Episodes
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When most people think about the battles in the Pacific during World War II, they probably think of Guadalcanal, Okinawa, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Leyte Gulf, Midway, etc. It was a very long and difficult war though, and there were dozens of other battles. One of the lesser-known battles is the Battle of Morotai, which began on September 15, 1944. Part of the Halmahera Island group, Morotai is a small island in what is now Indonesia – southeast of the Philippines. Prior to World War II it was part of the Netherlands East Indies. It was occupied in 1942 by the Japanese.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Morotai, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda WIlliams sat down to discuss the battle and the role in played in setting up MacArthur's return to the Philippines.Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the most popular and successful relief programs during the Great Depression. Between 1933-1942, it put 3 million men to work throughout the United States. These young men worked on conservation and transportation projects on Federal, State, and local government lands.
The CCC was the brainchild of President Franklin Roosevelt and his liberal New Deal advisors. In large part, it was successful because of the U.S. Army, a bastion of conservatism at the time, and more specifically, because of the efforts of the anti-New Deal Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur. It was an interesting match made out of necessity.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of MacArthur and the CCC.Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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On November 29, 1952, a 22-year-old CIA operative named Jack Downey was shot down over China while taking part in an air drop. Four successive Administrations refused to acknowledge his connection to the CIA. Without this acknowledgement, Downey spent 21 years as a POW - the longest-held POW in American history. His treatment in prison was largely dictated by the events of the Korean War and the Cold War. Barry Werth, author of Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey’s Cold War, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss Jack Downey's experience.
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In late July 1944, President Roosevelt met with General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The future of the war in the Pacific was discussed at this Pearl Harbor Conference, or Pacific Strategy Conference as it is also called. It was not a "real" conference in the sense that it did not include Admiral Ernest King or General George Marshall, but it was a very consequential meeting. Recently, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss what happened before, during, and after the meeting.
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In this latest episode, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams answer some of the more popular and/or unique questions about General MacArthur we have received from MacArthur Memorial Podcast listeners and on social media.
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On June 18, 1945, one month shy of his 59th birthday, Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. became the most senior US military officer to be killed by enemy fire in World War II. At the time, he was leading the Tenth Army on Okinawa. Buckner kept a diary from January 1, 1944, to June 17, 1945. That diary has only recently been fully published. It is an important addition to our understanding of Buckner and the Pacific War. To discuss this diary and Buckner's service, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Christopher Kolakowski, editor of Tenth Army Commander: The Writings of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr., 1944-1945.
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In 1942, John D. Bulkeley, commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 and skipper of PT-41, spirited MacArthur and his family off Corregidor. Bulkeley received a Silver Star for his role in MacArthur's escape and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in Philippine waters from 7 December 1941 to 10 April 1942. His service did not end in the Pacific though. Bulkeley went on to serve in Europe and played a key role in the operation of PT boats in the English Channel and also participated in the D-Day operation. To discuss this period of Bulkeley's career, John Long, Director of Education at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA, returned to the MacArthur Memorial Podcast.
The National D-Day Memorial (dday.org)Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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The Occupation of Japan after World War II is often considered a masterclass in civil affairs. It was not perfect, but it was successful. General Douglas MacArthur’s primary mission was to demilitarize Japan. Before he even arrived in Japan however, he was convinced that a sustainable peace would require significant legal and social changes – particularly in terms of the status of Japanese women. The MacArthur Memorial Podcast has covered MacArthur’s role in mandating and supporting these reforms in a previous podcast, but we have never focused on any of the staff members in his HQ who drafted these new policies. One of those staff members was a young woman named Beate Sirota. Her daughter, Professor Nicole Gordon, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss Beate Sirota's work during the Occupation.
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On September 11, 1940, the SS Quanza arrived in Norfolk, VA. She was carrying a number of Jewish refugees who were fleeing the Nazi war machine. While they would ultimately find safety through the efforts of the Jewish community in Hampton Roads, this small humanitarian victory would be the catalyst for the virtual elimination of similar opportunities for future refugees. To discuss the story of the SS Quanza, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Wendy Juren, a member of the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
On May 9, 2024, at 7:00PM, the MacArthur Memorial and the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater will host a FREE screening of Nobody Wants Us - a documentary film about the refugees aboard the SS Quanza. Register here: Form Center • Nobody Wants Us Film Screening (macarthurmemorial.org)Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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In April 1944, General Douglas MacArthur’s forces made a 580-mile amphibious leap to seize airfields at Hollandia and Aitape in New Guinea. It was a bold plan that meant making two simultaneous amphibious landings deep in enemy territory and it was the first time Admiral Chester Nimitz’s aircraft carriers supported a MacArthur assault.
Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of these operations and the logistics involved.
