The Demise of MacArthur

[Dereck]

For those who want a historically plausible reason to get rid of MacArthur:

When the Japanese invasion of the Philippines began, President Quezon quietly authorized a “retirement payment” of $500,000 to General Douglas MacArthur — a sum intended to secure his loyalty to the Commonwealth government and ensure his continued presence in the islands. Historically, this payment did happen, but it remained buried until after the war.

In this alternate timeline, it doesn’t stay buried.

Someone in Washington — whether out of spite, politics, or simple bureaucratic leakage — exposes the payment to the press in early 1942. The story explodes across American newspapers at the worst possible moment, when the nation is reeling from Pearl Harbor and desperate for heroes, not scandals.

The public reaction is immediate and brutal.
- Why was a U.S. general accepting a private half‑million‑dollar payout?
- Why did he take the money while American troops were fighting and dying?
- Why did his wife and child remain in the Philippines when every other dependent was ordered to evacuate?
- Why did he ignore War Department directives?

The Pentagon, furious at being blindsided, overrides MacArthur’s PR machine and releases the real situation in the Philippines — the supply failures, the ignored orders, the collapse of the defense plan. The myth evaporates.

MacArthur’s popularity plummets to the level of Kimmel and Short.

Congress demands hearings.

He is removed from command and brought home not as a hero, but as a liability, losing his theater rank of General and reverting to his permanent rank of Major General.

He spends the rest of the war testifying in investigation after investigation — a disgraced figure fighting to salvage his reputation instead of commanding armies.

[Bo Rearguard]

MacArthur’s overall performance in the Philippines was so insipid that he arguably should have been relieved of command just for that. But he did have one hell of a flair for self-promotion and public relations.

[PaxMondo]

Definitely not one of my favorites. I suppose somewhere there is some evidence to support his purported brilliance, but so far it has evaded me. His conduct during and after the war, were to me, totally self-serving and self-aggrandizing.

I like the alternate history thought. I may steal it and use it in one of my games .... I will try to remember you (OP) and credit you.

[Sardaukar]

Don't ask how Australians think about him...

[BBfanboy]

There are two MacArthurs in the database - the one in Philippines at start and one that shows up in Australia in 1942 to command SWPAC HQ. If you want to remove him from the game you would have to buy out the SWPAC commander or not use the HQ at all.

[Dereck]

There are two MacArthurs in the database - the one in Philippines at start and one that shows up in Australia in 1942 to command SWPAC HQ. If you want to remove him from the game you would have to buy out the SWPAC commander or not use the HQ at all.

Yes I know and in my scenario SWPacific arrives with GEN Lucian Truscott in command. I changed the commanders in my scenario modifications.

I had thought about many scenarios about dumping MacArthur but the above one is much more elegant AND realistically plausible.

Plus this allows me to have a "paper" OOB where the Pacific is all Navy like Europe was all Army and SWPacific is under the Pacific Ocean Areas.

[Bullshark]

In the first hours of the war MacArthur made an important phone call to his Stock Broker in NY. After the white house it may have been his first phone call.

I cannot find a link on line but I read this in a biography of him.

He called his broker to buy stock in Philipino gold companies. He paid pennies for each share in the panic. He made millions on this stock after the war. I wonder if he bought $500k worth of stock?

Isn't the US leadership personally profiting from military actions today?

[Dereck]

In the first hours of the war MacArthur made an important phone call to his Stock Broker in NY. After the white house it may have been his first phone call.

I cannot find a link on line but I read this in a biography of him.

He called his broker to buy stock in Philipino gold companies. He paid pennies for each share in the panic. He made millions on this stock after the war. I wonder if he bought $500k worth of stock?

Isn't the US leadership personally profiting from military actions today?

There are several biographies that mention MacArthur having significant personal investments in Philippine mining and gold companies before the war, and historians generally agree on a few points:

- MacArthur had substantial private financial interests in the Philippines

- He was unusually attentive to his personal finances for a serving officer

- He did profit from Philippine mining stocks after the war

- He had a pattern of mixing personal and professional interests in ways that raised eyebrows even at the time

The specific anecdote about him calling his broker in the first hours after the attack is one of those stories that appears in some critical biographies, but I’ve never seen a primary‑source document confirming the exact timing of the call. It’s one of those things that fits his reputation, which is why it gets repeated, but it’s hard to verify with certainty. No transcripts, no phone log, no War Department memo, nothing that would firmly establish it as fact.

But the Quezon payment is fully documented, and that alone was politically explosive enough that, if it had become public knowledge in late 1941 or early 1942, it could realistically have ended his career on the spot. That’s why I used it as the basis for the alternate‑history scenario — it’s clean, plausible, and doesn’t require relying on the more speculative stories.

[zebrazwo]

While this is colourful alt history, is there a deeper reason behind wanting to get rid of him in the game? Will it have any real influence on gameplay?

Just curious.

[Dereck]

While this is colourful alt history, is there a deeper reason behind wanting to get rid of him in the game? Will it have any real influence on gameplay?

Just curious.

Good question. There actually is a gameplay reason.

MacArthur’s command radius, political‑point cost, and the way SWPAC is structured can be restrictive if you want more flexibility in reorganizing the Allied command. Removing him gives the player a historically plausible way to streamline things without feeling like they’re gaming the system. In my scenario, instead of going to Australia he’s recalled to Washington to face Congressional investigations, similar to what happened to Kimmel and Short. That way, instead of arriving as the SWPAC commander, another U.S. general takes over. In my case I used Gen. Lucian Truscott, but it could be anyone the player prefers.

It also frees the player from having to simulate the ‘fiefdoms’ that existed in real life — in WitP those mostly translate into PP taxes and awkward HQ boundaries rather than meaningful gameplay.

And on a personal level, I don’t particularly care for MacArthur as a commander. Since this is a game, I don’t feel obligated to follow the historical timeline exactly, so this scenario gives me a reasonable and plausible way to reshape the command structure to my liking.

[zebrazwo]

So, if I understand you correctly, you want a more unified command structure under one, call it, "Pacific Command" ?

Interesting idea. Will definitely like to see what happens with this.

And yes, Mac was a pompous, arrogant - I better stop here because I can feel the next words I want to write about him would probably have me cooling off for a few days

[Dereck]

So, if I understand you correctly, you want a more unified command structure under one, call it, "Pacific Command" ?

Interesting idea. Will definitely like to see what happens with this.

And yes, Mac was a pompous, arrogant - I better stop here because I can feel the next words I want to write about him would probably have me cooling off for a few days

How other people work with this is up to them. In my case i use "paper OOB". I have the Central Pacific HQ in my scenario instead of the Pacific Ocean Areas, so I create a paper "POA"in my "OOB" and after this go with the idea that, without MacArthur the Pacific became a Navy theater like Europe was an Army theater. That put the SWPacific as just another HQ under the POA umbrella. Instead of hoarding and fighting for resources everything can be pooled and used where it is most useful.

My hypothesis above is merely setting the stage for how others want to interpret it if they wish to do so.

[Bo Rearguard]

Lucian Truscott certainly comes across as the better commander in terms of overall troop morale than Dismal Doug. I've sometimes wondered why MacArthur's air rating is even that good since his bombers were caught on the ground at Clark, but it's all subjective I guess.

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[LargeSlowTarget]

Im my mod, MacA. is a separate HQ unit consisting of himself and a single support squad. The PT boats in the PI can be converted to an ML type with a limited troop carrying capacity, so you can actually role-play the game and try to evacuate Dugout Doug via PT-ML to Mindanao to be picked-up by air. Historically he was picked-up by a B-17, but this is not possible in the game - a PBY must do. SWPac HQ also comes with a different commander, so if Dugout Doug survives the trip from the PI, you can disband his HQ unit and reassign him to command SWPAC if you want to follow history.

Edit: So if you really want a demise of MacA., send the PT carrying him in the direction of some Japanese SAG...

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