All language subtitles for MacArthur (1977)-e

As I was leaving
my hotel this morning,

the doorman asked me,

"Where are you
bound for, sir?"

When I replied,
"West Point"

he remarked,
"It's a beautiful place.

Have you ever
been there before?"

Duty, Honor, Country.

Those three hallowed words
reverently dictate...

...what you ought to be,

what you can be...

...and what you will be.

They are your
rallying points.

They give you
a temper of the will,

a quality of
the imagination,

a vigor of
the emotions,

a freshness of
the deep springs of life,

a temperamental predominance
of courage over timidity,

an appetite
for adventure...

...over love of ease.

In this way, they will teach you
to be an officer...

...and a gentleman.

From your ranks come the great
captains who will hold...

...the nation's destiny
in their hands...

...the moment
the war tocsin sounds.

The Long Gray Line...

...has never failed us.

Were you to do so,

a million ghosts
in olive drab...

...and brown khaki,
in blue and gray...

...would rise from
their white crosses...

...thundering
those magic words:

Duty, Honor, Country!

This does not mean
that you are warmongers.

On the contrary, the soldier,
above all other people,

prays for peace,

for he must suffer
and bear...

...the deepest wounds
and scars of war.

But always in our minds
ring the ominous words of Plato:

"Only the dead...

...have seen the end of war."

Heads up, soldiers!

Heads up!

- Lieutenant?
- Yes, sir?

Major Huff's got himself wounded.
Would you look after him, please?

- Right away, sir.
- Corporal,
would you take this?

Major.

So, one of the Battling
Bastards of Bataan, eh?

Yes, sir. No Mama,
no Papa, no Uncle Sam.

Well, help
is on the way.

I have Washington's
solemn promise on that.

General Marshall,
Admiral King,

will you go
right in, please?

Thank you.

You said you wanted to talk
over the Corregidor problem.

I certainly do. I've gone out
on a limb with the Filipinos.

We should be getting more than
inspirational radio messages...

through the Japanese
blockade.

Have any of our ships
made it?

One ship has reached Mindanao,
two more made it to Cebu.

- The rest were either sunk
or captured.
- Thank you.

So far we've lost better
than 80,000 tons.

In other words, MacArthur has
received practically nothing.

That's about it,
Mr. President.

- How long can they hold out?
- Matter of weeks.

We're still dispatching submarines
to Bataan and Corregidor.

We managed to land
some munitions and drugs,

and evacuate a few of the
wounded, but that's all we can do.

Unless you wanna start stripping the defenses
of the West Coast, the Panama Canal...

One bombing of the canal and
it's out of action for two years.

It's a more vulnerable target, more
important target than Pearl Harbor.

And Hitler will have the whole North
American continent for a target...

- ...if we don't stop him in Europe.
- Exactly.

But you know
what's going to happen.

Like everything else, Douglas is
going to take our strategy personally.

He thinks the blockade
is a figment of my imagination,

and that I'm somehow
deliberately robbing him of glory.

I wish you people would send
Douglas a globe of the world...

...to remind him we have
obligations all around it.

We have to support Stalin...

...while he fights the bulk
of the Nazi army.

We have to assist Churchill
to keep England functioning.

We have to protect our flanks,
the Panama Canal...

...and General Douglas
MacArthur.

I need him.
The country needs him.

We can't leave him
to the Japanese.

He won't leave the Philippines unless
you order him off, Mr. President.

Cut an order.
Put my name to it.

L-O-5-O-6-7-3-D. L-9-2-6...

So long, baby.

That's 140 million bucks
the Japs won't get.

L-4-9-4...

I'm army to the marrow
of my bones, Dick.

I've never disobeyed
an order in my life.

Now, for the first time,
I feel bound to disobey.

Sir, you couldn't.
You'd be court-martialed.

Then I'll resign my commission
and fight on here as a private.

I want you to direct a statement
for the president to that effect.

General, pardon me,
but you don't mean that.

I will not leave!
I'll stay here with my boys.

Sir, you are the only man alive
that can save the Philippines.

They would never have issued
an order to this effect...

unless they intended you to mount
an immediate counteroffensive.

Damn it, those convoys
they diverted,

the troops and supplies
that never got here...

...they're waiting for you
in Australia.

And if you leave now, you can
be back before the food runs out.

Sir, you cannot disobey
a presidential order.

The president.

Strange ways
destiny pulls men's lives.

