PBS American Experience - MacArthur (1999)

A portrait of a complex, imposing and fascinating American general. No soldier in modern history has been more admired – or more reviled. Douglas MacArthur, liberator of the Philippines, shogun of Occupied Japan, brilliant victor of the Battle of Inchon, was an admired national hero when he was suddenly relieved of his command. Douglas MacArthur was a soldier's soldier: the son of an officer, the star of West Point, the Army's youngest-ever full general.
He led Americans into battle for a half-century, through glorious victories and soul-numbing defeats. Courageous and supremely egotistical, he battled anyone who dared question his military judgment, even the President of the United States.
For Douglas MacArthur, "theater of war" was more than just a casual image. Throughout his often brilliant, often contentious career he saw himself at stage center, the protagonist of battles against his country's enemies and his own military and civilian superiors. With his powerful phrases ("Let no heart be faint; let every arm be steeled"), selected props (the riding crop, the battered cap, the corncob pipe) and an affection for the first-person singular ("I shall return"), he was never the model American general, yet for many he was an inspiring leader of American forces through momentous decades.
During World War II,MacArthur recovered from a humiliating defeat to make a triumphant return to the Philippines. In the Korean War he engineered a bold invasion only to suffer a bitter reversal at the hands of the Chinese. Fired by Harry Truman in one of the most controversial presidential decisions in history, he returned home to the greatest hero's welcome ever.
Throughout General Douglas MacArthur's last battles in World War II, his rehabilitation of Japan from ashes and his war against the North Koreans and Chinese was the constant din of another battle – with Washington. It was one he finally lost.
This is a balanced, objective treatment of the man's triumphs and defeats, illuminating the many complex and contradictory facets of the MacArthur's character; his brilliance as a strategist and administrator; his colossal egotism; his compassion; his lust for publicity and flair for dramatics.

Produced, Written and Directed by Austin Hoyt; A WGBH Boston Production for the American Experience

Part 1: Destiny
First part of the documentary MacArthur, a compelling portrait of a complex man, drawing on archival footage and first person interviews, covers his story from his years at West Point at the turn of the century and his courageous service in World War I through his early defeats and ultimate victories in World War II.
In 1899, nineteen-year-old Douglas MacArthur enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point. MacArthur distinguished himself on the battlefields of World War I. He was wounded, gassed, cited as "the greatest front-line general of the war," awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and was known for leading his troops into battle carrying a riding crop.
He then resigned from the Army four years before World War II began. Recalled by FDR to fight the Japanese, he was put in charge of US forces in the Far East. Within hours after their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked Manila. More than half of his air force was destroyed in a surprise attack, and Japanese soon invaded the Philippines. MacArthur withdrew his troops to Bataan and Corregidor, where they struggled to survive. In March 1942, on orders from President Roosevelt MacArthur fled Corregidor Island in PT boats and escaped to Australia, pledging "I shall return."
In April 1942, MacArthur was appointed supreme commander of Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific, and spent the next two and a half years commanding an island-hopping campaign in the Pacific before famously returning to liberate the Philippines in October 1944.


Part 2: The Politics of War
Second part of the documentary MacArthur looks at military politicking as MacArthur, who led the war against Japan, fought against giving precedence to the European front. After fulfilling his promise to return to the Philippines in victory, he showed new qualities in the occupation of Japan.
On September 2, 1945, MacArthur officially accepted Japan's surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Although President Harry S. Truman called him in his diary Mr. Prima Donna, Brass Hat, Five-Star MacArthur, he was widely praised for his success in setting Japan on the road to democracy.
When war broke out in Korea, the United Nations appointed the flashy MacArthur as supreme commander to drive the North Korean invaders north of the 38th parallel. But when MacArthur succeeded, communist China sent troops to help the enemy. With the Chinese in the war, MacArthur wanted to attack China itself.
President Truman, afraid this action would widen the war out of control, said no to MacArthur's proposal. Stung, General MacArthur publicly disagreed with the president and argued for his own plan to attack China. With this act, MacArthur ignored the Constitution, which said the military must be subordinate to the civilian government.
President Truman regarded MacArthur's behavior as a slap in the face, and fired him in March 1951. MacArthur returned home to the biggest tickertape parade in United States history. Dramatic to the last, MacArthur made a goodbye speech before Congress, in which he said, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."