It has been difficult for historians to establish the reason for MacArthur’s fatal inaction during the crucial nine hours that elapsed in Manila following news of the Pearl Harbor attack. There was no American government inquiry into MacArthur’s behaviour of the kind that addressed alleged failures of command at Pearl Harbor. When informally questioned after the war, the chief actors in the Philippines disaster appeared to be concerned to protect their own reputations by shifting blame to others.
And all I said was “act” surprised. Maybe there was politics, maybe some breakdown. But still, no one has ever come up with a good explanation.
Now, true, riffing on what you said Drawing on the recollections of those who observed MacArthur at his headquarters during the critical nine hours between news of Pearl Harbor reaching Manila and the commencement of the Japanese air assault on the Philippines, his biographer William Manchester describes MacArthur’s mental condition at this time as verging on “catatonic”. The commander of America’s Army and Air Force in the Philippines was observed to be “grey, ill and exhausted.” Manchester was not a hostile biographer. He suggests that MacArthur’s decision-making faculties may have become paralysed in the hours immediately following Pearl Harbor owing to “overload” caused by conflicting pressures. See William Manchester, “American Caesar”, at pp. 230-231.
Note “conflicting pressures.” “Act surprised- but be ready” “They hit Pearl not Phillipines” “Now they are on their way here”.
Sure, My dad wasnt right there with Mac during those nine hours. But the aircrew on the B17s that took Mac the rest of the way were close buddies of my Dad. And for some strange reason, even tho my dad was “lucky” enuf to get Malaria and be flown out before the islands collapsed*, he was pulled back to Macs command unit “by personal request”- name withheld.
Alright, maybe a little bit of conspiracy theory but no one knows the actual facts, no board of inquiry was ever held- odd that. And my dad is in good company, many have similar theories.
As “crazy theories go” this one at least gets into “barely plausible.”.
- otherwise Bataan death march, so i guess malaria is better than that.