Despite heavy criticism, Truman never regretted firing MacArthur insisting to his dying day that his arrogance and disrespect justified his termination.
Truman’s approval rating dropped to 22%. To date, he holds the record for the lowest approval score of any sitting president in Gallup polling history.
Following Truman’s exit from the White House, both he and MacArthur maintained a close friendship with former President Herbert Hoover. Despite this shared relationship, the two men did not communicate with each other, never allowing the old wounds of 1951 to heal. In later years, both men became trusted advisors to Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.
Richard E. Berlin, a friend of MacArthur’s, later recalled:
“MacArthur didn’t have too much respect for President Truman politically. However, I heard MacArthur say one night in my library — I think after the Korean War — either during it or right after it — ‘There’s no reason why I should pay great tribute to Harry Truman, yet I’ll say for Harry Truman — he could make a decision and he could make it fast.’ And he also said, ‘I’ve always admired him for it.'”
Do you think that Truman and MacArthur should have made an attempt to repair their relationship after Truman left the White House?