Formosa or the Philippines-Admiral Ernest J. King versus General Douglas MacArthur-Episode 323 

I love the sound of retired former navy Captain Bill Toti’s full intro in the morning.

Another brilliant episode! As an Australian I detest Macarthur for his blatant lies about the effectiveness, and contribution of Australian forces during the New Guinea campaign, as a retired Naval Officer I further detest Macarthur for his lies and false attacks on the heroic efforts of the USN and USMC and finally as a student of history I hold a seething hatred of Macarthur for all the times his tactical incompetance and vanity based strategic planning cost the lives of thousands of allied soldiers, sailors, marines and even greater numbers of innocent civilians across the PTO, especially Phillipinos. As always Seth and Bill thanks for your incredible work!

I have been watching your series from the beginning. I Have only 1 problem, Considering yourselves as unauthorized does undermine the ability to impart a complete and insightful commetary of the pacific campaigns of World War II. I feel that each episode is a thieses quality product to be cherised by all who value history Thank you for your huge labors.

Still another home run hit by Bill and Seth in this Pacific War series. Until now, I never understood why Taiwan was abandoned as an objective by the JCS in 1944. Another fantastic presentation.

My father was a naval aviator in WW2. He said the navy despised Mac. Once, when dad went on leave, he went to his parent's farm, and in the kitchen was a portrait of Mac. It was so disheartening for him.

Another great episode, as always. Iwo Jima in 1944 may well have been the best option. Not fan of Mac, but Formosa was not the best option for all the things you said, albeit that it was in a better strategic location, when compared to Luzon. The one thing that perhaps you didn’t go into, which was of importance, was the terrain of Formosa. That would have been, without a doubt, the most difficult of the Pacific war. An island about 400km in length and 150km wide at its widest point, with a spine of mountains running down the island where more than 200 peaks are above 3000m in elevation, and the highest point is 3952m. Climatic zones from tropical up to alpine tundra. The east coast is mountainous with no real landing options, and the west coast has huge tidal mudflats with few suitable landing beaches. As you said, Formosa/Taiwan had been colonized by Japan in 1895, so 49 years already by 1944. The population had been mobilized for war service. This was a hostile civilian population, probably not quite as hostile as native Japanese, but certainly far from friendly. An invading force would have to fight the indigenous tribes in the interior, which would equate to fighting the Takasago on their home turf. Teruo Nakamura, the last holdout to surrender in December 1974 was a Formosan Takasago. A campaign on Formosa likely would have become bogged down very quickly, and may well have dragged on for a year or more.

Both of my grandfather's, one an Army Surgeon in Burma in '44 & '45 with the rank of Major and the other an enlisted man in the Army Air Corp in the Pacific for the duration, despised MacArthur. As a kid that was all I needed to know. As an adult, after reading about MacArthur, it showed me how correct my Granddad's were.

My Father was a Navy Corpsman in the Pacific. He hated Mac and refused to say the name of the local airport named after him. He also refused to keep any FDR dimes. I was allowed to have any that he had as change when he came home from work. These dimes paid for many model ship & aircraft kits.

This is such an excellent series/podcast. So much in depth conversation and enlightenment. Even today, I had no idea of the dealing of Mac and FDR. He was an egomaniac and kind of an ass as well. He tried the same “one-ups-manship” on Truman and got fired. Seth and Capt.Bill are doing an outstanding job with this series.

Given MacArthur’s ego and desire for power/authority, one has to wonder whether Eisenhower’s decision to run for President in 1952 was not motivated, at least in part, by his feeling that his former boss, MacArthur, should NEVER hold office?

Always look forward to Tuesday mornings, Gentlemen! Thank you!

Bill's 'What if' on China brings to mind a 'What if' I have been having regarding Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. What if we had cultivated Russia to become working partners instead of what we, the West did. I think it very possible that Ukraine would be neutral, whole and not suffering the casualties she has suffered.

Guys,the fact is the allies would have an advantage during and thru out the invasion by having thousands of phillipine gurillas joining the fight.Also, the U.S had thousands of troops and civilian inturnees imprisoned on the island.The U.S. had an obligation to free those who were living under hellish conditions as soon as possible.Just my humble thoughts guys.

