Douglas Caddy Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/macarthurs-last-stand-against-a-winless-war/ I am 80 years old and am very happy that I have lived long enough to read this important article by a highly respected historian. There is no American in public life today that has the charisma and wisdom of these two great men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Adams Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Just as he did with the blockade during the missle crisis, President Kennedy would have also had those words of wisdom," do not fight a land war in Asia" in the back of his mind and the Unites States would not have put large numbers of troops in Viet Nam. We have the president on tape with Walter Cronkite, saying that it is their (the Vietnamese) war. The U. S. can help them, but in the end, they have to fight it. (paraphrasing). There would not have been a Viet Nam war if John F. Kennedy had lived!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/macarthurs-last-stand-against-a-winless-war/ I am 80 years old and am very happy that I have lived long enough to read this important article by a highly respected historian. There is no American in public life today that has the charisma and wisdom of these two great men. Douglas, Thank you for this. I need to go back and re-read it three of four more times. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Thanks for this and I did not know the last conversation was on tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Wieselquist Posted October 5, 2018 Share Posted October 5, 2018 (edited) On 10/4/2018 at 2:12 PM, Douglas Caddy said: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/macarthurs-last-stand-against-a-winless-war/ I am 80 years old and am very happy that I have lived long enough to read this important article by a highly respected historian. There is no American in public life today that has the charisma and wisdom of these two great men. Douglas, Thanks so much for this article sketching out the three long Kennedy-MacArthur conversations, with that third long conversation on pdf. I take the most enjoyment from Jack listening the vast majority of the time, which was rare from what I've seen. And DM actually being funny; he must have caught some of JFK's humor-bug. Noted in this article, though seldom noted in most Kennedy material: * his vigor and fitness. American historians (i. e., usually crappy) like to point out JFK's maladies, sometimes even saying he was some kind of dead man walking. The truth is golfing associations judge him to be the best presidential golfer, by far. His swimming prowess scared SS on duty because they had to try to keep up with him; not long after Marilyn Monroe was murdered by Mafia buddies of Frank Sinatra, Jack was out past the breakers in Hawaii*****, and the mighty SSAs didn't even try. Everyone over 40 has health issues, and JFK dealt with his amazingly, both with his doctors and his own physical activities. (No sex jokes please) * Army man MacArthur's stress on the Navy, especially the use of blockades (as in the Cuba Missile Crisis), as our greatest military strengths and tactics. Also, his wisdom that the US economy was the most important basis of both military and national strength. The USA went from world creditor to world debtor post-Kennedy. $22 Trillion national debt and sinking fast with the Orange Baboon's raising the annual deficit from around a half T under Obama to Duh Donalt's $1.5 T per year. (The poor plutocrats don't deserve to pay taxes, y'know.) * Southeast Asia -- wow. Kennedy seizing on DM's sizing of the situation. It is as if their perfect understanding of it predicted the future. Slacker fool Ike wanted invasions of Nam and Laos; he was the chief advisor for LBJ's apocalyptic failures there. I wish this article had noted that Pol Pot came to power in Cambodia because of US destabilizing of the region. When the North Vietnamese were finally freed up from fighting the American fascists, only then were they able to go next door and stomp the Khmer Rouge's *ss. Also, he could have mentioned that our bombing of the Pathet Lao in Laos 1964-1975 turned the most fertile farmland in the world, the Plain of Jars, into a moonscape. A high percentage of the (mostly Geneva illegal) bombs didn't detonate when they hit the ground; they've been going off for 50 years. Little New Zealand cleared many sites of massive unexploded ordnance 2004-2007. Rocky Obama pledged $90 Million for that purpose at the end of his term, first president to visit Laos. Doug, you say there are no Americans in public life today with the wisdom and charisma of MacArthur and Kennedy. How about, say, Bill Bradley, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, John Kasich, Bernie Sanders, Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Martin O'Malley? No, you're right. Close but no cigar. The two Douglases, Caddy and MacArthur, birds of a feather. You should be more public. *****NOT Hawaii, but Santa Monica at Peter Lawford's house, 8/19/62, two weeks after Ms. Monroe's murder. Many fully-dressed women jump in the water with JFK. At least 600 surround the scene to gawk at and touch the president. The previous day, FBI's Hoover's hotel, La Jolla, is robbed of $30K to $50K as he sleeps at his annual vacation there for the Del Mar racing season, heavily connected to Clint Murchison and American Mafia. Three days after JFK's big Pacific swim, 8/22/62, is one of the worst assassination attacks on Charles de Gaulle, near Petit-Clamart; 120-150 bullets are fired, and Mr and Mrs de Gaulle escape unharmed. Edited October 11, 2018 by Roy Wieselquist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Andrews Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 with that third long conversation on pdf. Can somebody point me to a link for the JFk/MacArthur conversation transcript .pdf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 On 10/4/2018 at 11:44 PM, Roy Wieselquist said: * Army man MacArthur's stress on the Navy, especially the use of blockades (as in the Cuba Missile Crisis), as our greatest military strengths and tactics. Roy, From the sounds of it, it looks like Macarthur would have subscribed to the theories of Alfred Thayer Mahan as opposed to the theories of Halford Mackinder. If you're interested in this topic, you might be interested in this discussion of the Heartland Theory vs. the Rimland Theory and the advantages/disadvantages of interior lines of communication vs. mobility. See this U.S. Army War College Study: http://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/parameters/articles/00summer/fettweis.htm I find this fascinating and haven't made up my mind yet. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Harper Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 Thank you for the great article as well as the informative comments. I too would love to have access to the pdf. 31 minutes ago, Steve Thomas said: From the sounds of it, it looks like Macarthur would have subscribed to the theories of Alfred Thayer Mahan as opposed to the theories of Halford Mackinder. I was aware of the Mahan influence and theory, but not Mackinder 1 hour ago, David Andrews said: Can somebody point me to a link for the JFk/MacArthur conversation transcript .pdf? ditto. On 10/5/2018 at 6:44 AM, Roy Wieselquist said: Army man MacArthur's stress on the Navy your comments very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 4 hours ago, Robert Harper said: I was aware of the Mahan influence and theory, but not Mackinder Robert, Here's a down-and-dirty version of the Heartland vs. Rimland discussion: Back in the (Great) Game: The Revenge of Eurasian Land Powers https://consortiumnews.com/2018/08/29/back-in-the-great-game-the-revenge-of-eurasian-land-powers/ Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Lawson Posted October 6, 2018 Share Posted October 6, 2018 3 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: Here's a down-and-dirty version of the Heartland vs. Rimland discussion: Back in the (Great) Game: The Revenge of Eurasian Land Powers https://consortiumnews.com/2018/08/29/back-in-the-great-game-the-revenge-of-eurasian-land-powers/ "... the preeminent post-mod Delphic Oracle, also known as Henry Kissinger, simultaneously adorned by hagiography gold and despised as a war criminal...." Solid-gold prose from Pepe Escobar - well worth the read, IMO. ML Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Caddy Posted October 6, 2018 Author Share Posted October 6, 2018 10 hours ago, David Andrews said: with that third long conversation on pdf. Can somebody point me to a link for the JFk/MacArthur conversation transcript .pdf? https://prde.upress.virginia.edu/content/search?q=&p=31 https://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-1962-08-16-D.aspx https://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-AR7418-A.aspx https://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-ST-C29-1-62.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted October 7, 2018 Share Posted October 7, 2018 9 hours ago, Mark Lawson said: Solid-gold prose from Pepe Escobar - well worth the read, IMO. ML Mark, Mr. Escobar wrote, " Hop in for some essential time travel." I wrote him a note and thanked him for the time travel. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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