We have to believe that,
don't we, Jack?

I can't even find
these supplies.

File that
goddamn requisition.

Yes, sir!

- Major.
- Is the general busy? The general busy?

You come and see.
He lead a big parade.

Excuse me, General.

The submarine has arrived to evacuate
President Quezon and his family, as you ordered.

- He still wants you
to join them.
- No, Sid.

Much more on the drums! Let's hear
those drums. Louder on the drums.

Sir, President Quezon is concerned
about your safety. He advises...

If a commander sneaks out, how
are the men supposed to feel?

I'll not skulk out of here
on a submarine.

I'll go in one of
Johnny Bulkeley's PT boats.

Sir, I know those boats.
Their engines are shot.

They'll only make
half-speed.

They're made of plywood. They've
got gasoline drums all over the deck.

They're like floating coffins.
They'll go up like a bomb.

At least put your family
on a submarine.

They'd be safer there.

No, Sid, no. I will
stay with the general.

- Jean, you don't understand.
- Come here.

We don't even know how many
Japanese are out there.

A submarine might be the only
safe place for you and Arthur.

We are staying with you.

- Don't forget those other
soiled clothes.
- Yes, ma'am.

Jeannie, Sid is right. It's
gonna be a very dangerous journey.

I'd rather have
you and Arthur...

Now, sir, as you are
so fond of saying,

"We three are one.
We drink of the same cup."

Jeannie.

You're my finest soldier.

How did Shakespeare put it?

"The general's wife
is the general's general."

Colonel Wainwright, sir?
General MacArthur's arriving.

Thank you, son.

There goes Dugout Doug and
his whole goddamn Gypsy caravan.

Good-bye, General, sir.

Castro, keep up
the good fight.

A guerrilla force
is forming.

- I'm joining them.
- Very good.

I've got my rifle.

- Ammunition?
- Enough.

All right, then.
Cross over to Bataan.

There are good men in
the hills there. Join them.

- Fight with them.
- Yes, sir.

Good luck, Castro.
We'll meet again.

Well, Jim,
I have no choice.

I know.

If we get through
to Australia,

I'll be back
as soon as I can...

...with as much
as I can.

- I suppose I can't convince you
to go by submarine.
- No, no, no.

If we can break through, it
will demonstrate to Washington...

...that this blockade
can be pierced...

...if you have
the daring for it.

In the meantime,

you've got to
hold on here.

Yes, sir.

Cigars, shaving cream.

Thank you.

Jim,

let the men know
that I'm obeying...

...a direct order
from the president.

I will. I will.

When I return,
I'll make you a lieutenant general.

I'll be here,
or I'll be dead.

Good-bye, Jim.
Good-bye.

- Welcome aboard, sir.
- Thank you, Lieutenant.

I'm saying hello again
to you boys on Corregidor.

Especially you,
General MacArthur.

On behalf of the Japanese nation, allow me
to invite you to a party...

...to celebrate
our forthcoming victory.

A surprise party.

In fact, a necktie party,
here in Tokyo.

Sorry, General.

Let's skip that
little party, shall we?

Aye, aye, sir.

What is it?

Mines.

I think that's
the last of them, sir.

There's a pot of hot
coffee up forward, sir.

- Would you like some?
- No coffee!

How do you feel,
sir?

I'm not exactly
a navy man, Phil.

Well, when we get to Australia,
the commissioner of railways...

...has ordered his own personal car
for your trip to Melbourne.

Anything
I can do, sir?

Can't sleep.

We're safe.
They're doomed!

I know what
they're saying.

"Dugout Doug MacArthur
lies a-shakin' on the Rock,

safe from any danger
and any sudden shock."

I've heard that song.

Well, I'm sure that the men
who thought that one up...

...were just blowin'
off steam, sir.

I'm only thankful my father
isn't alive to hear it.

Sir!

I knew the train
would be the best.

This is the first time he's
really slept since Pearl Harbor.

Hmm.

Good crowd, and it looks like all the
Australian brass you want to talk to...

...are out there
waiting for you, sir.

All I see is people.
Where are the kangaroos?

I'm sure we'll see
some soon, dear.

What I'd like to have is a public address system
by the back there.

Hello, Dick.
Do you have a report for me?

Ah, yes, I do, but... but
there's a crowd waiting.

Why don't you go out, and
I'll brief you in the hotel.

Well, good news can wait,
bad news can't.

Let's have it.

Well, sir,

I, uh...

