--- product_id: 47736288 title: "The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War" price: "22869CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/47736288-the-general-vs-the-president-macarthur-and-truman-at-brink store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War **Price:** 22869CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War - **How much does it cost?** 22869CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/47736288-the-general-vs-the-president-macarthur-and-truman-at-brink) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, bestselling historian, and author of Our First Civil War comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America's future in the aftermath of World War II. "A highly readable take on the clash of two titanic figures in a period of hair-trigger nuclear tensions.... History offers few antagonists with such dramatic contrasts, and Brands brings these two to life." — Los Angeles Times At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world, when he suggested that General Douglas MacArthur, the willful, fearless, and highly decorated commander of the American and U.N. forces, had his finger on the nuclear trigger. At a time when the Soviets, too, had the bomb, the specter of a catastrophic third World War lurked menacingly close on the horizon. A correction quickly followed, but the damage was done; two visions for America’s path forward were clearly in opposition, and one man would have to make way. The contest of wills between these two titanic characters unfolds against the turbulent backdrop of a faraway war and terrors conjured at home by Joseph McCarthy. From the drama of Stalin’s blockade of West Berlin to the daring landing of MacArthur’s forces at Inchon to the shocking entrance of China into the war, The General and the President vividly evokes the making of a new American era. Review: Great History, Great Writing, Important Test for our Constitutional System - Brands is a very good writer of history. He has David McCullough's ability to make non-fiction read like a ripping good story. The "General Vs. the President..." is an excellent case study of political maneuver, international affairs and constitutional checks and balances in one book. The author's treatment of the dance Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman performed in trying to grapple with the Korean War and each other is a very good cautionary tale. What to do when a weak leader has a star underling who is a proven winner and both the leader, underling and other stakeholders know it? This is the situation that faced Truman when the North Koreans attacked the South and caught the US unawares and unprepared. MacArthur was a hero - the master of the Pacific in WWII. Although he was difficult to control and not willingly subordinate and provided Truman with ample reason to relieve the General, MacArthur's early success in flanking the NK at Inchon and crushing the enemy divisions as he chased them toward the Chinese border excused a lot of behavior that should have gotten him cashiered. Chinese intervention drasticly changed the nature of the war, proved MacArthur fallible, and made his maverick and insubordinate behavior intolerable. Particularly since the stakes were so high - MacArthur's statements, actions and disobedience risked a regional war igniting a larger, perhaps global, conflict - one the United States was ill prepared to see to victory and which would kill many even if we were. Truman had to fire MacArthur and right the relationship between President and military commander. (For those knowledgeable of the Civil War, this story will echo what Lincoln faced with Fremont, Butler, McClellan and Hooker among others). Truman and his Administration certainly made their share of mistakes in the run up to the North Korean invasion, and the author is honest in portraying the positive and negative of his actions as well as the good decisions MacArthur made and his laudable success in remaking Japan. But, for the sake of our Constitutional system, Truman took the only course of action he could (and arguably - even he argued to himself - should have taken earlier). Brands gives the right amount of background as he focuses on the machinations of MacArthur and Truman's response over many months as he tried to bring the hero-General to heel. It is a terrific and dramatic story with larger than life players and important issues. In Brand's hands a treasure of a book. Review: A fascinating look at the megalomaniac general and the everyman president - This book is an engaging narrative of the battle between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry S Truman during the Korean War. Brand uses quotes from original sources to bring the story alive. Omar Bradley said "he [MacArthur] was awesomely brilliant; but as a leader he had several major flaws: an obsession for self-glorification, almost no consideration for other men with whom he served, and a contempt for the judgment of his superiors. Like Patton and Monty' - British field marshal Bernard Montgomery - ' MacArthur was a megalomaniac." [Loc 1374]. President Roosevelt "kept a close eye on MacArthur, whom he considered a threat to democracy."