MacArthur’s “fascist movement” ??
January 2nd, 2009 From
>Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 15:05:49 -0700
>From: Mike Potter
>Reply-To: mike.potter@artecon.com
>Organization: Artecon, Inc.
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (WinNT; I)
>To: “Louis R. Coatney”
>Cc: mahan@microwrks.com, milhst-l@ukanvm.cc.ukans.edu,
> consim-l@listserv.uni-c.dk,
> “William D. Anderson”
>Subject: Re: MacArthur’s “fascist movement” ??
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>
>In my message I alluded to FDR’s concern about MacArthur, that he was
>”the most dangerous man in America.” As for sources, Eric Larrabee
>quoted FDR in =Commander in Chief=. I recall also William Manchester
>mentioned it in =American Caesar= (a poor book IMHO – ought to be
>re-titled =Gossip about MacArthur=). Such sources establish that the
>rumor existed – but not that truth was necessarily behind the rumor. My
>point was that FDR apparently proceeded on that assumption. I don’t know
>what, if anything, stimulated FDR to think that.
>
>Suppose: Some right-wing group discusses MacArthur as a potential leader
>and that filters back to FDR. FDR suspects MacArthur is involved and
>henceforth treats him that way. The rest is history. But MacArthur might
>have had no contact with, indeed no knowledge of, any such group. If so,
>his case would be similar to those of J. Robert Oppenheimer or Niccolò
>Machiavelli. It seems both came under suspicion for reasons not actually
>involving them.
>
>
>Louis R. Coatney wrote:
> >
> > Mike,
> >
> > I’ve been hearing these allegations … that MacArthur (and
> > Patton! ?!) had been conspiring some sort of “fascist movement”/
> > takeover … on other channels by leftish members.
> >
> > Is there *any* truth to this at *all*? Any sources??
> >
> > … or is this just another vicious anti-military rumor
> > long overdue for squelching?
> >
> > Lou Coatney, mslrc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu