Chapter 82 where is macarthur

Marshall did not disclose in the telegram who he was talking with, let alone the content of the meeting, but MacArthur still intuitively realized that it must be Roosevelt who invited him to talk. What else can the president do at Pearl Harbor at this time?Obviously, the topic of the talks must be related to the Pacific strategy, especially whether to bypass the Philippines. MacArthur immediately took the "Bataan" special plane to Pearl Harbor.Although actually surprised and happy, Lao Mai's temper will not change at any time. Knowing that it might be invited by the president, he insists on pretending to be very casual and indifferent - without a plan, The second did not bring a map, the third did not bring officials, and only five assistants accompanied him.On the plane, he paced and complained: "Forcing me to leave the headquarters and fly to Hawaii for political appearances and picnics is an insult to me!"

MacArthur guessed right, Roosevelt came. Roosevelt came to Pearl Harbor not only to coordinate the conflicts between the navy and the army, but also because MacArthur's private claim to Marshall that he would resign had touched his mind. Although MacArthur was not welcomed by the "Presbyterian Church" and the Navy, he was a universally loved hero in the United States, a darling of the press and public opinion circles. His name was hyped up in American newspapers and periodicals. It is not that MacArthur himself has no idea of ​​running for president, but he knows that the U.S. Constitution clearly prohibits active-duty soldiers from becoming candidates for any public office. Moreover, he himself hopes to lead his troops back to the Philippines and win the Pacific War first. desire, so he has publicly issued a statement announcing that he has no intention of running for the election, "I don't engage in these things, and I will not accept the nomination."

MacArthur's statement that he would not run for president undoubtedly relieved Roosevelt, who was seeking re-election.Someone said to MacArthur humorously: "I believe that President Roosevelt must look under the bed every night before he goes to bed to see if you are really not there, so that he will be relieved." Now MacArthur threatened to resign. Once he resigned, there would be no legal obstacles to running for president. Given the high popularity and approval rating MacArthur had among the American public at this time, he would undoubtedly become Roosevelt's strong opponent.

Roosevelt's heart hung up, and he couldn't sleep well at night. MacArthur must be dealt with, but how to deal with it requires skill.If MacArthur is agreed to come to Washington, MacArthur may seize the opportunity to preach to the public and demand to return to the Philippines. At that time, whether Roosevelt agrees or disagrees, his political reputation and influence will be damaged. It is not acceptable to make it public, so it is advisable to hold an internal secret meeting.Pearl Harbor was the front line, where there were strict security measures and a press censorship system, and there was no interference of public opinion, so it was easy for everyone to discuss issues calmly.

On July 21, 1944, Roosevelt boarded the cruiser "Baltimore" bound for Hawaii. Before that, he had just been nominated for the fourth time as a presidential candidate. On the afternoon of July 26, the "Baltimore" slowly sailed into Pearl Harbor. Nimitz stepped onto the deck to salute Roosevelt, and the officers on the shore also stood in a line to salute the president.Roosevelt accepted everyone's welcome with a smile on his face, but as soon as the welcome queue dispersed, he asked Nimitz, "Where is MacArthur?" An hour before the "Baltimore" docked at the Pearl Harbor pier, MacArthur had actually arrived at Pearl Harbor, but he did not attend the welcome ceremony, but went to his old classmates at West Point Military Academy to catch up.

Just when Nimitz didn't know how to answer the president, there was a loud flute sound in the distance, accompanied by bursts of cheers, a road motorcycle roared towards the pier, followed by a car with the logo of an army general It was MacArthur who sat alone in the back seat of the big black convertible. I saw him wearing a Philippine head of state cap, that is, the "scrambled egg military cap", wearing a brown bomber leather jacket and khaki military trousers in khaki, with a large corncob pipe in his mouth, and a pair of sunglasses , the whole person is full of style.Among the army soldiers on the shore, there were quite a few MacArthur fans. When these people saw their idol, they all cheered forgetfully.

After the cheers stopped, MacArthur stepped out of the car and strode towards the springboard.There was another cheer in the middle, and he stopped when he heard it, thanked the cheering soldiers, then boarded the deck of the "Baltimore" and saluted the president with a standard military salute. At this moment, all eyes were on MacArthur instead of Roosevelt.In other words, he upstaged everyone present.