Nobody knows anything about
a Philippine relief expedition.

I'm sorry.

In the whole of Australia, there is a
grand total of some 30,000 U.S. Personnel,

mostly artillery
and engineers,

scattered all over
the continent.

At present,
there's no American infantry.

Air units?

There are about 250 planes
of all types...

...more or less
in commission.

Sixty-five of them
are undergoing repairs,

a hundred and twenty-two
of them are being assembled.

There's almost
no navy at all.

And no infantry.
God help us.

Well, there are approximately
300,000 Australian troops,

but they've been described as
undertrained and underequipped.

You know what that means.

Not only is the Bataan rescue mission
so much blue sky over the horizon,

it is even open to question
if we can defend Australia.

MacArthur! MacArthur!

- Ready to go, Daddy?
- Shh.

However, there is
one more thing, sir.

Headquarters here at
Melbourne has received...

...a message for you from
President Roosevelt.

He has awarded you
the Medal of Honor.

Congratulations,
sir.

MacArthur!
MacArthur! MacArthur! MacArthur!

MacArthur! MacArthur!
MacArthur!

MacArthur! MacArthur!
MacArthur! MacArthur!

Congressional Medal of Honor.

MacArthur! MacArthur!
MacArthur!

You know, my father...

...was awarded the same decoration
when he was only 19.

MacArthur!
MacArthur!

I had to wait
just a little bit longer.

MacArthur! MacArthur!
MacArthur! MacArthur!

But at this moment,

I would swap it
for just one trained division.

Excuse me, gentlemen. Would you
please shoot from a low angle?

The general likes
that effect very much.

The president
of the United States...

The president...

The president of the
United States ordered me...

to break through
the Japanese lines...

...and proceed from Corregidor
to Australia...

for the purpose
of organizing...

...the American offensive
against Japan,

a primary object of which...

...is the retaking
of the Philippines.

I came through...

...and I shall return.

This is General
Wainwright speaking.

Subject: Surrender.

To put a stop to further
useless sacrifice of human life,

I've decided to accept,

in the name of humanity,
the formal surrender...

...of all American and Philippine
army troops...

...in the Philippine Islands.

It became apparent that the garrisons
would be eventually destroyed.

This dissension
was forced upon me...

...by means entirely
beyond my control.

Let me emphasize there
must be no thought whatever...

...of disregarding
these instructions.

My assistant chief of staff
will repeat the complete text...

...of this letter by radio
to General MacArthur.

It's a trick!
It's a Japanese deception!

No, sir. Everyone recognized
the general's voice.

He struck Old Glory
and ran up a bedsheet!

By what authority does he issue
such an unlawful order?

He's the acting commander.

The only possible explanation is
that he's temporarily deranged.

For that reason alone,
his orders have no validity.

I place no credence
on this alleged broadcast.

Everybody up there believed him, the
Japanese included! The conditions...

If it's true, then we
should get back at once.

It's not too late to join
the guerrillas on Luzon.

General, you-you
can't be serious.

They-they won't be
organized for months.

Now, we both know that Wainwright
could not hold on indefinitely.

He was not asked
to hold on indefinitely!

His job was to defend the
island until help arrived!

- That was his assignment.
- He had no supplies, no food left!

The malaria was
totally out of hand.

If he had tried to
hold out one more day,

we would've had
a dreadful massacre.

General, would...

Yes, yes, yes.

I suppose it was
just a matter of time.

- General Blamey on line two, sir.
- I can't speak to him now.

He'll call back later.

There's some talk
in Washington about...

...a Medal of Honor
for Wainwright.

They want you
to recommend it.

Medal of Honor?

If Wainwright
received it,

it would constitute an injustice
to others who have done far more.

Send the following radio
to General Marshall.

"I believe that Wainwright has
become temporarily unbalanced,

and that his condition renders
him susceptible of enemy use."

Unquote.

General, this training is well and good,
but it's not enough.

These troops are green corn!
They won't be ready for weeks!

All soldiers are green
until their first battle.

Excuse me, I don't even
have the transport...

...to supply a single division
for 24 hours.

Hell, I can't even
land 'em on the beach.

Harding, I want action
from you, not complaints.

If I don't get going, the
navy's gonna win this war.

Look what Nimitz did up
at Coral Sea and Midway.

I know you don't have
everything you need.

Sir, if I could just have
a little more time...

That's because our
friends in Washington...