Bill and Seth at their very best! They excel when it comes to these "grand strategy" discussions. In this episode they seamlessly interweave the military situation on the ground, the overwhelming advantages of the US forces by 1944, the geopolitics with the critical aspect, in this case, of the domestic politics. It's a salient reminder that whatever bipartisan goodwill there may have been after Pearl, the return to vicious partisan politics has come back by mid 1944. The war will clearly be won in both Europe and the Pacific, so normal service is being resumed. Excellent stuff.

I wonder how the future for Formosa/Taiwan and China would have been changed if the US had gone to Formosa.

MacArthur's war record is spotty at best. Some good and definitely some bad. However, his role as Supreme Commander in rehabilitating Japan after the war was remarkable. He remains a hero in Japan and South Korea, So his record is quite complex and it's worth understanding the man in his totality.

This Formosan😅 terrain was like Italy...with no Italians. It would have been a ridiculous situation, and murderous beyond any expectations, and probably the tolerance of American mothers.

It’s hilarious to me that while King and Mac are bitterly arguing about the Phillipines vs. Formosa, Spruance is in a back room looking at an actual map and putting plans together for Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Thanks Guys. Because I can.

Franklin Roosevelt was always wary of MacArthur and his political aspirations. Ten years before the subject of this podcast in 1932 Roosevelt was commenting on the populist Huey Long, calling him “one of the two most dangerous men in America.” He then said “The other one is Douglas MacArthur.”

The Baltimore was my dad’s ship. He boarded the ship on the Baltimore’s return journey back to the “Big Blue Fleet.” He was 17 at the time. Great podcast gentlemen!

This was an excellent episode. Loved the infighting between King and MacArthur. I especially enjoyed learning just how big Mac's ego was, making the President of the United States wait. Rude, disrespectful but full of himself. The segment about the arguments presented by King, MacArthur, Spruance and others as which target the United States would attack, Formosa or the Philippines was very insightful. But I was especially intrigued to learn from your research how Spruance wanted to go straight to Iwo. I never knew that. But listening to this episode, going to Iwo would have been daring. An island too far? Probably not, but would it have shortened the war? Probably not. It is true that if the United States took Iwo in mid-1944 it would have given the newly minted B29s a base to hit Japan, but Invading Iwo Jima would not have hastened the development of the atomic bomb. In addition, Japan in mid to late 1944 was not yet at the precipice of mass starvation nor on the verge of disruption of its political system as it would find itself in late 1945. A lot to learn from this episode, gentlemen. Thank you.

Best WW2 history channel ever!

Set and Bill, both of you have talked about both MacArthur and Nimitz. It seems to me that Nimitz grew as the war went on, while MacArthur was to an extent left behind by the war. He had his moments, but I wonder if another officer might have been a better choice. Hindsight is 20/20, so we will never know. Great show as always.

First let me say that I was so glad to have discovered your podcasts. I look forward to them every week, I enjoy listening while driving for work. I realize that you still have many episodes to do before reaching the end of the pacific war but I do have a suggestion for an episode after the pacific war is completed. It would be interesting to hear your take on how MacArthur was finally held accountable for his ego driven screwups in Korea. It seems to me that Truman was not as forgiving as Roosevelt was towards MacArthur. My grandfather was stationed in Japan with the 1st Cav before the Korean War and was with them all the way to the Yalu. When the Chinese came in he was trapped behind the lines for 4 days. To me this was just the final example of MacArthur's screwups going back to his gross negligence starting before December 7th. Keep up the good work.

Captain Toti, yes, greater involvement in China, at Formosa or the mainland might have changed post-war events in China, but probably not. Let's remember that the US did have significant operations in China. The CBI theater may have been low on the ladder for the whole US (and Allied) effort, but it was nonetheless significant. Indeed, after the most recent -Xi-Biden meeting, in an apparent effort to warm relations, Xi's government noted the US and China as partners in the struggle against Japan. In the end, whether US troops had been part of a greater liberation in China, Nationalist forces, drained from the fight with the Japanese (and the Communists) would very likely have still fallen to the better positioned and fresher Communist forces. Also to remember, in Operation Beleaguer, we had over 50,000 troops on the mainland in late 1945 and beyond, working to repatriate those imprisoned and displaced in China by the Japanese during the war. This didn't have much impact on how events evolved post-War there. In the meantime, I know we all are thankful for the Allies efforts in the China-Burma India-Theater. Another great discussion today. I'm glad you covered this decision. The Spruance way seems the right way in hindsight.

