Michel Fustier
GENERAL MACARTHUR IN THE PACIFIC
The second World War… While the main effort of the allied troops was being
made in Europe against Hitler, a second battle was taking place in the Pacific
against the Japanese, who had started the war against the U.S.A. at Pearl Harbor.
General MacArthur was given the responsibility for the operation, which took
place over the 4,000 miles which separated Australia from Japan. In the end,
MacArthur undertook the task of giving democratic institutions to Japan.
CHARACTERS
General MacArthur;
The American General Eichelberger, MacArthur's Chief of Staff,
The Emperor of Japan; the Japanese Prime Minister.
1 - (in MacArthur's headquarters in New Caledonia)
MACARTHUR - I have chosen you, General Eichelberger. You rather than any other…
EICHELBERGER - What for, General?
MACARTHUR - Can't you guess? … The Japanese have chased us from the Philippines
and swept us all the way through the Pacific down to Australia. A withdrawal
of four thousand miles… well! Now, retreating is over and it is time to
turn back, fight and push the Japs back home. First of all, we are going to
recapture New Guinea. Beginning with Buna!
EICHELBERGER - But, General…
MACARTHUR - Any objection?
EICHELBERGER – From me, no. But from New Guinea…
MACARTHUR - Really! What do you mean?
EICHELBERGER – May I remind you that New Guinea is an island 2500 miles
long, with a mountain barrier 13 000 feet high, all covered with an awful tropical
jungle, full of dangerous animals, poisonous plants, insects…? It is a
trackless terrain, it rains every other day, you catch fever, the smallest cut
turns immediately septic… Such are the objections from New Guinea.
MACARTHUR - Is all that enough to stop you, Eichelberger? Tell me another way
to reach the Japs, who are fortified on the other side of the Island…
There is none.
EICHELBERGER - Do I have to be in command of this desperate operation? I mean…
MACARTHUR - Don't tell me what you mean. If you don't go, who else will? I need
somebody who is able to achieve the impossible.
EICHELBERGER - Well, I think that, since you made me come here, it's in order
that I should accept.
MACARTHUR - Exactly… (pause)
EICHELBERGER - Consequently, I accept. We will achieve the… impossible,
as you said.
MACARTHUR - Very well. When you have taken Buna you'll be decorated and the
papers will publicize your exploit.
EICHELBERGER - (ironically) I am really very eager to see that.
MACARTHUR - Bob, take Buna or do not come back alive. (exit Eichelberger) I
want to see him dead if he does not take Buna.
2 - (in the palace of the Emperor of Japan)
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - Mister Prime Minister, millions of our men are engaged in
the battle of the Pacific and yet we are retreating before the American troops,
whose numbers are ridiculously fewer than ours. May I express my amazement?
PRIME MINISTER - Your Majesty, very respectfully, there are many reasons why,
the main one being that their famous General MacArthur is kind of diabolic.
He refuses to attack!
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - What do you mean? He doesn't attack and yet he beats you!
He outflanks you, then?
PRIME MINISTER - Precisely… I'll give you an example… We had built
huge fortifications on the island of Rabaul… If he had fought cleanly
he would never have overcome our pillboxes, our trenches, our strongholds, all
crammed with cannons and machine guns… Or else he would have taken three
years to beat us. Now, we have been waiting for him and he hasn't come!
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - What happened then?
PRIME MINISTER - He just landed cunningly here and there in our rear, built
runways in the jungle and cut our communication lines. We weren’t able
to receive food or reinforcements any longer, nor to evacuate our positions…
All our fortifications had become useless and our men were turning mad from
hunger and illness… and anger… they wanted to fight! In the end,
they took refuge in the jungle where they died miserably.
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - I see… It's a strategy of surrounding the foe! One
doesn't attack the stronghold but isolates it instead. Then it falls, like a
ripe fruit.
PRIME MINISTER - Exactly... It looks as though this damned American has been
able to assimilate completely the doctrine of our old masters of strategy.
EMPEROR OF JAPAN – Don't make me believe that he has assimilated more
than you did yourself. Stop him! Find within yourself all the necessary resources
to stop him.
3 - (on an American cruiser)
MACARTHUR - Now, the Philippines! The Philippines are a long string of some
7,000 islands much larger than Great Britain and Ireland together. Capital:
Manila! To have access to Japan, we must first take the Philippines. But they
are occupied by 400 000 Japanese.
CHIEF OF STAFF - What shall we do?
MACARTHUR - When the enemy attacks, step back, when he gives way, attack him…
thus has written Sun-Tsu. Anyhow never attack him where he is strong, but only
where he is weak.
CHIEF OF STAFF - It's the theory of the soft underbelly?
MACARTHUR - Yes. Thanks to which we can spare the lives of our marines…
Now the battle is beginneng. But this time, the Japanese are on their guard
and when we land at Leyte, in the soft underbelly of the Philippines, all their
fleet is gathering there in haste to crush us… What can you see with your
binoculars?