...are sending it all to George
Patton in North Africa,

so he can run around in the desert,
fighting a seesaw tank battle.

- If I could just have...
- Sid, I want to see my new air commander.

Where's General Kenney?

- General Kenney?
- Good morning.

Where'd you get the B-17?

It flew in from the States
this morning.

We're puttin' together several
squadrons up in Brisbane.

Good! How soon can you
get 'em in the air?

Soon enough to get
the enemy off our back,

and maybe go kick his butt
for a change.

Good, good! My boys say you can't do it.

Well, your boys
aren't fliers.

Give me five days
to prepare,

and I'll ship the whole goddamn United
States Army to New Guinea by air.

Really?

- My staff hear about this?
- I doubt it.

Don't tell 'em.
You'll scare 'em half to death!

Attack!

And you ram it
right down his throat!

The recent bombings of our northern
airfields give us every reason to believe...

...that the nips' next move will be a massive
invasion of the Australian continent.

The garrison at Darwin,
up here,

doesn't have enough troops
to hold for more than 48 hours.

So our best plan, therefore,
is to show token resistance...

...and fall back rapidly to this,
the Brisbane Line.

To the north, the enemy
will find only burnt offerings.

Meanwhile in the southeast,
we will throw everything...

...into the fight for the cities
and the farmlands around them.

This is the living heart
of Australia,

and we shall defend it
with our lives.

- General.
- Thank you.

Gentlemen,

I've been deeply moved...

...and deeply stirred...

...by the allied efforts,

and by the courage and
determination of the Australians...

...as expressed by
General Blamey, but...

as supreme commander of
the southwest Pacific area,

I will not be the leader
of another lost cause.

We are attacking, gentlemen.

I am going to make
the fight for Australia...

...up here in New Guinea.

Hey, Joe,
whatcha doing out here?

You should be home on the farm
walking with your girl,

getting your chores done
and sitting down to supper.

Or maybe you should
be taking in a show,

walking down Broadway,
sipping Coke.

The jungle�s where we live.
It's where you die.

Bob, I sent for you...

...because I don't think you like a stalemate
any better than I do,

and that's what we've got
here in New Guinea.

They tell me that American boys are actually
throwing away their rifles and turning tail.

That hasn't happened since
the first battle of Bull Run.

I want you
to relieve Harding.

This isn't
the Civil War, General.

Harding's a good man,
he's a good officer.

- It's just that he's up against...
- I'm sending you in, Bob.

I want you to remove
all officers who won't fight.

If necessary, put sergeants
in charge of battalions...

...and corporals in charge
of companies.

Anyone who will fight.

I want you to take Buna
or don't come back alive,

and that goes for
your chief of staff too.

Yes, sir.

Bob.

If you come through this
all right,

I'll give you
the Distinguished Service Cross,

I'll recommend you
for a high British decoration...

and I'll release your name
for newspaper publication.

Yes, sir.
Thank you very much, General.

I don't care how deep
the goddamn mud is!

I want you to kick ass,
or I'm gonna relieve yours!

Good news, General.
This battle is over.

It says so right here
in Stars and Stripes.

General MacArthur
won it yesterday.

Well, the great Sarah Bernhardt.
Another dramatic moment.

God, he tells
the newspapers,

but I wish he'd told
the Japanese.

Son of a bitch.
"Mopping-up operation"!

Now what kind of a phrase
is that to ask men to die for?

I'm surprised he didn't say
we're just policing the area.

- I wonder who really writes that
propaganda.
- I don't know.

I don't trust any of those ass
kissers up there at the H.Q.,

surroundin' MacArthur.

Hell, he doesn't have a staff,
he's got a court!

You ever see
any of 'em?

They remind me of
a bunch of barracuda...

...I used to play poker with
in Shanghai years ago.

We had to put the goddamn cuspidor
in the center of the table...

...because no one dared look away
long enough to spit!

- Where you off to?
- Gotta go to the latrine, sir.

But I shall return.

8-5-9-9-7-0-0.

U.S. 7-6-9-9-7-2-6.

Australian.
No tags.

No tags?
Take care of him later.

U.S. 7-7-2-5-9-6-2.

Jewish.

Oh, my God, here comes
General MacArthur!

Yeah, yeah, and I bet he's got
Eleanor Roosevelt with him too.

No, I'm serious.
Look.

General, sir! Excuse
me, sir, but we just...

We just killed a Jap sniper
here not five minutes ago.