The Philippines are my first memories, I know the look, the smells all the way from 1968. Been to Bataan, Corregidor, Death March… Jeepneys, Nipa huts, carabao, stinky balut 😂

Sorry guys, BUT, Liberating the Philippines was the best choice, I'm an old Navy man, My father was in the Sea battles around Salvo Island and we had a low opinion of Dug out Doug. I fact they would have had to have Luzon to capture Formosa.

After the end of the first day of the conference, FDR asked for an aspirin because "No one had spoken to me the way MacArthur did today." As part of the research for his 3 part series on the Pacific War, Ian Toll was able to obtain the diary of Robert C. Richardson, who was the commanding general of Army forces in Hawaii and who hosted MacArthur during the conference. MacArthur debriefed him extensively after the meetings. That diary reveals a very different story on this conference than MacArthur documented in his memoirs.

The blood bath at Iwo would have been avoided. WOW, I knew that Iwo was poorly defended in the fall of 1944 via Saburo Saki’s (Samurai) Book but didn’t know about Spruance’s strategy. What a sad and lost opportunity that Spruance provided but ignored by supposedly smart people. The Marines pay for their mistakes in blood.

Need an episode on the supply chain in the Pacific theater. Somebody had to keep the armed forces supplied.

I’m very impressed with the pod cast. Gives a whole new view of this theatre

First visit here and just find this a first rate presentation. Observation of King’s name in the title brought me here and I was not disappointed. How the Chicago reporter almost blew the j2 advantage. First I have heard that. I will be back. :)

Seth & Bill …second to none…GO ARMY 🏈

You guys are the best! Always over-delivering! Your work is so crucial to our Nation, and the allies of our Nation, past, present, and future! Thanks again!

I took later sleepers this morning and did not get up at 4:00 AM. Excellent work on the topic. If everyone had looked in detail at what Spruance was pushing, we could have Hail Stoned Pelieu and by-passed the remainders with very few costs and instead hit Iwo before they were dug in...a lot of good men died in the Pacific for egos.

A VERY interesting episode. You did a good presentation on the personalities involved. With the advantage of hindsight, the Formosa operation would appear to be a very large committment for the available resources. My usual area of study is the ETOUSA and they were already in a manpower crunch in the fall of 1944. Operation Market-Garden had drawn the Allies further north than originally planned. The frontline was stretched and short of divisions. There were still some US Army divisions in deploying to Europe, BUT the US was just about at full mobilization of the available manpower. Those 500,00 men for Formosa would have to come from somewhere. On the line of alternative history, either the early capture of Iwo Jima or the full invasion of Formosa would have required some response from the Japanese Navy. The potential sea battles certain are interesting to speculate on.

This episode reminds me of how dangerous men who are driven by ego can be for the course of a nation. I think this lesson should be front and center this year as we face other important decisions

Thank you Bill and Seth.

I have watched every episode of your series with anticipation gaining new insight with each. Episode 323 revealed information I had no knowledge of despite being an undergraduate history major focused on Asian History and a retired Foreign Service Officer with assignments in Taiwan, China and the Philippines (where I currently reside). I agree with the previous commentator, this episode would easily have been a better graduate thesis than the one I did and will effect my next discussion on the topic. Bravo gentlemen!

I always enjoy your podcast and this one was particularly interesting. The meeting at Heavy Cruiser Baltimore where MacArthur was late upstaging the President was a pre curser to his exact same treatment of Harry Truman at their famous Wake Island meeting during the Korean War.

Putting all this together in one episode was great, much has been referred to at one time or another, but all together is very nice. TY

I forgot today was Tuesday!! But I woke up to an absolutely brilliant exposition of the puzzle that had to be solved to get to a plan to end the war as expeditiously as practicable. With the MacArthur histrionics as part of the foreground noise and distraction clouding the fluid situation, the second best option emerged supreme. Thank God for General Leslie Groves, Paul Tibbets, and the Success of the Manhattan project, because even at the end of July 1945 Japan😮😮 wasn't DONE! Japan was still capable!😮

Great video, ‘military history visualised’ also covered this about 5 years ago and concluded in hindsight attacking Formosa instead of Philippines was not a better idea, as Formosa was held by much stronger forces and there was still the risk of the Japanese fleet which might not have turned out as favourable as Leyte Gulf. One quote I love about MacArthur is that “the best and the worst things you hear about him are all true”.

Wow! You have both outdone yourselves again. This has always been a 'missing piece' in my appreciation of the Pacific War. It's now been filled with a presentation that oozes substance, nuance and lucidity.

