Customer Reviews

Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life of Douglas MacArthur

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

General MacArthur is one of those truly fascinating historical figures, one that truly deserves study by even the casual military history student. He has been labeled an "egomaniac", a "primadonna", a "genius", etc., etc. This book attempts to blend all those summations into one biography, and does so flawlessly.

Mr. Perret's work is by far better than the other noted MacArthur biography, "American Caesar". Mr. Perret is a great deal more balanced and thoughtful in his treatment. His work is also a good deal more enjoyable to read.

The one thing that I think is noteworthy about this book as a whole is that while it does a marvelous job of chronicling MacArthur's life, it is done without casting judgment one way or the other. I noted above that MacArthur draws a wide range of emotions - from egomaniac to genius. Mr. Perret manages to corral all those different facets of MacArthur's personality and present them in such a way that the reader is allowed to see all sides equally and make his own conclusions. That, I believe, is what separates Mr. Perret's work from "American Caesar". "American Caesar" was largely biased towards MacArthur's primadonna persona, and as such, that bio fell on its face.

While Mr. Perret expertly and rightfully spends much of his work covering MacArthur's fight for the Phillipines - a place that occupied all his thoughts during WWII - he is remiss in not adequately covering Korea, specifically, the landing at Inchon. That is Mr. Perret's one shortcoming in this book. The Inchon landing was perhaps one of the greatest master strokes of modern warfare, and definitely of MacArthur's waning days in the Army, yet it is passed over without a lot of detail. I think Mr. Perret failed to detail it as it should have. I would have focused on MacArthur's strenuous campaigning to land at Inchon, which was fraught with hazards and potential catastrophe. MacArthur was the only one who could have suggested Inchon, yet was the only one who could have carried it out, much less thought it would have succeeded. Instead, in this bio, Mr. Perret basically glosses it over, much to my disappointment.

All in all though, I did enjoy this work very much. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about this amazing and tragic historical giant. It is definitely the better of the MacArthur biographies.

I am amazed at the vitriolic diatribe by at least two of the reviewers.

In response to one review review, I would like to make just a few corrections. First, if you want to read an outstanding and well-researched biography of Douglas MacArthur, do not read Manchester's. I take no umbrage with her criticism that Perret's biography is not the definitative work (the author's goal was to write the best one-volume biography of this enigmatic man). However, I don't know who C. Clayton Douglas is or what four-volume biography of MacArthur he wrote. I do consider D. CLAYTON JAMES' three-volume biography to be the definitive study on the general to date.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have met the author and like him. He is a very charming individual, careful historian, and good author. I liked the book, not because I felt it is the best biography of MacArthur but because of the way he tells the story. Consider this example.
D. Clayton James, in volume 2 of The Years of MacArthur, relates the story of what happened when land-based airpower finally arrived in Leyte in October 1944. "Monsoon rains and frequent Japanese air attacks during the week following the capture of Tacloban airfield made it difficult for the engineers to lay the 2500 feet of steel matting for a runway for the waiting Fifth Air Force fighters on Morotai. . . . When the first two squadrons of P-38's landed at the field on October 27, MacArthur and Kenney were waiting to greet the pilots as they stepped down from their fighters." (P. 568)
Now compare James's passage to Perret's:
"Two days later MacArthur was having lunch when he heard a familiar sound, the engines of P-38s being throttled back. Kenney had ordered half the 49th Fighter Group to fly up from Morotai. . . . MacArthur called for his car and headed for the airfield to greet the thirty-four fighter pilots. He shook hands with the first three as they descended from their planes onto the half-finished strip. One of them was the AAF's top scoring ace, Major Richard Bong, with twenty-eight victories to his credit. 'You know how glad I am to see you,' he told them, beaming. He turned to the journalists who were clustering around. "'The Fifth Air Force has never failed me.'" (P. 429)
Same episode described two entirely different ways. Is this the best MacArthur biography ever written? No but the first thing I always try to remember when reviewing a book is that it is hard work to write one. The second thing I always try to remember is to segregate my books between the purely academic (i.e. published by a university press) and the popular (i.e. published by a company that at the bottom line is interested in the bottom line). Geoffrey Perret fits the latter category. Challenged to research and write a book every three years, he does a remarkable job of bringing to the general public well-written and entertaining books on historical topics and figures. And, while Old Soldiers Never Die has flaws Perret succeeds in presenting, in this reviewer's opinion, in writing the best one-volume history of this arguably brilliant megalomanic.

