THE FATE OF THE GENERALS

A dual biography of two American generals who took part in that epic 1941-45 campaign.

One was a heroic leader awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945. The other was General Douglas MacArthur. Having discovered much new material, journalist and former White House speechwriter Horn, author of The Man Who Would Not Be Washington: Robert E. Lee’s Civil War and His Decision That Changed American History, works hard to emphasize the lesser-known Jonathan Wainwright (1883-1953). Son of an army officer, Wainwright, like MacArthur, was first a captain of West Point’s Corps of Cadets and progressed steadily to become senior field commander of Philippine Forces under MacArthur. Never intending to defend the Philippines, American military leaders formulated a defensive plan in which our forces would retreat to the jungles of the Bataan peninsula, where they would hold out until rescued. MacArthur considered himself a warrior—and warriors don’t defend; they attack. When the Japanese invaded in December 1941, he ignored the plan and proclaimed that his forces would repel the enemy wherever they landed. When, within weeks, this failed everywhere, he changed his mind, but it was too late to ship enough supplies to Bataan. As a result, the half-starved soldiers who vastly outnumbered the Japanese were doomed. MacArthur left for Australia in March 1942, leaving Wainwright to fight on and then surrender in June. Horn delivers a gripping if painful account of Wainwright’s short command and long, miserable imprisonment. In an extraordinarily mean-spirited act, MacArthur vetoed the decision to award him a Medal of Honor in 1942. Once freed, Wainwright was surprised that America did not blame him for the surrender, treated him as a hero, and awarded him a belated Medal of Honor. Always a loyal subordinate, he never criticized MacArthur and even delivered the nominating speech in his abortive 1948 run for president.

An admirable, often successful attempt to bring Wainwright out of MacArthur’s shadow.