Architect of stunning triumphs and inexplicable defeats, Douglas MacArthur remains the most intriguing military leader of the twentieth century. There was never any middle ground with MacArthur. “I shall return”—enshrined him as a legend. But the story goes much deeper..

Focusing on the decisive four-year period of MacArthur’s life during World War II, Borneman examines an America grinding against its enemies in the Pacific, giving special attention to the relationships between MacArthur and his family and staff; his colleagues such as Eisenhower, Marshall, Leahy, and Halsey; and political leaders including FDR.

On December 7, 1941, MacArthur was a military officer whose career

had little to recommend it to the history books. Yet, within six months

he was hailed as the hero of Bataan and Corregidor—stunning defeats though they were—and had come to personify the war in the Pacific.