[Loc 1599] and considered him the most dangerous man in America (the second most dangerous being Huey Long). [Loc 1374"] Most history students know the broad sweep of the Korean War. North Korea invades South Korea in a surprise attack and pushes forces deep into the south. MacArthur develops a brilliant plan to counter attack through a difficult landing and deployment in Inchon. The tide changes and the allies - under the unifying factor of the United Nations - push the North Koreans back up toward the border with China. China sees that as an existential threat and pushes the allied forces back south of Seoul. General Matthew Ridgeway anchors the allies and pushes back toward the 38th parallel where a stalemate occurs until much later a truce is agreed to. Through it all MacArthur was lobbying (and actually taking steps) to extend the war into China because of course the Chinese wouldn't come into the war. Wrong! This book focuses on the Korean battlefield to the extent that it highlights the schism between MacArthur and the administration, including the President, the Secretary of State (Dean Acheson), the Secretary of Defense (George Marshall for most of the time) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (led by General Omar Bradley). MacArthur complained bitterly about not being able to take the battle into China. His view was that the battle against communism would take place in Asia while the administration knew that the real trouble spot was Europe where the USSR was waiting to pounce; the CIA warned that "'The Soviet Union may seize upon the present crisis to precipitate general war with the United States'" [Loc 4196] Meanwhile MacArthur confounded the diplomacy of the administration when he offered a cease fire to the North Koreans by threatening nuclear annihilation of China. He also wrote an inflammatory letter to a Republican congressman which contradicted his superiors and the Commander in Chief. These actions ultimately brought about his firing. Truman came under withering attack from the Republicans after MacArthur's firing. At first MacArthur was hailed as a hero at the hearings but over the later days of testimony from experts the tide turned against him. H.W. Brand does a fantastic job sourcing the now unclassified portions of the hearings to demonstrate how dangerous MacArthur was. MacArthur decried the administrations limits on attacking China saying his hands were tied behind his back. George Marshall wasn't having it: "the limitations on fighting in Korea, so loudly assailed by MacArthur and his supporters, in fact favored the American side."[Loc 6181] It was through this detailed hearing that Congress finally understood what America was facing globally. For all the furor of the era, when Truman was vilified, time showed that his vision was correct. "Yet it was the American victory in the Cold War that made Truman a genuine folk hero. Americans concluded, after all, that the everyman-president, in crafting the policy of containment, had known better than his critics what defeating communism required: firmness and patience, in balanced measure. Truman hadn't yielded to communist aggression in Korea, but neither had he panicked and let himself be stampeded into World War III, by Douglas MacArthur or others."[Loc 6648] This is the second book by H.W. Brand I've read - the first being American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism 1865-1900. Both are excellent histories. The strength of this book is its bringing meeting minutes, phone call notes, and then-classified testimony to life. The chapters are short and cover the topic at hand briskly yet definitively. Don't look at this summary of events as a spoiler. The beauty of the story is the riveting day-by-day evolution of strategy and battle between MacArthur and his superiors. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #970,791 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #32 in Korean War History (Books) #481 in US Presidents #2,165 in Military Leader Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,906 Reviews | ## Images ![The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71b01cKtJPL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great History, Great Writing, Important Test for our Constitutional System *by W***H on April 25, 2017* Brands is a very good writer of history. He has David McCullough's ability to make non-fiction read like a ripping good story. The "General Vs. the President..." is an excellent case study of political maneuver, international affairs and constitutional checks and balances in one book. The author's treatment of the dance Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Harry Truman performed in trying to grapple with the Korean War and each other is a very good cautionary tale. What to do when a weak leader has a star underling who is a proven winner and both the leader, underling and other stakeholders know it? This is the situation that faced Truman when the North Koreans attacked the South and caught the US unawares and unprepared. MacArthur was a hero - the master of the Pacific in WWII. Although he was difficult to control and not willingly subordinate and provided Truman with ample reason to relieve the General, MacArthur's early success in flanking the NK at Inchon and crushing the enemy divisions as he chased them toward the Chinese border excused a lot of behavior that should have gotten him cashiered. Chinese intervention drasticly changed the nature of the war, proved MacArthur fallible, and made his maverick and insubordinate behavior intolerable. Particularly since the stakes were so high - MacArthur's statements, actions and disobedience risked a regional war igniting a larger, perhaps global, conflict - one the United States was ill prepared to see to victory and which would kill many even if we were. Truman had to fire MacArthur and right the relationship between President and military commander. (For those knowledgeable of the Civil War, this story will echo what Lincoln faced with Fremont, Butler, McClellan and Hooker among others). Truman and his Administration certainly made their share of mistakes in the run up to the North Korean invasion, and the author is honest in portraying the positive and negative of his actions as well as the good decisions MacArthur made and his laudable success in remaking Japan. But, for the sake of our Constitutional system, Truman took the only course of action he could (and arguably - even he argued to himself - should have taken earlier). Brands gives the right amount of background as he focuses on the machinations of MacArthur and Truman's response over many months as he tried to bring the hero-General to heel. It is a terrific and dramatic story with larger than life players and important issues. In Brand's hands a treasure of a book. