18. Harry Truman and the firing of Douglas MacArthur
When Harry Truman took it upon himself to fire the popular Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War it was not a decision he made without soliciting the advice of military and political leaders. MacArthur had been both insubordinate and inaccurate in his estimates regarding the intervention of the Red Chinese army in the war. Morale among the troops in Korea and in the civilian population of the United States had dropped precipitously. MacArthur had violated protocol by communicating directly with members of Congress regarding the conduct of the war and what were, in his opinion, the President’s failings. Nonetheless, the national shock was palpable, and Truman’s approval ratings dropped dramatically.
There were calls in Congress for the President’s impeachment, led by the influential Republican Senator Robert Taft. Two Senate committees held joint hearings to consider whether the President’s actions were justified. They concluded that firing MacArthur, “was within the Constitutional powers of the President”. Before Truman fired the intransigent MacArthur all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense George Marshall announced to the President that they supported relieving MacArthur for both military and political reasons. Nonetheless, Republican Congressmen continued to use the action against MacArthur as an example of a President’s abuse of powers in campaign speeches and interviews with the press, radio, and television.
