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MacArthur Memorial Podcast

History Podcasts

The MacArthur Memorial Podcast covers a variety of topics related to the life and times of General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964). From the triumphs and controversies of MacArthur's career to the latest scholarship on the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the World Wars, the Occupation of Japan, and the Korean War, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast is constantly exploring fascinating history.The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA and is dedicated to preserving and presenting the legacy of General MacArthur and the millions of men and women who served with him.

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United States

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The MacArthur Memorial Podcast covers a variety of topics related to the life and times of General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964). From the triumphs and controversies of MacArthur's career to the latest scholarship on the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the World Wars, the Occupation of Japan, and the Korean War, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast is constantly exploring fascinating history.The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA and is dedicated to preserving and presenting the legacy of General MacArthur and the millions of men and women who served with him.

Language:

English

Episodes

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line

3/7/2023
The Greatest Generation has many female heroines – women and girls who stepped out of line to serve their countries and their communities in the darkest days of World War II. Many of them remain relatively unknown. To discuss some of their stories, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Major General (Ret.) Mari K. Eder, author of The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line: Untold Stories of the Women Who Changed the Course of World War II. Follow us on: Twitter: @MacArthur1880;...

Duration:00:19:46

Aguinaldo's 1899 Declaration of Independence

2/27/2023
During the Spanish American War (1898), Philippine Revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent of Spain. After Spain’s defeat, the Filipinos expected independence. Instead, as part of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the US took over the Philippines. In response, on January 5, 1899, Aguinaldo declared the Philippines independent from the US. Philippine newspaper La Independencia printed copies of this declaration which were then put up all over the city of Manila....

Duration:00:16:57

Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in WWII

2/19/2023
During World War II, the Nisei, first generation Americans whose parents were immigrants from Japan, fought in the Pacific theater. Their language skills and other intelligence contributions saved lives and shortened the war. And yet, as they served with great distinction, their families back home in America were held in government internment camps under U.S. Executive Order 9066. To discuss the Nisei and the war against Japan, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Bruce Henderson, author of...

Duration:00:44:41

MacArthur's 1945 Birthday and the Drive to Manila

1/26/2023
As part of the commemoration of the 143rd anniversary of General MacArthur’s birthday, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down for a virtual discussion of the 1945 drive to Manila in the context of MacArthur’s 65th birthday. Those questions and more will be answered! Follow us on: Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClark Facebook: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

Duration:00:32:52

MacArthur Q&A - Part I

1/18/2023
In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams answer questions posed by MacArthur Memorial Podcast listeners. Keep your questions coming! There will be future Q&A episodes! Follow us on: Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClark Facebook: @MacArthurMemorial www.macarthurmemorial.org

Duration:00:33:34

MacArthur and the Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

12/17/2022
In 1925, the court-martial of Billy Mitchell captured national attention. At the center of the controversy was Billy Mitchell, a man who is today recognized as the father of the United States Air Force. Then Major General Douglas MacArthur, who later described the order to sit on Mitchell's court-martial as "one of the most distasteful orders” he ever received, was the youngest judge on the court. He was also a longtime friend of Mitchell – and one of the only judges who did not have a...

Duration:00:21:49

December 7, 1941 Medal of Honor Recipients

12/7/2022
When most people think about December 7, 1941, they think about Pearl Harbor. They think about the USS Arizona. They think about Battleship Row. But can you name a Medal of Honor recipient from that action? To explore the story of these men, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Colonel Charles A. Jones USMCR (Retired), an expert on the Medal of Honor and the Medal of Honor recipients of December 7, 1941. Follow us on: Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClark Facebook:...

Duration:00:40:40

The Occupation of Japan and Women's Suffrage

11/14/2022
On August 18. 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving American women the right to vote. When the Occupation of Japan began in 1945, the Nineteenth Amendment was a mere 25 years old but already so well ingrained in U.S. national identity that the thought of women’s suffrage wasn’t revolutionary to General Douglas MacArthur, who led the Occupation as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers to Japan. He made it clear from the start of the Occupation that...

Duration:00:34:51

MacArthur and Baseball

10/25/2022
In his autobiography, General MacArthur summed up the WWII island hopping strategy with a quote from baseball legend Willie Keeler: “hit ‘em where they ain’t.” It wasn’t just a convenient, pithy quote. Football may have been MacArthur’s favorite sport, but baseball was a close runner-up. From playing in the first Army/Navy baseball game as a young cadet to holding special American and National League passes in the 1950s that allowed him a fantastic seat at any MLB game, baseball was a...

Duration:00:33:22

John Cullen Murphy - Painter to MacArthur's "Court"

10/3/2022
The MacArthur Memorial has a collection of 31 works of art by John Cullen Murphy as well as an additional 2 works on loan to the museum. Why? While Murphy is famous for his work as the illustrator for the comics Big Ben Bolt and Prince Valiant, he was also a veteran of the Pacific War and an aide to one of MacArthur’s generals. People often refer to MacArthur’s staff as his “court.” We’ve talked about why that’s true (and not true) on other podcast episodes, but in this case, it’s an...

