Brooke did his big tour of the empire as his last assignment.
He met MacArthur face-to-face for the first time.
"He began by asking me my impression of my visit to Korea. I told him that I had been interested to find the same lack of co-operation on the part of the Russians.... This started him off on the threat of Russia to the future peace of the world. In his opinion we should be prepared for trouble and assemble at least a thousand atomic bombs...We must prepare safe aerodromes by tunneliing into the sides of mountains so that we shall be able to go on operating from England.... In the Pacific, with the new super-bomber now on the slips.. we should be able to attack Russia from America..."
"I pointed out that as long as we had armies of occupation in Europe we should have a land front with Russia... we should not be able to hold the Russians back ...and that with the Russians at the Channel we should be in a very difficult position"
"He finished by presenting me with a signed photograph of himself"
"I came away with the impression that he is a very big man and the biggest general I have yet seen during this war. He is head and shoulders bigger than Marshall .."
"In all these operations I never felt he had the full support of the American COS. Certainly King bore him no friendly feelings.."
"He has been accused of taking actions without previous political approval, but he had been unable to obtain the political policy and the guidance he had sought. To my mind a general who is not prepared to assume some responsibility on his own, when unable to obtain political direction, is of little value".
Well, yes, no
Was Brooke so gullible? or, lo and behold, could MacArthur just be ... <a good general?> oh horror and woe to all.
Ivan
He met MacArthur face-to-face for the first time.
"He began by asking me my impression of my visit to Korea. I told him that I had been interested to find the same lack of co-operation on the part of the Russians.... This started him off on the threat of Russia to the future peace of the world. In his opinion we should be prepared for trouble and assemble at least a thousand atomic bombs...We must prepare safe aerodromes by tunneliing into the sides of mountains so that we shall be able to go on operating from England.... In the Pacific, with the new super-bomber now on the slips.. we should be able to attack Russia from America..."
"I pointed out that as long as we had armies of occupation in Europe we should have a land front with Russia... we should not be able to hold the Russians back ...and that with the Russians at the Channel we should be in a very difficult position"
"He finished by presenting me with a signed photograph of himself"
"I came away with the impression that he is a very big man and the biggest general I have yet seen during this war. He is head and shoulders bigger than Marshall .."
"In all these operations I never felt he had the full support of the American COS. Certainly King bore him no friendly feelings.."
"He has been accused of taking actions without previous political approval, but he had been unable to obtain the political policy and the guidance he had sought. To my mind a general who is not prepared to assume some responsibility on his own, when unable to obtain political direction, is of little value".
Well, yes, no
Was Brooke so gullible? or, lo and behold, could MacArthur just be ... <a good general?> oh horror and woe to all.
Ivan