MacArthur Page #3

the States this morning.

We're putting together several

squadrons up in Brisbane.

Good. How soon can you

get them in the air?

Soon enough to get

the enemy off our back,

and maybe go kick

his butt for a change.

Good, good.

My boys say you can't do it.

Well, your boys aren't fliers.

Give me five days to prepare,

and I'll ship the whole goddamn United

States Army to New Guinea by air.

Really?

My staff hear about this?

I doubt it.

Don't tell them. You'll

scare them half to death!

Attack!

And you ram it

right down his throat!

The recent bombings of

our northern airfields

give us every reason to believe

that the nips' next move will be

a massive invasion of

the Australian continent.

The garrison at Darwin, up here,

doesn't have enough troops to

hold for more than 48 hours.

So our best plan, therefore,

is to show token resistance

and fall back rapidly to

this, the Brisbane Line.

To the north, the enemy will

find only burnt offerings.

Meanwhile in the southeast,

we will throw everything

into the fight for the cities

and the farmlands around them.

This is the living

heart of Australia,

and we shall defend it

with our lives.

General.

Thank you.

Gentlemen,

I've been deeply moved

and deeply stirred

by the Allied efforts,

and by the courage and

determination of the Australians

as expressed by General Blamey,

but as supreme commander

of the southwest Pacific area,

I will not be the leader

of another lost cause.

We are attacking, gentlemen.

I am going to make

the fight for Australia

up here in New Guinea.

Hey, Joe,

what are you doing out here?

You should be home on the farm

walking with your girl,

getting your chores done

and sitting down to supper.

Or maybe you should be

taking in a show,

walking down Broadway,

sipping Coke.

The jungle's where we live.

It's where you die.

Bob,

I sent for you

because I don't think you like a

stalemate any better than I do,

and that's what we've got here

in New Guinea.

They tell me that American boys

are actually throwing away

their rifles and turning tail.

That hasn't happened since

the first battle of Bull Run.

I want you to relieve Harding.

This isn't

the Civil War, General.

Harding's a good man,

he's a good officer.

It's just that

he's up against...

I'm sending you in, Bob.

I want you to remove

all officers who won't fight.

If necessary, put sergeants

in charge of battalions

and corporals in charge of companies.

Anyone who will fight.

I want you to take Buna

or don't come back alive,

and that goes for

your chief of staff, too.

Yes, sir.

Bob.

If you come

through this all right,

I'll give you the

Distinguished Service Cross,

I'll recommend you

for a high British decoration,

and I'll release your name

to newspaper publication.

Yes, sir.

Thank you very much, General.

I don't care how

deep the goddamn mud is!

I want you just to kick ass,

or I'm gonna relieve yours!

Good news, General.

This battle is over.

It says so right here

in Stars and Stripes.

General MacArthur

won it yesterday.

Well, the great Sarah Bernhardt.

Another dramatic moment.

God, he tells the newspapers,

but I wish he'd told

the Japanese.

Son of a b*tch.

"Mopping-up operation"!

Now, what kind of a phrase

is that to ask men to die for?

I'm surprised he didn't say

we're just "policing the area."

I wonder who really

writes that propaganda.

I don't know.

I don't trust any of those

ass-kissers up there at GHQ

surrounding MacArthur.

Hell, he doesn't have a staff,

he's got a court.

You ever see any of them?

They remind me of

a bunch of barracuda

I used to play poker with

in Shanghai years ago.

We had to put the goddamn cuspidor

in the center of the table

because no one dared look away

long enough to spit.

G'day.

Where you off to?

Gotta go to the latrine, sir.

But I shall return.

Australian. No tags.

No tags?

Take care of him later.

U.S., 7705...

Oh, my God.

Here comes General MacArthur.

Yeah, yeah, and I bet he's got

Eleanor Roosevelt with him, too.

No, I'm serious. Look.

General, sir. Excuse me,

sir, but we just...

We just killed a Jap sniper

here not five minutes ago.

Fine, son. That's the best

thing to do with them.

Thought you said there

were 1,500 Japs here.

We ran into more like 6,000.

U.S., 5813864.

You mind repeating

the last four again?

Three-eight-six-four.

Not my idea of how to win a war.

Australian.

00802. Protestant.

Dennison, E.

I'm thinking about

Hansa Bay still up ahead.

Yes, and Hansa Bay

is not some little outpost

that we can overrun with

galoshes and determination.

We need men, supplies.

Plenty of both.

Well, bombing Hansa Bay is one thing.

Taking it's another.

You can say that again.

Well, let's just say

we won't take Hansa Bay.

We won't what?

That's it.

We don't want it.

General, the farther up

the New Guinea coast we go,

the more trouble

we're gonna run into.

And I hope you don't think it's

gonna be any easier at Wewak.

There's 60,000 of them

holed up there,

sharpening their samurai swords.

Good. I hope there's more.

We don't want Wewak, either. We'll

bypass their strong points,

cut their supply lines and leave

them to wither and die on the vine.

But what about my men?

Starve Hansa Bay.

Starve Wewak.

Starvation is my ally.

Okay,

soldier, welcome to the fight.

So the cut of the cards has dealt

you a tour of the Pacific.

What's it going to be

like fighting the nips,

and who is this man, Douglas

MacArthur, your new commander?

Let's take a look at the general

who, in a few short months,

has turned

the tide towards victory.

Colonel Whitney. Yes.

We've been expecting you.

Welcome to New Guinea.

Come in out of the light.

I'm so sorry.

That's all right.

Please,

have a seat right over here.

Excuse me just a moment. I have

to watch this one section.

Okay, that's more like it.

I understand you're here to organize

Philippine guerrilla activity?

Yes, that's right.

But, you know, I've just

come from Washington,

and I must tell you

straight off,

you've done an absolutely top-notch

job on the general's press.

He's America's

hero now, you know,

and no small amount

of credit belongs to you.

Well, we don't want the home folks

to forget about us out here.

I don't think you realize the

dimensions of the excitement.

Here. Letters from

congressmen, senators,

corporation executives,

even two governors.

And thousands of

just plain folks.

"You are big, B-l-G,

"enough to do

a complete housecleaning

"of parasitic

bureaucrats in Washington.

"As long as the war is on, only

a military figure like yourself

"can unseat the man

in the White House."

There's one from a lady in New

Jersey I want you to read.

Excuse me a minute. I just

want to look at this closing.

Oh, sure.

Just remember,

America's greatest combat general

will be leading you into battle.

"Hit them where they ain't."

That's his motto.

This is the MacArthur touch.

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