Shaping American politics in Asia, even to this day
Exhibition shows role Douglas MacArthur and his father played
In the early 1900s, American attention was focused primarily on Europe and the infighting that would lead to the First World War.
At the same time, Douglas MacArthur, an ambitious young soldier, was touring Asia and believed the U.S. needed to turn its eyes to the East. He predicted years of possibility and threat, and he wasn’t wrong — consider the tense relationship that continues between the U.S. and North Korea.
The latest exhibition at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk looks at Douglas MacArthur and his father, Arthur, and how their diplomatic and military efforts left a lasting imprint on Asia and the Pacific Islands.
“Legacies: The MacArthurs in the Far East” uses rare artifacts, photos and maps and covers the Philippine-American conflict that began in 1899 through Douglas MacArthur’s Korean War campaigns in the 1950s.
One of the exhibition’s detailed maps shows how conflicts in Asia then led to political conflicts now, particularly in the Middle East and Korea.
“We are working to educate people about the importance of the Pacific, but also remind people that even though we’re talking about events that happened
75, 80 years ago, it’s all still very relevant today,” said
Chris Kolakowski, director of MacArthur Memorial.
“If you want to understand modern Asia, WWII “Matter of fact, for a Arthur MacArthur then and its aftermath, you have certain generation of Filhad Douglas tour Asia with to understand Douglas ipinos, Douglas MacArthur him when the elder served MacArthur and his father.” is “MacArthur, the Youngas a military attaché during
Arthur MacArthur was a er’ because when they the Russo-Japanese War in decorated veteran after the think of MacArthur, they 1905.
Civil War and was serving think of Dad,” Kolakowski Kolakowski calls it “the as military governor of the said. creation of Douglas MacArPhilippines in 1899 at the The exhibition includes thur.” Even Douglas would end of the Spanish-Amerifamily portraits of the later write in his memoirs can War. The Philippines MacArthur family, includthat the nearly year-long had won independence ing Mary Pinkney Hardy, tour would “color and from Spain but were balkDouglas’ mother, who was influence all the days of my life.”ingattheAmericanforcesborninNorfolk—the that remained on the isreason why Douglas deHe wrote in his 1964 lands. Kolakowski said cided to house his papers book “Reminiscences” that Arthur MacArthur won here and was buried in “the true historic signifiover rebel forces by conNorfolk. cance and the sense of vincing them that America Of the two, Arthur Macdestiny that these lands of wanted to help them with Arthur first saw the importhe western Pacific and their independence. tance of creating ties with Indian Ocean now as
The Philippines conAsia and mentored his son sumed became part of me vened its first elected aswith that belief. Douglas, … Here lived almost half sembly in 1907 and the who graduated at the top of the population of the MacArthurs are still his West Point class in 1903, world, with probably more revered there, Kolakowski worked in the Philippines than half of the raw prodsaid. in 1903 and 1904. ucts to sustain future gen
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erations. Here was western civilization’s last earth frontier. It was crystal clear to me that the future and, indeed, the very existence of America were irrevocably entwined with Asia and its island outposts.”
Kolakowski said that one of the most significant lessons the elder MacArthur taught young Douglas was that “people are people.”
When Douglas MacArthur and his second wife, Jean, had their son, the couple named the Philippine president and his wife as the child’s godparents.
“So, in 1938, he has nonwhite godparents for his son,” Kolakowski said. “That’s a statement.”
The exhibition details the more well-known aspects of Douglas MacArthur’s career including his recurring Philippine commands in the 1920s and 1930s, his retreat from the islands in WWII and his famous return in 1945.
The story is told through multiple displays of artifacts: war camp memorabilia, uniforms, and matchbooks and chocolates stamped with MacArthur’s promise, “I Shall Return” that were smuggled into the Philippines during Japan’s occupation.
MacArthur’s legend was further cemented in his leadership in rebuilding of Japan after the war and his clashes with President Harry Truman during the Korean War. Besides the 1953 armistice, Kolakowski noted that the Korean peninsula hasn’t changed much geopolitically since Truman fired MacArthur in 1951.
The exhibition will be on display until early 2021 and programming is being planned to illustrate the connection between the man who is buried in downtown Norfolk.
Kolakowski said, “We want people to understand why this is important, why the region of Asia is important and that there’s a living legacy of the MacArthurs still there.” Denise M. Watson, 757-446-2504, denise.watson@ pilotonline.com