Leahy was also FDR's Chief Of Staff. He is sorely overlooked. I'm hoping that you guys get to him soon. Huge fan of your channel.

I really appreciate your doing these videos. As a history buff, I find it quite interesting. You've don't a great job of clearing up questions I've always wondered about.

Interesting debate over (what if) the US would have prioritized Formosa over the Philippines. At this juncture of the war the communists were the closet monster, the red boogie man. World policy was also considered, the Reds in China and those naughty Ruskies. It seems to me an occupation of Formosa and relative continued heat on the Philippines would have affected Indo China and far east governments for decades. The Philippines did have commies influencing post war governments but I don't think they would ever gain the momentum to seize power in Manilla and prevail. Interesting debate....thanks brothers you're appreciated.

And as far as music goes, this knocks the ball out of the park. Masters of the Air take note!

Well done, gentelman. Would have loved to hear what Jon P. would have said about this subject.

Great show gentlemen.

Superb episode as usual. Enjoyed it very much, and thanks for all your efforts guys.

This was a, most enlightening pod cast. I never knew, there was this much intrigued involved at this point in the war

Another great episode. 👍 👍

Oh my! What a delightful, insightful, and exceptionally informative episode. Thank you, gents. :)

This is I'm waiting for,the jump to my beloved Philippines,thank you very much guys

At the time, the Philippines were a protectorate of the United States. To "starve the Japanese troops out" of the Philippines would require us also starving the civilian population of our protectorate the Philippines. What would the negative implications of that decision be? That is a heavy question. This must have gone into the political decisions that led up to us going to Japan via the Philippines. Taking Mindanao first placed Luzon clearly in the path of our trek to Japan. How could we resist Luzon when we had to sail right past it on our way to Japan? Taking Mindanao played into McArthur's hands. But I still don't believe it was an either/or situation. Capturing Formosa should have been considered in ADDITION to the Philippines, not either or. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20.

Blue bottle flies! Attracted from miles to lay their eggs on carrion. Horse flies or Tabanid flies are large blood feeders that have slashing mouthparts and do indeed torment horses and people with their painful blood letting efforts.

That was a damn good episode you guys.

One of the best episodes! I had no idea they were planning to land on Formosa! 1:15:27

Another great episode! I do want to add a comment about the viability of the Formosa option. You rightly pointed out the logistic difficulties of the attack, and made a glancing blow at the follow-up stage. I believe that logistic support for a prolonged campaign on Formosa, and support for occupation thereafter would have been more than the Navy logistic system could have sustained. That system barely handled the Mariana Islands Campaign, and in fact shorted the attacking force in materials (for instance, unable to supply the desired types of bombs) and couldn't supply enough fresh and frozen food to meet the standard requirements. Even the Official History written after the War admitted this. While the logistic system was indeed rapidly expanding, the additional transit distance to Formosa from the Marianas (the next jump-off point for shipping to the West) meant that turnaround time for the ships was much longer, even assuming that enough supplies reached the Marianas for transshipment. The other factor is that, assuming Formosa was attacked and the Philippines bypassed, is that the logistics train to Formosa would have to sail between Okinawa and Luzon, subjecting it to attack from land-based aircraft. While the logistic problems were solvable with enough time, effort, and diversion of resources (both combat and support), they did present a major problem. The Pacific Campaign had (barely) dodged the logistics bullet up to that point, Formosa risked stretching it past the breaking point. The Philippines didn't put as much strain on logistics.

I love this episode. I’ve rewatched several times. Seth and Bill and Bill are at their spellbinding best!

I found this presentation especially interesting. I think I have watched just about every podcast and history related presentation about the Pacific war on RU-vid. When I first learned that McArthur had 10 hours after Pearl Harbor to ready the garrison on the Philippines for the coming Japanese attack but let them be sitting ducks, I could not believe he was regarded as such a brilliant war hero. Whenever MacArthur’s name comes up, other historians’ perspectives are similar to yours. This is especially true regarding MacArthur’s disrespectful treatment of Australia’s military command and troops. I think you two would be particularly good at developing and hosting a standalone series focusing on the people aspects of critical events of the Pacific war. As just a few examples, who were the personalities involved before, during, and in the aftermath the Guadalcanal campaign, the battle of Savo Island, the raid on Makin Island, the invasion of Attu and Kiska, and battle of Midway? And how did the personalities involved, and their decisions influence the outcomes and aftermath?

Great content. Thank you for such an informative podcast!