Having admired General MacArthur when I was a boy and kept a scrapbook of clippings on his doings during the Korean War, having read "American Ceasar" by William Manchester, and having been more recently disenchanted with MacArthur from other readings, I found Perret's book wonderful. On the surface, it explains certain things that have remained a mystery to me, e.g., why MacArthur left his airforce on the ground after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It turns out he had ordered the planes redeployed and the orders were not carried out for reasons that Perret explains. At a deeper level, it provides a satisfying picture of MacArthur that avoids the Scylla of criticism and the Charybdis of adulation. Perret comes across as balanced, objective, and factual. And, the reader is left with the feeling that the facts have been presented and he can decide for himself. Finally, Perret seems comfortable exploring the darker aspects of MacArthur's personality. For example, in describing MacArthur's treatment of General Robert Eichelberger, Perret writes "... for MacArthur broke into brave, genial Bob Eichelberger's soul and found the cracks."

As several reviewers pointed out, this book has a few flaws. I do feel some of the criticisms hurled are a bit off the mark. This is a one volume book. There is absolutly no way a completely comprehensive sudy of this man could be accomplished in such a short space. For a one volume work though, it is very, very good. Yes, you can disagree as to the actual greatness of the man, as reflected in the various stages of his life, but the author has at least presented to us a starting point. This work, along with others, gives us a good picture of Macarthur the soldier and the man. Recommend you read this one.

If you want to read good history (not great) you need to pick this book up. I think you will absolutely find the book to be a good book, but I found the last chapter to be great. I love when the author chronicles the general giving his last speech at West Point. Talk about a dying man's last play on the stage! The way that the author details this speech leaves one with an exceptional feeling. MacArthur was a man dedicated to his principles and to the army. Still, I like the way he finishes that speech and turns to his wife to blow her a kiss. He could be an officer and a gentlemen even with all of his flaws. Stanley Weintraub's book, "MacArthur's War" is also a good piece of writing. I would recommend both of these books if you want to get a balanced picture of the man and his life. I think Peret is successful (as Weintraub is) in showing the contrasts and character flaws of this great man. Also, for other information on the general, check out the MacArthur center website.

There is no doubt that Douglas MacArthur will always be acknowledged as one of our greatest military minds, however Mr. Perret tells us of his mistakes and shortcomings. This book has been well researched and despite its length (688 pages) it is easy to read and hard to put down. The General's long and sometimes controversial career gave the author plenty to write about and he does so while keeping the subject very interesting. Despite Gen.MacArthur's many flaws, what impressed me was his loyalty to his staff and his concern for his troops. Only once (New Guinea) did he order a frontal assault. This strategy saved many American lives and casualties. You will especially enjoy the MacArthur/Truman debate over US policy and military authority. Don't miss reading this great American saga.

the author takes you through practically every step in this great American patriot"s life, despite how one defines the Army"s greatest tactition ever! Controversy abounds with all his military victories, but it is clearly defined, minimum casualties was MacArthur"s hallmark to his military genius. Japan"s re;emergence as a reliable nation owes all to this military /governor [1945-1951] with unique visionary acumen regardless to his detracters in the U.N. & USA. Sad to state, why author"s lack of indepth coverage between Truman-MacArthur rift was not fully addressed; afterall, that was the bombastic climax in the life of General [5] Douglas MacArthur. Required reading for all generations who call themselves--Americans.

