MacArthur Memorial Podcast

In 1901, during the Philippine-American War, the Governor-General of the Philippines, Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur Jr., father of Douglas MacArthur, approved a daring plan by Frederick Funston to capture General Aguinaldo. Once Aguinaldo was in custody, Arthur MacArthur persuaded him to swear allegiance to the United States and to use his influence to help end the war. What do we know about the discussions between the two men? How did they see the future of the Philippines? How did this event influence Douglas MacArthur’s vision of Philippine independence? In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel discuss these questions and more.

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During World War II thousands of British cadets learned to fly at six civilian training schools across the southern United States. The first and largest of the schools was in Terrell, Texas. More than 2,200 Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Corps cadets earned their wings at the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum in Terrell between 1941 and 1945. To explore the history of this flying school in Terrell, the MacArthur Memorial podcast hosted Tom Killebrew, author of The Royal Air Force in Texas: Training British Pilots in Terrell during World War II.
Learn more about the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum: Home Page (bftsmuseum.org)

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On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur kept his famous I Shall Return promise when he landed at Leyte with one of the largest invasion forces in history. From the beach, he broadcast his "I Have Returned" speech. It is a short, 2-minute speech, but it is packed with emotion.

MacArthur had written the speech about a month before the landings, and it had gone through several drafts. On September 29, 1944, MacArthur recorded the speech in an OWI office in Brisbane in the event of technical difficulties during the landings. This podcast episode features this recorded version.

After he gave the speech live on the beach on October 20, 1944, the content of the speech made its way around the world. It was panned by newspapers in the US and by later writers. They considered it “sacrilegious,” “flamboyant,” and as proof of “MacArthur’s supreme egotism.” As MacArthur’s air chief General George Kenney explained however, the speech was not meant for Americans or for the world. It was for the Filipino people. That audience received it well. For many, it was a new commitment from a trusted source. - a commitment to see the liberation of the Philippines through to completion.

Just something to think about as you listen to this recording of MacArthur’s I Shall Return Speech.

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On September 30, 2023, the MacArthur Memorial opened a new 5000 sq ft exhibit entitled The Price of Unpreparedness: POWs in the Philippines during World War II.
The opening event featured the following presentations:

• Dr. Frank Blazich, Jr. - Defeat, Death, and Defiance: The POW Experience in the Philippines
• Mary Maynard - An American Family's WWII Tail of Adventure and Survival
• Cecily Marshall - The Civilian Internee Experience
• Corey Thornton and Jim Zobel - Overview: The Price of Unpreparedness

Exhibit Guide: https://www.flipsnack.com/FE7AC7BBDC9/special-exhibit-guide-the-price-of-unpreparedness/full-view.html

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January 26 marks the birthday of General Douglas MacArthur. It is also Australia Day. On January 26, 2017, the MacArthur Memorial partnered with Air Vice-Marshal Alan Clements, Head of Australian Defense Services (Washington), to mark each of these significant occasions. As part of the program, MacArthur Memorial Archivist James Zobel gave a very short address on General MacArthur and the ties between the United States and Australia.

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