The two-year search for General Douglas MacArthur's speeches and reports was truly a labor of love. My Administrative Assistant, Ellen Schaefer, and I culled over 1,000 sources including memories, biographies, histories, military magazines such as the Army and Air Force Journals, unit histories, commercial magazines and newspapers. Magazines included such publications as National Geographic, Life Magazine and many esoteric less circulated literature such as Military Magazine, Retired Officers Magazine, Air Force Magazine and so many others. We received guidance and assistance from such sources as the U.S. Military Academy, the Engineering School at Ft. Leavenworth, the Command and General Staff School at Leavenworth, the Army War College, the MacArthur Archives Director James Zobel, the Library of Congress, the War Department; the sources seemed endless. We do believe we were able to capture all the major public speeches and reports covering MacArthur's truly productive years from 1908 through 1964. Contains more than 125 speeches/reports.
It will be interesting to note, MacArthur established his personality early in his military career and never veered from this. His admonition from his Mother when MacArthur was a student at West Point was, never cheat, never lie, never tattle". Adhering to this edict MacArthur offered to resign from the Academy rather than answer questions from the Academy panel investigating hazing and harassment by a group of fellow students. MacArthur continued to develop his hard line against political and military intrigue by resolving to always do what he believed right even if he knew no one was watching. Further he was determined never to refuse to carryout the order of a senior officer - never be insubordinate to constituted authority."