Geoffrey Perret has written a very enjoyable biography on one of the most colorful, brilliant and important generals in United States history. I particularly enjoyed this biography since it focuses on General MacArthur's achievements without ignoring (but not fixating on) his flaws.

In this book you will find, amongst other things:
* MacArthur's reforms of the hazing culture at West Point.
* An extensive discussion of General MacArthur's achievements during World War I as well as his disputes with General Pershing.
* A fair defense of MacArthur's routing of the Bonus Army.
* General MacArthur's accomplishments as Field Marshal of the Philippines Army.
* General MacArthur's brilliance as a tactician in the Pacific during World War II.
* General MacArthur's crucial role in properly reconstructing post-WWII Japan.
* An account of General MacArthur's views for how to handle the Korean War.
* The extent of General MacArthur's presidential ambitions.

In summary, an excellent and admiring biography of a fascinating and accomplished individual!

Author Perret primarily sympathizes with the professional soldier in Douglas MacArthur, a man whose interests in life focused on his work more than most men's do. Geo-political strategy, raising and training armies, planning campaigns, and facing the enemy in combat are jobs that need doing, and Perret admires MacArthur for doing them wholeheartedly and well.

Perret also reports MacArthur' exceedingly self-centered personality, in a matter-of-fact, nobody's-perfect way and with an evident distaste for both MacArthur's weaknesses and for sensationalism. The facts are there to give us a portrait of a type of character that crops up with some frequency, and that all of us, perhaps, need to understand.

Perret is explicit in his judgment that MacArthur's megalomania detracted from his professional performance. On finishing Perret's book, I personally had the impression that the U.S.-Japan war would have turned out the same without the battles of Bataan, New Guinea, and Manila, and that these were fought primarily because MacArthur's marvelous personality succeeded in making campaigns revolve around himself rather than around strategic necessity. I would have appreciated it if Perret had more explicitly come to judgment on questions like this, which are essential to an evaluation of MacArthur as a professional soldier. For example, if we had understood MacArthur in this light earlier, perhaps we would have been more alert to the shortcomings of Westmoreland's reporting from Vietnam.

Overall, Perret's book gives the impression of being solid information about a man who was great in his field. The book also appears to supersede its predecessors, which Perret evaluates in the course of his narrative.

If you want to read an outstanding, scholarly and well-researched biography of Douglas MacArthur, the logical choice is William Manchester's "American Caesar," available on Amazon. The definitive treatment is C. Clayton Douglas's four-volume set. The book is not in the same league. Perret is once again overmatched with the topic and has created a facile, error-ridden and ultimately obtuse look at the insufferably arrogant yet brilliant MacArthur. He relies upon discredited sources and quotes them repeatedly. He also puts his own (inaccurate) spin on various pivotal characters, thus changing history.

A primary example of this is when MacArthur's first wife claimed he was impotent and a dud in the sack. She repeated this on many occasions and was quite adamant on this point and one would think she was in a good position to know. But an impotent, un-virile Mac is not the portrait Perret wishes to create, so he viscerally attacks the credibility of Louise and states without equivocation that she was a liar. There are myriad problems with this analysis. MacArthur's Eurasian mistress also complained about the same things Louise did... again, Perret ignores this, or didn't do sufficient research to unearth this fact. Perret ignores many other foibles of MacArthur. There is nary a mention of his virulent racism or the reasons he ended up living the last 12 years of his life in a penthouse in the Waldorf Astoria.

The weakest sections of the book are the pivotal World War II chapters. Errors too numerous to list litter the landscape. Perret's analysis of MacArthur's relationships with FDR, Truman and Marshall are wise of the mark and facile. Similarly, the years of MacArthur's Japan "dictatorship" and the Inchon landing are predictably flat.

MacArthur's story is one of the most fascinating American stories of the 20th century. This is not the book to read if you are seriously interested in learning about this vainglorious, insufferable, yet charismatic and intellectual military man. This is a pop biography with no new information, novel and inaccurate analysis and an astounding lack of depth.