Why waste the 1st Mar Div on Peleliu , which could have been blockaded by the USN. when they could have taken an unprepared Iwo Jima. ? Great conversation today, thank you all so much.

Off topic but I think it speaks volumes about consumers of content on RU-vid. I don't see how the viewers to "likes" ratio is around 10%. You're telling me 90% of people are that conceited, lazy or self absorbed that they can't hit the like button? Maybe we have thousands of PhDs watching that feel the material is mundane but nevertheless acknowledge the effort put into these episodes. Seth and Bill, there is not one episode that has not been informative and interesting. Thanks for your outstanding work product.

From my USN Father's and two uncles perspective with their experiences in the SW Pacific as regards MacArthur, they despised the man, so much so that when adm. Will Halsey assumed immediate command of them, it was almost as if Jesus Christ himself had intervened. MacArthur knew this and despised Halsey for this. Footnote: to this day the photo of Halsey I inherited from my father is in a place of honor on our family portrait wall.

Great work gentlemen, as per usual….

Great presentation and much more information that were also considered for the next direction . 👍

great video gentlemens, the depth of your analysis is astonishing and the naval expertise brought by Bill really help understand the impact and reasoning behind the plans made at that time

Love these types of episodes. Gives real depth to what was going on at the time. Thanks for all your hard work.

Love listening to your podcast gentlemen. Thank you for sharing this history.

Great side road traveled on Torpedo Tuesday. Awesome.

Thanks!

I'm sure young Douglas MacArthur read Caesar's Gallic Wars while sitting in a comfy chair.

You guys keep forgetting the Philippines was US soil during the war. Even until the 1970s there was political debate here regarding whether the Philippines should remain independent or apply for statehood in the US (the last political party advocating Statehood only received 3% vote in the early 1970s and thereafter dropped the issue from their platform). One of my extended family, a man I knew as Kakang Tesio, was in 4th grade in 1941. He remembers walking home from school on December 8 and seeing a stray Japanese Zero quickly fly by (he grew up in Batangas, close to Cavite). He grew up with an American school matron in a one-room schoolhouse and studied American curriculum using American textbooks. He always remembered the 48 states, their capitals and primary agricultural product. He passed away in 2015, only a few months before I was to be married in April. I cried because my wife would never be able to meet him. He was one of very few elderly Filipinos who enjoyed discussing the war - most witnessed horrific events that traumatized them for life, so you learn not to ask. Sad you all seem to forget the real connection between the Philippines and the US, especially the emotional scars of Bataan.

An interesting discussion about WWII planning that I was not aware of. Great job, guys.

Brings back MacArthur's sell job in the MacArthur movie, that scene had me sold until I watched a few of this podcast's episodes! 😂😂😂😂

Thank you Seth and Bill. What an informative episode. A half-dozen or more new pieces of information I'd never heard or read. My late grandfather, whom I never met, served aboard LST574 and was part of the Invasion Force of Lingayen Gulf in this operation. I had only broken bits of vague info. about his experiences while on the ship. I only recently realized how "hot" the skies and waters around Luzon and Lingayen were during that invasion. Kamikazes and IJN subs were plentiful. Your WWII Pacific channel continues to be one of the very best on the web.

Interesting that Mac said I shall return not WE shall return. Turned it into a personal campaign to fulfill a personal vendetta against the Japanese.

This would be a tremendous year long WW 2 history course. Thanks!

Minor niggle: Vandenberg AFB -- still a base, btw -- was named after USAAF/ USAF Gen Hoytt Vandenberg, not Arthur Vandenberg. I love these deeper dives, they provide needed context Great show..