Fine, son. That's the
best thing to do with them.

Thought you said there were 1,500
Japs here. We ran into more like 6,000.

U.S.

5-8-1-3-8-6-4.

You mind repeating
the last four again?

3-8-6-4.

Not my idea
of how to win a war.

Australian.
0-0-8-0-2.

Protestant.

Dennison, E.

2-4-4-0-7-8-6.

I'm thinking about Hansa Bay
still up ahead.

Yes, and Hansa Bay is not
some little outpost...

...that we can overrun with galoshes and
determination.

We need men,
supplies.

Plenty of both.

Well, bombing Hansa Bay is
one thing. Taking it's another.

You can say
that again.

Well, let's just say
we won't take Hansa Bay.

We won't what?

That's it.
We don't want it.

General, the farther up the New Guinea
coast we go,

the more trouble
we're gonna run into.

And I hope you don't think it's
gonna be any easier at Wewak.

There's 60,000 of them holed up
there, sharpening their samurai swords.

Good. I hope
there's more.

We don't want
Wewak either.

We'll bypass
their strong points,

cut their supply lines and leave
'em to wither and die on the vine.

- But what about my men?
- Starve Hansa Bay. Starve Wewak.

Starvation is my ally.

Okay, soldier,
welcome to the fight.

So the cut of the cards has dealt you
a tour of the Pacific.

What's it going to be like
fighting the nips,

and who is this man, Douglas MacArthur,
your new commander?

Let's take a look at the general
who in a few short months...

...has turned the tide
toward victory.

Colonel Whitney! Yes.
We've been expecting you.

Welcome to New Guinea. Come in
out of the light. I'm so sorry.

That's all right. Please,
have a seat right over here.

Excuse me just a moment. I
have to watch this one section.

Okay, that's more like it.

I understand you're here to organize
Philippine guerrilla activity?

Yes, yes, that's right. But you
know, I've just come from Washington.

I must tell you
straight off,

you've done an absolutely topnotch
job on the general's press.

He's America's hero now, and no
small amount of credit belongs to you.

Well, we don't want the home
folks to forget about us out here.

Oh! I don't think you realize
the dimensions of the excitement.

Here. Letters from
congressmen, senators,

corporation executives,
even two governors.

And thousands of
just plain folks.

"You are big, B-I-G,

enough to do a complete
housecleaning...

...of parasitic bureaucrats
in Washington.

As long as the war is on, only
a military figure like yourself...

...can unseat the man
in the White House."

There's one from a lady in
New Jersey I want you to read.

- Excuse me a minute. I just want to
look at this closing.
- Oh, sure.

Just remember, America's greatest combat general
will be leading you into battle.

"Hit 'em where they ain't."
That's his motto.

This is the MacArthur touch,

combining sea and air power
as never before,

he's leapfrogging right over the enemy's strongholds
to cut their chow line...

...all the way to the Philippines.

Now you get your chance to
fulfill the immortal pledge:

I came through,
and I shall return.

Good!
Good!

Some exciting stuff there. Thank you.

Okay on this one
to Washington.

Wow! President MacArthur.
I like the sound of that.

Only question is,
how does it sound to MacArthur?

You know that I have
no political ambitions whatsoever.

General... General, this
country's always had a hero.

Washington, Lincoln,
Lindbergh.

Now you.

It's in all
the papers.

- The Republican ones.
- No, sir.
Democratic ones too.

Listen to this woman
in New Jersey.

She says,"I have never wanted to
sin with any other man in my life,

but I would with you."

How about it,
General?

Uh-oh. Here's a little boy
in Moline, Illinois.

Wants to know,
"Why do you carry a cane?

Are you feeble?"

General, what we want to do is
to print,"I shall return"...

...on candy bars, matchbooks, chewing
gum, sewing kits and pencils,

and drop them on the
Philippines to boost morale.

- First-rate idea.
- Yes, sir.

But back in Washington, the Office
of War Information wants to know if,

before things get going,

you'd be amenable to a small revision
of the wording.

What sort of a revision?

Well, sir, they feel that "We
shall return" is more to the point.

- "We shall return?"
- Yes, sir.

I fail to see what purpose
that would serve.

Why does Roosevelt
want me at Pearl Harbor?

What's he up to?

Why haven't I been told
what this is all about?

I'm perfectly willing to discuss strategy
with Admiral Nimitz, if that's what they want.

I suspect Roosevelt has been pulling
some strings to keep me in the dark.

