General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia in March, 1942 after a harrowing escape from the Philippines where his command had been handily defeated by a much smaller invading Japanese force. Placed in charge of the newly created Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), MacArthur was desperate to retain his new post so that he might reconquer the Philippines and in so doing, reclaim his honor. Thus began the daily issuance of communiqués from his headquarters which related a grueling campaign of more than a thousand days of World War II in which Allied forces fought a relentless enemy from the northern shores of Australia back to the heart of Manila.
Never before available in print, this volume of communiqués brings to life the regular updates issued to an anxious public hungry for news of progress in the great advance across the Southwest Pacific. Not only a record of the campaign, these daily pronouncements also represent a master class of public relations management as MacArthur attempted to write the first draft of history in which he was the great hero deserving of enduring fame regardless of the truth prevailing on the battlefield.

James Ellman is an investor and historian who lives in Kailua, Hawaii.

Douglas MacArthur and His General Staff
Edited and Annotated by James Ellman
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 60 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9320-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5180-4
Imprint: McFarland

• “This book will be an important source for anyone wishing to learn about the war in the Southwest Pacific. Its detailed descriptions of the fighting forces, American, Australian and Japanese, is indispensable to readers.”—James Duffy, author of War at the End of the World

• “In his new book, James Ellman has done a tremendous service for historians, researchers, and Pacific War enthusiasts in assembling this vital compilation of General Douglas MacArthur’s communiques. With thoughtful editorial comments and keen observations, Ellman has created a must-have resource that belongs on the bookshelf of any student of World War II history.”—James M. Scott, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Black Snow and Rampage