While I don’t necessarily agree on every point, I have to figure if Spruance wanted Iwo first, it would’ve been well before October, ‘44; which means not only are all the lives lost in the Philippines negated, but also those lost in the Palau Islands, and I think the Battle of Leyte Gulf has a whole new dynamic. I would say, however, that the air attacks on the 5th Fleet would be far more intense, given the Japanese air power coming from three different directions (instead of just one), but that the adaptability of the Navy would probably adjust to bear it. I would say that so many people criticize the decision to invade the Philippines, though they should remember that those Islands were American territory as much as were Alaska or Hawaii. The Philippines people were, themselves, American citizens. Whether or not we ascribe to how the American public thought at the time, or the contemporary culture of those years, those islands were American, and not going to take them back would have been abhorrent to a great many people. We shouldn’t overlook the huge number of Americans in captivity. Many people wanted our forces to liberate them as well. Keep in mind that the vast majority of the public had never heard of any of these places before, and their notion of warfare was mostly colored still, at the time, by the First World War. Until each successive battle, none of these islands-other than those owned by the U.S.-were even remotely known to the public. It was a different time. People had radio, the newspaper, and maybe the newsreels shown each week in the theaters, but that was spotty, and heavily censored. Americans had their hero’s to follow, like MacAuthur and Halsey, and right or wrong, they were their stars. Wanna take a guess at how many World War Two books people had to read for reference? Exactly. None! I believe that FDR had a great feel for public perception, and that skipping over the Philippines would be about as popular as not liberating Oregon or Washington should either of those fallen to the Japanese. I base that on the priority taken to drive the Japanese out of the Aleutians. Neither Attu nor Kiska had any relevance or strategic value at all. They were American soil, and that’s why they were retaken before the Central Pacific campaign began with Galvanic. Did MacAuthur use that sentiment to get his way? I’m sure he did, but even Roosevelt knew how passionately the American people felt about it. We should also remember that no one-not even Roosevelt at this point-thought the war in the Pacific would end in 1945. He was trying to get Stalin to enter the conflict, pretty much up until his death. With the Soviets coming down from the north, and the British from the west, that left the US/AUS/NZ forces to take care of the rest. I think everybody, including Admiral King, knew one way or another they were going to the Philippines… like it or not.

Mentioning Vandenberg AFB brings up an unpopular opinion I have. I do not believe we should be naming ships or bases or highways after individuals. Not saying we should "rename" existing bases or ships. Leave them be. But going forward I suggest we name bases after nearby locations. Ships should have names based on historical events (Midway) or non person entities (Enterprise, Constellation etc).

Thank-you

Excellent episode guys (as usual). And I hope you don't hesitate to do such episodes again when warranted - focused on the larger strategic issues and internal debates over same. Certainly would think the whole invasion-vs-blockade of the Japanese home islands question, which obviously heated up as 1945 proceeded, would be one candidate for such a show. Without checking I'm fairly sure doing Okinawa (say, in December '44, after doing Iwo in October) "early" would have yielded even more benefits in reduced casualties than even an accelerated Iwo operation. Don't think Japan had moved the resources to Okinawa by that point - and the organization and practice of the "special attack" (kamikaze) operations certainly would not have been the catastrophic problem it was in spring of '45, as it didn't exist yet. When the JCS balked at Op Causeway in the fall of '44, I'd guess there were already inklings of some specific looming resource problems (such as the "manpower crisis of 45"), in addition to the existing needs in Europe.

After three episodes covering the hellscape of Peleliu, spending some time on statecraft and logistics was very interesting. Keep up the great work Seth and Bill!

A classic hero's dilemma: save the damsel in distress, or go after the villain...

Imagine if we had gone to Iwo Jima instead of Pelileu

Yes, do Leahy

Thanks, boys.

Agree with the evaluation of McArthur. He should have been relieved, no question. Marshall and Roosevelt could have saved themselves a boatload of problems had they dismissed him in early 1942.

Boy you guys are posting early in the morning today! Can’t wait for this episode.

I was hoping for a discussion of this important event in the conduct of the pacific war. Gentlemen, you did not disappoint. It is always easy to look at things in hindsight, but entirely another thing to to view decisions made in light of the information and politics of the time.

Good episode.

I love Sarcasm. Thanks Guys.

Neither island should have been invaded. Like Rabul, both were too strong. By then we owned the sea, the under sea, and the air. Our subs alone could have cut off all fuel shipments from Indonesia, their only supply. Why didn't King know this? Japan would have collapsed in 1943. Even without good torpedos in 1942, our subs deck gun could set fire to a tanker leaving those ports. Not to mention mine them. Right Captain Bill? Did you know that McArthur was paid big dollars by the President of the Philippines, illegally?. That should be mentioned as another likely motive for wanting to return there. Love this presentation. Thank you.

Great show. Would you do a show on the coast watchers?

I am lead to wonder what kind of resistance we would have encountered in Formosa, especially seeing what we encountered in Luzon and Iwo and Okinawa...

Wow! When Seth said MacArthur went to shower, the normal me thought, "Well, he has an important meeting with the Prez, he needs to freshen up & change clothes, right? Good on him to arrive early to get himself prepared." I vastly underestimated his ego. Lol 😂