You know, he's always
favored the navy.

That's our general.

And you should see the fire-engine
red car he just drove up in.

Douglas MacArthur
starring Douglas MacArthur.

He keeps me waiting half an hour, and
then he gets a bigger reception than I did.

Now I see what
Eisenhower meant.

He said he spent nine
long years with MacArthur...

...studying dramatics!

Excuse me, sir.
Would you look this way?

Keep talking
and act natural.

You're looking well, Douglas.
Tell me about your family.

Just fine, thank you,
Mr. President.

Sorry that I couldn't entertain
Eleanor when she was in Australia.

She enjoyed visiting
with Mrs. MacArthur.

You, as I recall, were
out of town fighting a war.

Oh, and, Douglas, before
we get down to business,

I'd like to take this opportunity
to present you with a decoration.

The Order of Merit for
Conspicuous Inspiration...

...of the American People.

General MacArthur, we have asked you
here because the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

...have been considering for about
a year, without a decision,

the next step to be taken
in the Pacific war.

The president has decided he
would like to hear firsthand...

...the views of his commanders
in chief in the field.

Admiral Nimitz, would you please present
the plan prepared by you and Admiral King.

Yes, sir.

In our westward drive
across the Pacific,

the navy's
consistent goal...

...has been to cut Japan's
line of communication.

Now, as you know, the central
Pacific offensives...

...have taken under control the Gilbert, the Marshall,
and the Mariana Island groups.

In our view, the sound strategy
for early victory...

...is to occupy the western Pacific
and seize Formosa,

both to control
the Formosa Strait...

...and as a jumping-off point
against Japan.

Now, this means bypassing...

...the main Philippine island
of Luzon...

...until Formosa is secured.

After General MacArthur's
troops...

...have seized
the southern Philippines,

the access of advance that
should get the highest priority...

...is the central Pacific offensive
toward Formosa.

General MacArthur
could then move into Luzon...

...and recapture Manila after
my forces have taken Formosa.

In fact,
with the fall of Japan,

the liberation
of the northern Philippines,

including Manila,

will follow de facto, without
any need for force of arms.

We therefore propose
to invade Formosa...

...at the earliest
opportunity.

And my planners
are convinced...

...that a target date
of March 1, '45,

is not unreasonable.

Well, Douglas,
how does it sound to you?

I'm a soldier, and I'll
hold the horse if so ordered.

To bypass isolated islands
is one thing,

but to leave
in your rear...

...250,000
Japanese troops...

...drawing their sustenance
from the Philippines,

involves serious
and unnecessary risks.

From Luzon,
I can clamp a blockade...

...on all supplies
from the south to Japan,

thus forcing her
to an early capitulation.

Therefore, I propose...

...that we land
at Leyte Beach on Luzon,

and then carry
the fight to Manila.

Given a successful landing, aren't you
afraid of a long and bloody campaign?

With the kind of
performance and support...

...provided thus far
by the navy,

I can be in Manila
in five weeks...

...from the day my troops
step ashore on the beaches,

and well before
next March.

General, how can
you say that?

Because for two years, Filipino
guerrillas have been working...

...behind the Japanese lines to
set the stage for our landings.

It's your position to know, but I can't
conscientiously agree with this estimate.

To take Luzon would demand
heavier losses than we can stand.

It seems to me
we should bypass it.

In my two years of fighting
in the southwest Pacific area,

and they have been
long, hard years,

fewer Americans have been killed
than in the single battle of Anzio.

The days of the frontal
attack are over.

Only your mediocre
commanders use it.

Your good commanders
do not turn in heavy losses.

Douglas, Admiral Nimitz's victories
have been no less than your own.

Franklin, all the years
we've known each other,

I don't believe I told you how
my father won his Medal of Honor.

No, you never did. But you're
about to do it now, aren't you?

It was during the Battle
of Missionary Ridge.

At the height of the fighting,
he saw the flag go down.

As others around him faltered,
he seized up the colors...

...and rallied
the troops to victory.

Admiral Nimitz is one
of our greatest admirals.

But just now,
as I listened to the plan,

I thought I saw our flag
going down.

Oh, did you?

Mr. President,
had we the will to do so,

we could have saved Bataan and
Corregidor in the first place!

To sacrifice Luzon a second time
cannot be condoned or forgiven.

My dear General,

bypassing Luzon is not
synonymous with sacrificing...

