President Herbert Hoover was, at the time of his 1928 presidential election, one of the most popular figures in America. Hoover’s young presidency fell apart on October 24, 1929, when the stock market crashed and sent the United States into The Great Depression. The economy consumed Hoover’s time in office until 1932, when the Bonus Army March caught America’s attention. During the Bonus Army March, World War I veterans marched on Washington, D.C. demanding that the U.S. government provide them with the bonuses they had promised. Hoover ordered his Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Douglas MacArthur, to peacefully lead the Bonus Army out of their encampments. MacArthur disobeyed, and the scene quickly descended into chaos, with the U.S. Army firing tear gas on U.S. veterans. Hoover lost re-election to New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Hoover left the White House on March 4, 1933 and retired.
To learn more about President Herbert Hoover, visit his official website.
General Douglas MacArthur was one of the most prominent generals of the 20th century. By the time of his termination, General MacArthur had been a household name for over a decade. A career military man from a family of career military men, MacArthur spent the majority of his adult life in the Army. In 1930, he was promoted to Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under President Herbert Hoover. However, in 1932, he came under extreme controversy for his role in the Bonus Army riots, which he decided to lead personally. He also decided to disobey the direct orders of President Hoover, who told MacArthur to hold the army back at the Anacostia River. World War II did not go well for MacArthur at first, but he eventually achieved great success fighting the Japanese in the Pacific Theater, and later had the honor of personally accepting the Japanese surrender which formally ended World War II. MacArthur presided over the U.S. occupation of Japan until he left to command the U.N. forces during the Korean War. For all of MacArthur’s strengths. two key weaknesses proved to be his downfall. First, while he was a brilliant offensive commander, he often seriously neglected his defensive needs. Second, he was known for possessing an enormous ego.
To learn more about General Douglas MacArthur, visit his official website.
President Harry S. Truman assumed the office of President on April 12, 1945 following the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman was immediately forced to deal with finding a way to end World War II as well as finding a way to rebuild the war-torn continent of Europe following the war. Following Truman’s surprising re-election in 1948, his attention turned to Korea. Seeing the need for foreign intervention, President Truman gathered support for an international coalition under the control of the United Nations and General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. The goal of this coalition was to help prevent instability in other problematic nations around the world.
To learn more about President Harry S. Truman, visit his official website.