When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Truman serves up MacArthur, and contrary to popular imagination, it was not the General, but the President, who schemed in the background - at least at this stage...Episode 38: The Perfect Scapegoat introduces one of the most infamous aspects of the Korean War narrative to you guys – that insufferable tension between President and General which would eventually lead to the dismissal of the latter and harsh criticism of the former. It was a difficult relationship long before this plug was pulled though, and while we’ve seen disagreements and MacArthur’s reaction to the Truman administration’s policies vary, we take some time here to properly root a portion of our narrative in this perspective. More specifically, here we return to that meeting on Wake Island on 15th October between Truman and MacArthur, and we examine what I believe is the real reason why the President began to increasingly present himself alongside everyone’s favourite triumphant General. It wasn’t because he was in search of some of the glor