But bypassing Luzon has implications
which stain American honor.

Do you realize what the Japanese propagandists are
telling the Filipino people?

That Americans will never
shed their blood...

...to save the colored peoples
of the earth!

Your zeal is understandable.
I admire it.

But we can't
let it interfere...

...with a workable
Pacific strategy.

"I give to the Philippines
my solemn pledge...

...that their freedom
will be redeemed.

Entire resources of men and material
of the United States...

...stand behind that pledge."

Your words, sir.

Mr. President,

General MacArthur's points
are well taken,

and I'm sure that the Joint Chiefs will
wish to consider them very carefully.

I shall return.

I am going back there next fall
if I have to paddle a canoe.

If your decision be to bypass Luzon with
its millions of people,

thousands of American
prisoners of war,

to continue to languish there
in agony and despair,

I daresay that the American
public would be so aroused...

...that they would register complete resentment
against you at the polls next fall.

Arthur!
Arthur Prettyman!

Get me an aspirin tablet.
No, no, make it two.

Nobody can talk me into a headache
the way General MacArthur can.

Gentlemen, I think
it's time to call a recess.

- It's been a fatiguing day.
- Indeed it has, sir.

Recess was my favorite time
in school.

It's getting
to be that way in war.

- Douglas.
- Yes, Mr. President?

Why haven't you come home
all these years?

Well, I've had
my hands full out here.

The country
has evolved,

grown mature.

Change is inevitable,
you know.

The things I value
never change.

My only regret is that my son
has never seen his country.

He's never been home.

Where is that
for you?

Well, in a sense,
the army is home.

Even my swaddling clothes
were khaki.

Mainly I...

I think of West Point
as home.

The lecture halls,

the football fields
where I became a man.

And I...

I also see a terrace
overlooking Manila Bay.

Yes, the Philippines
are also home.

I appreciate and understand
your feelings, Douglas.

Now, I shall inform
the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

upon my return home, that I
have had two excellent briefings.

I'm sure they'll be
both pleased and delighted.

And I shall ask them to make
their decision promptly.

Thank you.

I'd like to return to my command
as soon as possible.

For 40 years,
I've held a firm conviction...

...that a commander's place
is at the scene of the battle.

I agree with you
entirely, Douglas.

That is why I am here.

"Southwest Pacific forces...

...to invade Leyte.

Target date
advanced to 20 October."

Hot damn, we got it!

This'll make
the old man happy.

He'll be returning to the Philippines two months
earlier than he expected.

Sergeant, I want you to get this
out immediately, if not sooner,

to all top command
headquarters.

Good morning, sir.
Good morning, General.

Earplugs, sir.
Thank you.

Good morning, Mr. President.
Good morning, General.

President Osme�a, earplugs
for your ears. Thank you.

I hope to hell they do as well on
the beaches as they did in training.

I don't think you have to
worry about that, General.

I know the 5th Cavalry.

When I was a little boy, my father was a captain
at Fort Selden,

New Mexico territory.

Geronimo, the Apache scourge,
was on the loose,

and it was a troop from this same 5th
Cavalry that rode through to help us.

They fought then.
They'll fight now.

And they'll win.

Look at that, Mr. President.

The second wave
is going in upright.

Our intelligence reports said the
Japanese wouldn't let us on the beach.

But just look at those boys!
Nothing will stop them!

Where's my landing craft?
I'm going ashore.

I had it delayed, sir. Heavy
enemy mortar fire on the beach.

I felt it was unsafe for
the commander in chief...

The landing craft,
Captain. Aye, aye, sir.

President Osme�a,
you're home at last.

Follow me.

Correspondents, please stay in the rear
until after the general makes his statement.

No questions... Gerry, where
are you going with that?

I'm gonna get a better shot
down the beach, sir.

I want that camera where it was. I wanna
see that wreckage in the background.

The general will think
this smoke is marvelous!

Get back.
Correspondents, back.

Low angle, remember.

Right over there.
Stay.

You see, General,

my people are going to laugh
if I fell in deep water.

- I cannot swim!
- That's not so bad, Mr. President.

Everyone's about to see
that I can't walk on water.

People of the Philippines,

I have returned.

By the grace
of Almighty God,

our forces
stand again...

...on Philippine soil.

The hour of your
redemption is here.

Rally to me.

Let the indomitable spirit...

...of Bataan and Corregidor
lead on.

As the lines of battle
roll forward,

rise and strike...

