MacArthur Page #4

Combining sea and air power

as never before,

he's leapfrogging right over the enemy's

strongholds to cut their chow line,

all the way to the Philippines.

Now you get your chance to

fulfill the immortal pledge.

I came through,

and I shall return.

Good. Good.

Some exciting stuff there.

Thank you.

Okay on this one to Washington.

Wow. President MacArthur.

I like the sound of that.

Only question is, how does

it sound to MacArthur?

You know that I have no

political ambitions whatsoever.

General...

General, this country's

always had a hero.

Washington, Lincoln, Lindbergh.

Now you.

It's in all the papers.

The Republican ones.

No, sir.

Democratic ones, too.

Listen to this woman

in New Jersey.

She says, "I have never wanted to

sin with any other man in my life,

"but I would with you."

How about it, General?

Here's a little boy in Moline, Illinois.

Wants to know,

"Why do you carry a cane?

Are you feeble?"

General, what we want to do

is to print "I shall return"

on candy bars, matchbooks, chewing

gum, sewing kits and pencils,

and drop them on the

Philippines to boost morale.

- First-rate idea.

- Yes, sir.

But back in Washington, the Office

of War Information wants to know

if, before things get going,

you'd be amenable to a small

revision of the wording.

What sort of a revision?

Well, sir, they feel that "We shall

return" is more to the point.

"We shall return"?

Yes, sir.

I fail to see what purpose

that would serve.

Why does Roosevelt

want me at Pearl Harbor?

What's he up to?

Why haven't I been told

what this is all about?

I'm perfectly

willing to discuss strategy

with Admiral Nimitz,

if that's what they want.

I suspect Roosevelt has been pulling

some strings to keep me in the dark.

You know, he's always

favored the navy.

That's our general.

And you should see the fire-engine

red car he just drove up in.

Douglas MacArthur,

starring Douglas MacArthur.

He keeps me waiting

half an hour,

and then he gets a bigger

reception than I did.

Now I see what Eisenhower meant.

He said he spent nine long years

with MacArthur,

studying dramatics.

Excuse me, sir.

Would you look this way?

Keep talking and act natural.

You're looking well, Douglas.

Tell me about your family.

Just fine,

thank you, Mr. President.

Sorry that I couldn't entertain

Eleanor when she was in Australia.

She enjoyed visiting

with Mrs. MacArthur.

You, as I recall, were out

of town fighting a war.

Oh, and, Douglas, before

we get down to business,

I'd like to take

this opportunity

to present you

with a decoration.

The Order of Merit for

conspicuous inspiration

of the American people.

General MacArthur,

we have asked you here

because the Joint

Chiefs of Staff

have been considering for about

a year, without a decision,

the next step to be taken

in the Pacific War.

The president has decided he

would like to hear firsthand

the views of his commanders

in chief in the field.

Admiral Nimitz, would you

please present the plan

prepared by you

and Admiral King?

Yes, sir.

In our westward drive

across the Pacific,

the navy's consistent goal

has been to cut Japan's

line of communication.

Now, as you know,

the central Pacific offensives

have taken under control

the Gilbert,

the Marshall and

the Mariana Island groups.

Now, in our view, the sound

strategy for early victory

is to occupy the western

Pacific and seize Formosa,

both to control

the Formosa Strait

and as a jumping-off

point against Japan.

Now, this means bypassing the

main Philippine island of Luzon

until Formosa is secured.

After General MacArthur's troops

have seized

the southern Philippines,

the access of advance that

should get the highest priority

is the central Pacific

offensive toward Formosa.

General MacArthur

could then move into Luzon

and recapture Manila after my

forces have taken Formosa.

In fact, with the fall of Japan,

the liberation of the northern

Philippines, including Manila,

will follow de facto, without

any need for force of arms.

We therefore propose to invade

Formosa at the earliest opportunity.

And my planners are convinced that

a target date of March 1, '45,

is not unreasonable.

Well, Douglas,

how does it sound to you?

I'm a soldier, and I'll hold

the horse if so ordered.

To bypass isolated

islands is one thing,

but to leave in your rear

250,000 Japanese troops

drawing their sustenance

from the Philippines

involves serious

and unnecessary risks.

From Luzon,

I can clamp a blockade

on all supplies

from the south to Japan,

thus forcing her to

an early capitulation.

Therefore, I propose that we

land at Leyte Beach on Luzon,

and then carry

the fight to Manila.

Given a successful landing, aren't you

afraid of a long and bloody campaign?

With the kind of performance and

support provided thus far by the navy,

I can be in Manila in five weeks

from the day my troops

step ashore on the beaches,

and well before next March.

General, how can you say that?

Because for two years, Filipino

guerrillas have been working

behind the Japanese lines to set

the stage for our landings.

It's your position to know, but I can't

conscientiously agree with this estimate.

To take Luzon would demand heavier

losses than we can stand.

It seems to me

we should bypass it.

In my two years of fighting

in the southwest Pacific area,

and they have been long,

hard years,

fewer Americans have been killed

than in the single

battle of Anzio.

The days of

the frontal attack are over.

Only your mediocre

commanders use it.

Your good commanders

do not turn in heavy losses.

Douglas,

Admiral Nimitz's victories

have been no less than your own.

Franklin, all the years

we've known each other,

I don't believe I told you how my

father won his Medal of Honor.

No, you never did, but you're

about to do it now, aren't you?

It was during the Battle

of Missionary Ridge.

At the height of the fighting,

he saw the flag go down.

As others around him faltered,

he seized up the colors,

and rallied the troops

to victory.

Admiral Nimitz is one of

our greatest admirals.

But just now,

as I listened to the plan,

I thought I saw

our flag going down.

Oh, did you?

Mr. President,

had we the will to do so,

we could have saved Bataan and

Corregidor in the first place.

To sacrifice Luzon a second time

cannot be condoned or forgiven.

My dear General,

bypassing Luzon is not

synonymous with sacrificing...

But bypassing Luzon has implications

which stain American honor.

Do you realize what the Japanese

propagandists are telling

the Filipino people?

That Americans will

never shed their blood

to save the colored

peoples of the Earth.

Your zeal is understandable.

I admire it.

But we can't let it interfere

with a workable Pacific strategy.

"I give to the Philippines

my solemn pledge

"that their freedom

will be redeemed.

"The entire resources of men and

material of the United States

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes