Hey r/AskHistorians, had a question I was really curious about. I watched the documentary video adaption of "Douglas MacArthur: American Caesar" based on the book by William Manchester. Near the very end of the documentary (around 3:53:28 of this youtube video upload https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv1hKcp6qII ) the narrator states that MacArthur changed his mind on the use of atomic weapons. This is the only mention of this position in the biography, and I didn't find anything about it with a quick google search. Given how infamous MacArthur's willingness to use nuclear weapons was, this feels like a fairly significant reversal. Was the documentary playing loose with the facts or can anyone corroborate these allegations in more detail?
Thanks for any info.
This idea that MacArthur changed his ideas on nuclear weapons likely derives from a speech he gave to the American Legion in 1954, where he stated that the US government should:
"proclaim our readiness to abolish war in concert with the great powers of the world." The advent of atomic weapons "has destroyed the possibility of war being a medium of practical settlement of international differences. The enormous destruction to both sides of closely matched opponents makes it impossible for the winner to translate it into anything but his own disaster."
"The present tensions, with their threat of national annihilation, are kept alive by two great illusions. The one, a complete belief on the part of the Soviet world that capitalist countries are preparing to attack them... And the other, a complete belief on the part of the capitalistic countries that the Soviets are preparing to attack us... Both are wrong.
The other question is whether or not MacArthur ever seriously considered dropping nuclear weapons in Korea as most of these claims are vague and contradictory. He certainly wanted to conventionally bomb Chinese bases. He also wanted reinforcements that Washington felt might be needed in Europe if the Soviets entered the war and became insubordinate in his public views.
MacArthur and Truman had an enormous feud that would lead to MacArthur's firing and would last their entire lives at least until a few days before MacArthur's death when Truman sent him a telegram wishing him a swift recovery from his illness.
The narrative that MacArthur wanted to drop nuclear weapons in Korea largely derives from an interview that Truman had given to a Chicago TV station in 1960 where Truman made the claim that MacArthur had wanted to use nuclear weapons against China and Russia in Korea. Often lost in the narrative is MacArthur's immediate denial, followed by Truman basically recanting the claim and saying it was only his "opinion."
Source for the quote:
James, D. Clayton, The Years of MacArthur: Triumph & Disaster 1945-1964. pg 666
If you want a short summary of the firing of MacArthur as well as discussions of the use of nuclear weapons at the time, I recommend this video from the archivist at the MacArthur Memorial.