Truman & MacArthur: Policy, Politics, and the Hunger for Honor and Renown - Hardcover

. . . represents a useful addition to the literature on the Korean War. * Journal of American History * Pearlman's thoughtful, comprehensive survey of the intertwined relationship of "policy, politics, and personality" offers fresh insights into US military strategy, Truman's controversial Far Eastern policy, the politics of McCarthyism, and the internal and public debate over Truman's Korean War policy. Based on extensive research into accessible primary sources and the relevant secondary literature, this skillful . . . monograph is a welcome addition to the burgeoning literature on Truman's presidency and, as importantly, on the bitter political debate over Truman's limited war strategy in the conduct of the Korean War. . . . Recommended.March 2009 * Choice * . . . a first-rate research effort by a distinguished historian, writing in a lively style . . . of considerable value and interest to students of the period.August 2008 * Naval War College Review * Michael Pearlman's timely study of the Truman-MacArthur controversy is a carefully researched and original work of scholarship that expertly illuminates the treacherous terrain of civil-military relations in the United States. Fall 2009 * Pacific Affairs * Michael Pearlman's timely study of the Truman-MacArthur controversy is a carefully researched and original work of scholarship that expertly illuminates the treacherous terrain of civil-military relations in the United States.Fall 2009 * Pacific Affairs * . . . a well-researched, familiar story which provides historians with a comprehensive look into the swirl of controversy surrounding Truman's decision to remove MacArthur from command in Korea.October 2008 -- Thomas W. Zeiler * Journal of Military History * [T]he book is among the best civil military histories to come out in the last 10 years . . . . It deserves a wide, adult readership and has my highest recommendation for military and cilvilian professionals of all stripes. September-October 2009 * Military Review * . . . this book is something of a rarity among academic publications these days: great man history, history from above. Truman and MacArthur is a reminder of just how compelling such history can be-especially in the hands of someone who knows what he is about. Michael Pearlman certainly fits the description. Summer 2009 * PARAMETERS : US Army Senior Prof Jrnl * . . . the author has researched his subject extensively, frequently displays a fine sense of irony, and has produced probably the best study of this subject to date. February 23, 2009 * The Weekly Standard *

Truman and MacArthur offers an objective and comprehensive account of the very public confrontation between a sitting president and a well-known general over the military's role in the conduct of foreign policy. In November 1950, with the army of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea mostly destroyed, Chinese military forces crossed the Yalu River. They routed the combined United Nations forces and pushed them on a long retreat down the Korean peninsula. Hoping to strike a decisive blow that would collapse the Chinese communist regime in Beijing, General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Far East Theater, pressed the administration of President Harry S. Truman for authorization to launch an invasion of China across the Taiwan straits. Truman refused; MacArthur began to argue his case in the press, a challenge to the tradition of civilian control of the military. He moved his protest into the partisan political arena by supporting the Republican opposition to Truman in Congress. This violated the President's fundamental tenet that war and warriors should be kept separate from politicians and electioneering. On April 11, 1951 he finally removed MacArthur from command. Viewing these events through the eyes of the participants, this book explores partisan politics in Washington and addresses the issues of the political power of military officers in an administration too weak to carry national policy on its own accord. It also discusses America's relations with European allies and its position toward Formosa (Taiwan), the long-standing root of the dispute between Truman and MacArthur.