The April 2024 issue of the MacArthur Report will feature maps/pictures related to this podcast and the previous episode on the Admiralty Islands. You can find that issue here after April 30, 2024: The MacArthur Report | MacArthur Memorial, VA - Official Website
Sign up for the quarterly MacArthur Report: Signup Form (constantcontactpages.com)Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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Part II of a two part interview.
From 1942-1945, Ernie Pyle was the most famous American war correspondent. In 1942, his columns were featured in 42 newspapers. By 1945, they were featured in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. He covered the war from the Blitz to North Africa, to Italy, to Normandy, and then the Pacific. The American public found his writing human and accessible. Those in combat found him a particular ally – someone who understood suffering, someone who could explain a little bit of what they were experiencing to those back home. To learn more about Pyle, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast spoke with David Chrisinger, author of The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II.Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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General MacArthur's multi-city state funeral concluded in Norfolk, VA on April 11, 1964. Join MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel for a discussion of the events and logistics associated with this final salute to General MacArthur.
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From 1942-1945, Ernie Pyle was the most famous American war correspondent. In 1942, his columns were featured in 42 newspapers. By 1945, they were featured in 400 daily and 300 weekly newspapers. He covered the war from the Blitz to North Africa, to Italy, to Normandy, and then the Pacific. The American public found his writing human and accessible. Those in combat found him a particular ally – someone who understood suffering, someone who could explain a little bit of what they were experiencing to those back home. To learn more about Pyle, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast spoke with David Chrisinger, author of The Soldier’s Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II.
Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. This episode features a lecture on the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo by Dwight Sullivan, author of Capturing Aguinaldo: The Daring Raid to Seize the Philippine President at the Dawn of the American Century.
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In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. This episode features a lecture by Dr. David O. Lozada III, a history professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, on The Philippine-American War from the Filipino perspective.
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In February 2024, the MacArthur Memorial hosted an event to mark the 125th anniversary of the Philippine American War. This event was in partnership with the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Filipino American National Historical Society and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater. The event featured presentations by several scholars on different aspects of the war. Dr. Brian Linn, author of The U.S. Army and Counterinsurgency in the Philippine War, 1899-1902, presented a lecture entitled: The US Army and the Philippine-American War.
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From February 29 – May 18, 1944, a thousand troopers of the First Cavalry Division, a few United States Navy destroyers and a handful of “Fighting Seabees” defied the odds and seized the Admiralty Islands, making it possible for General MacArthur to keep his promise to return to the Philippines. The Admiralty Island Campaign was the boldest action of MacArthur’s forces in World War II. Some contemporaries called it reckless, others brilliant. MacArthur Memorial historians Amanda Williams and Jim Zobel break down the operation and discuss MacArthur's decision to accelerate a planned invasion of the islands.
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Former paratrooper, James M. Fenelon, author of Angels Against the Sun: A WWII Saga of Grunts, Grit, and Brotherhood, joined the MacArthur Memorial Podcast to discuss the story of the 11th Airborne and the liberation of the Philippines during World War II.
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The Philippine-American War (1899-1902) was a controversial war. Many Americans did not support it, including anti-imperialists like Mark Twain. Others did. In response to the war, the English writer Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem The White Man’s Burden, in which he encouraged the United States to “take up the White Man’s burden” to maintain colonial control of the Philippines as a way to bring progress to the Filipino people. The great irony of this phrase though was that African American troops – the Buffalo Soldiers – made up part of the force used to “take up the White Man’s burden.” To discuss the service of the Buffalo Soldiers in the Philippines during this period, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Jeff Acosta, a former curator of the MacArthur Memorial and a history professor at Tidewater Community College. He is also a member of the Filipino American National Historical Society National Board of Trustees and the Filipinio American National Historical Society - Hampton Roads.
Join us for a FREE event at 10:00AM EST on February 3, 2024, as we mark the upcoming 125th anniversary of the Philippine-American War with a series of lectures and an unveiling of the MacArthur Memorial's copy of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's 1899 declaration of independence. The Filipino American National Historical Society - Hampton Roads and the Council of United Filipino Organizations of Tidewater are co-sponsors of this event.
Event sign up:
Philippine-American War Remembrance Event
Not able to attend in person? Receive a post-event email with a link to a recording of the event and a new MacArthur Memorial Collections guide for the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Email: [email protected].Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply)
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The Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939 and then the 1941 invasion of Soviet occupied-Poland brought an almost unimaginable scale of suffering to the people of Poland. And yet, in the midst of such terror, there were people who risked their lives to help those targeted for extermination. One of those was a woman posing as a Polish countess. Her real name was Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg. She was Jewish AND she was operating in Lublin, Poland – at the heart of the Nazi effort to destroy the Jews. Against all odds, she saved thousands of people. To share this amazing story, the MacArthur Memorial Podcast hosted Dr. Elizabeth “Barry” White one of the authors of The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust.
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