Duration:00:30:32

Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, The Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb

9/23/2022
Just after midnight on March 10, 1945, nearly three hundred American B-29s rained incendiary bombs down on the Japanese capital of Tokyo. The bombs created a nearly 2,800-degree inferno that killed more than 100,000 people and left a part of the city about the size of Manhattan nothing but ash. The attack was so horrifyingly effective that Major General Curtis LeMay, who directed the mission, said, “If we lose, we’ll be tried as war criminals.” On September 22, 2022, the MacArthur Memorial...

Duration:00:39:41

The Infamous Field Marshal Uniform

9/6/2022
When discussing General Douglas MacArthur’s tenure as Philippine military advisor in the 1930s, nearly all of MacArthur’s biographers describe MacArthur as being excited to accept the rank of Philippine field marshal – even in a nearly non-existent force. They also relate a story that he designed a pompous new uniform for his new rank. This uniform is frequently cited as proof that MacArthur was obsessed with image but light on achievement. BUT -- is the uniform story true? In 2005, Dr....

Duration:00:48:33

MacArthur Arrives in Japan

9/2/2022
On September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s surrender in a carefully choreographed ceremony aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Many people think that MacArthur landed in Japan after the ceremony and then began the Occupation. In fact, MacArthur had already been living in Japan for several days prior to the surrender. What was he doing during that time? How did it influence his thoughts on the surrender and Japan’s future? MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and...

Duration:00:31:27

MacArthur, Kenney, and Air Power

8/3/2022
George Kenney has been described as a “complete airman” and as one of Hap Arnold’s “best-kept secrets.” He wasn’t well known outside of aviation circles in the pre-WWII period and never made a name for himself like Jimmy Doolittle or Carl Spaatz, but he was one of MacArthur’s greatest assets during World War II. Without Kenney, it's arguable that MacArthur’s vision of Island Hopping would never have come to fruition. What is Kenney’s story and how did he shape MacArthur’s understanding of...

Duration:00:42:29

MacArthur and the US Navy and USMC in the Korean War

7/19/2022
It is no secret that Douglas MacArthur’s relationship with the US Navy and the USMC was complicated in WWII – but what about during the Korean War? The Korean War was a very different war – but just as in WWII, the USN and the USMC would play a major role in MacArthur’s operations. In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams discuss some of those operations and the relationship between MacArthur and the USN and USMC. Follow us on: Twitter:...

Duration:00:33:19

MacArthur and the US Navy in World War II

7/5/2022
Interservice rivalry between the US Navy and the US Army was a major factor in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. While such rivalry is common in all militaries because each service has to compete for funding and stake out a unique identity and mission, some scholars argue that in the case of the Pacific Theatre, the rivalry was so problematic that it led to inefficiencies in the conduct of the war. They attribute this rivalry to the powerful service interests and to personality...

Duration:00:39:09

MacArthur and Krueger: a Successful WWII Partnership

6/1/2022
It is often said that General Douglas MacArthur didn’t have a staff, he had a court. While there were certainly a few courtiers on his staff, there were also some incredibly gifted men around him – men whose talents helped make MacArthur’s vision for the war in the Pacific a success during World War II, and men whose talents might have led to a different Korean War. General Walter Krueger was one of these men. He is somewhat of an enigma to many people today because he rarely appeared in the...

Duration:00:39:18

Such Splendid Prisons: Diplomatic Detainment in America during WWII

5/2/2022
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent declarations of war against Japan, Germany and Italy, the Roosevelt Administration had to figure out what to do with hundreds of Axis diplomats in the United States. Repatriation was the goal but working that out between the warring powers would take time. While this was worked out, the detainees, their families, and staffs would have to be held somewhere secure. They were ultimately sent to remote luxury hotels in the United States, in...

Duration:00:30:28

Battleship Commander: Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee

4/3/2022
When most people think of the USN admirals in the Pacific during WWII, Nimitz, Halsey, Kinkaid, and Spruance come easily to mind. Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee is less well known. A career naval officer and a seven-time Olympic medalist, during World War II he played a key role in the Pacific as one of the USN’s top combat admirals. To shed some light on Lee’s career and legacy, the MacArthur Memorial podcast hosted Paul Stillwell, author of Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis...

Duration:00:33:45

Milwaukee and the MacArthurs

3/23/2022
The MacArthur Memorial is located in Norfolk, VA – the hometown of General Douglas MacArthur’s mother – Mary Hardy. MacArthur himself was born in Little Rock, AR and as the child of a career Army officer, he spent most of his youth moving from post to post. So what place was most like a hometown for him? Was it Norfolk (as he sometimes claimed)? Was it Little Rock? Was it a military fort in the American West where his family had good memories? Was it Manila where his son was born? If you...

Duration:00:34:20

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