CHIEF OF STAFF - I see before my eyes the greatest naval battle of all time
taking place … The American and Japanese fleets together number more than
350 ships. They are performing a dance of death round the islands…
MACARTHUR - Now, tell me, who is winning… who is winning… Who has
won?
CHIEF OF STAFF - Wait a minute… The fight is indecisive! (pause) At last
we have taken a slight advantage and officially the Japanese have lost. But,
as they know that their future in the Philippines depends on this battle, they
go on harassing us… They are desperate and they are causing us much harm
with their kamikaze planes…
MACARTHUR - We must resist them, at any cost…
CHIEF OF STAFF - We are resisting, we are resisting… But how difficult
it is! Moreover the heavens have opened…
MACARTHUR – Well, now that the rain has ceased, order the 77th division
to land at the rear of the enemy.
CHIEF OF STAFF - They have… Look, the Japs are trapped… It's all
over. (releasing the binoculars) We have cut the Japanese forces in the Philippines
in two. Japanese casualties 80,500, American 3,300!
MACARTHUR - You see: the theory of the soft underbelly… it does pay! But
the work is not yet finished and our next target is Manila. Let’s go…
And after Manila it will be Japan.
4 - (in Tokyo, in General MacArthur's residence)
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - General MacArthur, you have defeated us, and here, in this
country, we respect victors. Such is the reason why I, Hiro Hito, Emperor of
Japan, have made the request to be received by you.
MACARTHUR - Your Majesty… It's a great honour. May I offer you a cigarette…
an American cigarette, of course?
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - I thank you. I have come to tell you that I acknowledge being
the only person answerable for all that has been perpetrated by my people during
all the war operations.
MACARTHUR - This acknowledgement is proof that you are a true leader who doesn't
try to escape his responsibilities. But we have decided not to take reprisals
against Japan. The two bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have already caused enough
suffering.
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - This is very generous. We beg you to receive our thanks.
MACARTHUR - We only wish to see a new Japan born which will give up its warlike
attitude and open itself to a democratic system.
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - General MacArthur, your people have given us evidence of
their superiority. We are very desirous to receive from them the lessons that
will allow us to improve our condition.
MACARTHUR - I am very happy about the state of mind you have just expressed.
We are ready to help you as much as we can… Could I suggest in particular
promulgating a new constitution?
EMPEROR OF JAPAN - That's exactly our intention… In the meantime, to show
how willing we are to change, you must know that I no longer consider myself
as the living representative of God on earth. I desire that the Japanese people
know that they are their own master.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
At the battle of Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft
attacked by surprise and destroyed the American squadron at anchor in the bay.
This marked the beginning of the battle of the Pacific against the German and
Japanese alliance. America thereby joined its European allies at war against
Hitler since 1939.
At that time General MacArthur was commander-in-chief of American forces in
the East and his headquarters was situated in the Philippines, a country under
American protection. Although getting on in years, having retired in1935, the
former chief of staff of the American army was called back to his new function
in 1941.
Even before the battle of Pearl Harbour, the Japanese had undertaken the conquest
of the Asian South-East : Korea, Manchuria, Formosa. Immediately after Pearl
Harbour, they continued on to the Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Borneo, Sumatra,
New Guinea… Thus they could stock up with quantities of raw materials
that their islands lacked. They had thrown into the battle about twelve million
men and a powerful modern navy. They were all the more effective in that the
Allies had decided to give priority to the war in Europe and had only a few
troops to oppose them.
MacArthur and his scanty force succeeded in holding out for some time in the
Philippines, in particular in the fortress of Corregidor … .But finally
MacArthur was personally ordered to withdraw to Australia, from where he could
organise retaking the lost territories. He escaped by night on a small patrol
boat, leaving behind soldiers who were for the greatest part massacred by the
Japanese.
MacArthur had said to the Philippine people: I will return. As he had fought
in France during the first World War, where he had discovered the horror of
the trenches, he avoided opposing the Japanese in major frontal battles. On
the contrary, anxious to spare the lives of his men, he used a very subtle and
versatile strategy, outflanking the Japanese forces and attacking them by surprise
where they were weak, with the help of the navy and air force. And thus, step
by step, he went back through the Pacific up to the Philippines … This
campaign made his reputation as one of the greatest generals in history.
He was ready to attack Japan when, without his even being informed, the two
atomic bombs were launched on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, provoking the surrender
of the enemy. He then received full executive powers over Japan and in the following
years helped that country to get back on its feet again and accept democratic
laws and a constitution. Thus he was as impressive in peace as in war.
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Non commercial use allowed. Reg. SACD - Michel Fustier, 4 Chambfort, 69 100 Villeurbanne, France. Tel: 00 33 (0)4 78 84 25 28.