured into the pacific he convinced the chief of staff ed convinced roosevelt that we hadh a fight to the poor and because of that, a number of resources they were poured in the pacific and king because of that. It might be said in just a couple of lines. Another thing that ties into data that is as important as another theme of my book. Macarthur always claimed that he was shortchanged in terms of supplies. Operating on a shoestring with his characterization of it. Thanks in part to the global war effort theres a tremendous amount of men and material fallinflowing to the southwest pacific. Theres so manthere is so many g to be unloaded at George Marshall, army chief of staff, and actually the directect commander has to communicate to macarthur to say what would you please hurry up and get the ships unloaded because you are clogging the whole pipeline of supplies. So i think it is interesting to look at the records and other things and get through that a little bit. Macarthur made some great decisions and tactical advances. But the myth that he did everything on a shoestring i dont think theres that out in the southwest pacific. Pacific. Let me spend a few minutes with the theme of that i think is particularly intriguing and that is the role and his evolution as a military commander. On the basis of everything macarthur was a 19th century m man. He actually learns its very important at that point its not to do with world war ii. He learns about the static operations in the trenches of world war i. He goes on and becomes the superintendent of west point and even when he is positioned as the u. S. Army chief of staff during the 1930s hes on record as saying airplanes, im not sure that they are that important. See only once airplanes and bombers when he learns the navy is going to get bombers. I think theres a great expectation that something is going to happen in the pacific. But he really anticipates that the war is coming in 1942 and he quite frankly i would say overwhelmed by the speed with which the air land and Sea Operations unfold against the philippines in december and january 1942. Macarthur is the one that basically convinced the war department, and by that we mean both George Marshall and ultimately Franklin Roosevelt at the philippines cant be held. Prior to that, we always talk about under the plan there would be justhat therewould be just af manila into the core moves on. Thats roosevelt and marshall have been convinced that the army could defend the entire philippine islands. So, what this means is air landl and sea to the japanese side hit in december macarthurs troops are overwhelmed. Heres the important part of the story. I think because of a number of things, geographic necessity, the ability to be able to project and offer operate, he quickly has to come to embrace what today we call the combined operations. Today, we take for granted that they are all going to work together. Again in those days the army and the needy were separate to navyo witness the whole upbringing and military education. So we get to the poin the pointt because those things, macarthur had to end their embrace the combined operations. I think very quickly when you look at him as a military commander, you have to giver, credit to the fact that he adapts and embraces the resources that he has and that he does go ahead and is able to use the air, land and Sea Operations together. Its always to his credit he gets a lot of great commanders. He is this lone wolf coming up with the strategy by himself. I dont think that is true. He put together a great team of subordinates and that is to his great credit people with his air force. They ran the observations and he was called uncle dan, the amphibious man as his nickname. I and you have to remember to show this great outpouring of Americas Industrial strength. They lead the assault of the war on the north coast of new guinea in the fall of 1942 with literally a dozen or so Landing Craft and destroyers. Fast forward two years and they are off for the invasion and there are going to be thousands and thousands of Landing Craft. E i continue to say not only are the men and women back home at factories and things of importance to this war effort, but the amazing part t part cane commanded an macarthur is beneficiary of it is this great outpouring of Americas Industrial strength at how quickly this country marshaled its assets in order to be able to go to war. In the combined operations they go on to the coast he goes through the philippines, and it is a situation he put together as the Supreme Commander with people in charge of each of the forces in operations and use them with combined things. He has one other ally i should mention, too. He doesnt always use them totally effectively, and they are not always blackandwhite. Some of the great victories tha macarthur has are based on code breaking and the ability to leap over the japanese forces. They are in those Strategic Decisions he did make. Lets talk about macarthur and fdr. They knew each other from the First World War and im going to give you three quick vignettes in terms of their relationship. The first one would be this most dangerous man in america and for reasons you are about to hear i skip tickle roosevelt ever maden it. When macarthur was a junior officer in the roosevelt as we mentioned assistant secretar sef the navy hereswh the point, pos apart politically. Both have protective mothers and both are masters of the moment and each definitely carried with them and unwavering sense of destiny both for themselves and for the country. It seems clear telling that if the are usually addressed them as douglas. One of the few people again thaf did. And that certainly didnt exist between fdr and some of the other generals. Remember George Marshall the one time he called him george instead of genital, marshall bristled at that a little bit. Fo also enough of a politician. But maybe you a quote from the buck macarthubook of macarthur e about the situation. Sitting at his office in albany, the governor in new york and the democratic president ial nominee franklin d. Roosevelt hung up after a call in louisiana, and then senator and admonished his aid to remember all the time hes one of the two most dangerous men in the country. They asked if he was a and roosevelt shook his head. No, he supposedly answered some of the other as Douglas Macarthur. Lets pick apart. Father c recorded by the member of the new deal intelligentsia, this quote has been repeated in numerous occasions and accounts of the roosevelt macarthurintelg relationship without i think at least much scrutiny both historical and editorial conte context. They went on to concern my aired in the Great Depression they wanted strong militarytrong leadership bordering on the totalitarianism were willing to trade liberty for it. Roosevelt stopped short, however, suggesting americans were ready to embrace macarthurr and charge the barricades behine them. This roosevelt considered macarthur one of the two most dangerous men in the country, heres the thing. He offered that view while still in outsider not yet elected. He has no experience in the staff and it was the hardly a shining moment by any standardse a. There has to be some scrutiny as the sole source for this characterization. He was the selfappointed guardian of that legacy. Macarthur particularly in theri shadow of the bonus march was a symbol well endowed in thatdowei tradition and military appearance as he suggested and characterized him for the fear of the military dictatorship prior to his own aggressive leadership. Nonetheless, the dangerous quotation is repeated in many of the sources at face value. If indeed the roosevelt said it, it wasnt indicative of their total relationship and that was to prove much more complex. Now of course the story is that macarthur ends up in the march of 43 because john j. Pershing is ailing at that point and cant perform the duties it Isis Macarthur leaves roosevelts inaugural parade down pennsylvania avenue to the capitol in march of 43 and macarthur will go on to serve roosevelt as chief of staff for two and a half more years before he takes assignment in the philippines. So another Macarthur Roosevelt vignette. It is this retreat from precatory in the philippines, and the level of support again that macarthur is receiving. Douglas macarthur i think it was particularlyy true as mcarthur was trying to reform west point during his tenure as chief of staff. And especially after roosevelt promoted mauling craig to the position of chairman of steamboat chief of staff of the army. After pearl harbor, given the deteriorating situation and then meager, amount of material and men making its way to australia, think it was easy for such fears to escalate in the spring of 1942. Let me suggest to you that the record, particularly from Franklin Roosevelts standpoint simply does not justify mcarthurs paranoia. There is usually three suspects that macarthur is sure out to get them. R