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fascinating look at the megalomaniac general and the everyman president *by H***T on October 28, 2016* This book is an engaging narrative of the battle between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry S Truman during the Korean War. Brand uses quotes from original sources to bring the story alive. Omar Bradley said "he [MacArthur] was awesomely brilliant; but as a leader he had several major flaws: an obsession for self-glorification, almost no consideration for other men with whom he served, and a contempt for the judgment of his superiors. Like Patton and Monty' - British field marshal Bernard Montgomery - ' MacArthur was a megalomaniac." [Loc 1374]. President Roosevelt "kept a close eye on MacArthur, whom he considered a threat to democracy."[Loc 1599] and considered him the most dangerous man in America (the second most dangerous being Huey Long). [Loc 1374"] Most history students know the broad sweep of the Korean War. North Korea invades South Korea in a surprise attack and pushes forces deep into the south. MacArthur develops a brilliant plan to counter attack through a difficult landing and deployment in Inchon. The tide changes and the allies - under the unifying factor of the United Nations - push the North Koreans back up toward the border with China. China sees that as an existential threat and pushes the allied forces back south of Seoul. General Matthew Ridgeway anchors the allies and pushes back toward the 38th parallel where a stalemate occurs until much later a truce is agreed to. Through it all MacArthur was lobbying (and actually taking steps) to extend the war into China because of course the Chinese wouldn't come into the war. Wrong! This book focuses on the Korean battlefield to the extent that it highlights the schism between MacArthur and the administration, including the President, the Secretary of State (Dean Acheson), the Secretary of Defense (George Marshall for most of the time) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (led by General Omar Bradley). MacArthur complained bitterly about not being able to take the battle into China. His view was that the battle against communism would take place in Asia while the administration knew that the real trouble spot was Europe where the USSR was waiting to pounce; the CIA warned that "'The Soviet Union may seize upon the present crisis to precipitate general war with the United States'" [Loc 4196] Meanwhile MacArthur confounded the diplomacy of the administration when he offered a cease fire to the North Koreans by threatening nuclear annihilation of China. He also wrote an inflammatory letter to a Republican congressman which contradicted his superiors and the Commander in Chief. These actions ultimately brought about his firing. Truman came under withering attack from the Republicans after MacArthur's firing. At first MacArthur was hailed as a hero at the hearings but over the later days of testimony from experts the tide turned against him. H.W. Brand does a fantastic job sourcing the now unclassified portions of the hearings to demonstrate how dangerous MacArthur was. MacArthur decried the administrations limits on attacking China saying his hands were tied behind his back. George Marshall wasn't having it: "the limitations on fighting in Korea, so loudly assailed by MacArthur and his supporters, in fact favored the American side."[Loc 6181] It was through this detailed hearing that Congress finally understood what America was facing globally. For all the furor of the era, when Truman was vilified, time showed that his vision was correct. "Yet it was the American victory in the Cold War that made Truman a genuine folk hero. Americans concluded, after all, that the everyman-president, in crafting the policy of containment, had known better than his critics what defeating communism required: firmness and patience, in balanced measure. Truman hadn't yielded to communist aggression in Korea, but neither had he panicked and let himself be stampeded into World War III, by Douglas MacArthur or others."[Loc 6648] This is the second book by H.W. Brand I've read - the first being American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism 1865-1900. Both are excellent histories. The strength of this book is its bringing meeting minutes, phone call notes, and then-classified testimony to life. The chapters are short and cover the topic at hand briskly yet definitively. Don't look at this summary of events as a spoiler. The beauty of the story is the riveting day-by-day evolution of strategy and battle between MacArthur and his superiors. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ MacArthur, Truman and the Korean War *by C***N on February 6, 2025* This was an excellent book about the Korean War, a period of history about which I knew very little. It was easy to read, but did a great job of covering the dynamics of the MacArthur/Truman relationship (or lack thereof). Two unique personalities from completely different backgrounds with different world views. MacArthur, a great General with years of hands on knowledge of the Asian mind and Truman, an almost “accidental” President with little experience but great common sense and a team of excellent advisors, both trying to solve the world’s problems and clashing on how it should be done. Truman’s goal was to prevent World War III. MacArthur’s goal was to settle the World’s problems by winning in Asia even if it meant using the atomic bomb and fighting WWIII. Both had advocacies at home. As President, Truman was boss, but MacArthur, despite his military training, was more than willing to ignore the “chain of command” when he believed his thinking was correct. The author does a great job of describing the situation and how their conflict played out. Excellent book. Highly recommend. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/47736288-the-general-vs-the-president-macarthur-and-truman-at-brink](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/47736288-the-general-vs-the-president-macarthur-and-truman-at-brink) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-07-06*