...for your homes and hearts.

Strike...

...for future generations...

...of your sons and daughters.

Strike in the name...

...of your sacred dead.

Strike!
Let no heart be faint.

Let every arm be steel!

The divine guidance of God
points the way.

Follow in His name to the Holy
Grail of righteous victory!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hold it! Hold it!

General, sir, you've
arrived at the front lines.

Well, I see our boys
fully 100 yards up ahead.

Sir, that's only a forward patrol.
The men are under enemy fire.

You'd be in extreme hazard if
you go on up past this point.

There's Japs
right up there.

You can't fight 'em
if you can't see 'em, son.

Let's go.

I don't believe it.

That's the first time I've ever seen
a commander in chief take the point.

Yeah, he's the greatest
general since Sergeant York.

Cease fire!
Cease fire!

Come on.

Will you look at him?

Does he really think
that he can't get hurt?

Goddamn it,
of course he does!

I've got a little surprise
for the general.

- Morning, gentlemen.
- Good morning, sir.

Sir,

pursuant to
an act of Congress,

you have been promoted to the
rank of General of the Army.

Such promotion to take
effect 18 December, 1944,

by order of
the president.

Sir, we thought that you should
get these on as soon as you can.

You got your fifth
star, General.

Well, I have no objections.
I like the look of 'em.

- Congratulations, sir.
- Thank you, Court.

I think it would
be a good idea...

...to take that mortar out
before someone gets hurt.

Follow me. Come around
so we can get the general.

So good to see you, General.
Finally returned, but a little late.

- So good to see you.
- Thank you.

Get me some more shots
of these people.

- Hello, sonny.
- Aah.

You know, I've got a boy at home
just about your size.

I have.
Here we are.

Nice going, General.

Survivors of the
death march are in here.

General, you really
made it back.

Oh, I'm never gonna
forget this.

- We're long overdue, sir.
Long overdue.
- It's okay.

- We knew you'd come back, sir. We knew
you wouldn't forget us.
- Thank you.

We're a little late.
I'm sorry.

Colonel Fox here, sir.
We're sure glad to see you, sir.

- We're a little late.
I'm sorry.
- Yes, sir.

General?
General?

General?

Thank God you're here.

We're long overdue.
Long overdue.

- Pedro!
- Yes, sir.

I'm sorry I'm so
unpresentable, sir.

You never looked
so good to me, Castro.

Ladies and gentlemen,

if you've ever had
a load of hay fall on you,

then you know
how I feel right now.

I don't know if any of you pray, but if
you do, you could pray God to help me.

Good luck, Mr. President.

I wish you didn't
have to call me that.

I never felt so out of place
in all my life.

Here is the caisson
of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

now making the turn
off of 15th Street...

...into Pennsylvania Avenue.

God give me strength
to do this.

And there is
the flag-draped coffin.

The horses with black blankets
under their saddles.

The horses
on the right side,

unmounted.

And it's moving
ever so slowly...

...as the crowd stands...

...to pay their
last respects...

...to the man who was their leader,
their commander in chief,

their friend.

Mr. President.
Hello, General.

We need your authorization.
What have you got?

Well, the President...

Mr. Roosevelt
never told me.

They never told me.

We spent months
of staff time,

tens of millions of dollars
in preparation...

...for the greatest invasion
in history,

and when we're
primed and ready,

they send
an air force officer...

...to tell me they've constructed
this-this apparatus!

General, what happens
if it doesn't work?

What happens
if it does?

Yes?

Excuse me.

Admiral Halsey, the representatives
are all on board, sir.

The British commander of Singapore has
just been released from a prison camp.

Percival. Good, good. What
about that Russian fellow?

General Derevyanko.
He's here.

What gall!

The Soviets declared war after we'd won it,
and now they want to horn in on the surrender.

There's someone else
here too, sir.

General.

Jim.

- General.
- Jim!

I'm so glad to see you.

General Wainwright, I don't
think you know Admiral Halsey.

- Welcome aboard, sir.
- Thank you, sir.

- Jonathan. Good to see you.
- Yes, of course.

And Admiral Nimitz.

- General.
- Admiral.

Come and sit down,
Jim.

- I'm sorry.
- No, don't talk like that.

- I've disgraced you and the army.
- You have not. That's not true.

- We were starving.
- You don't have to say anything, Jim.

I had to shoot my horse.

I realize they'll never
restore me to active duty.

That's not true, Jim. You
can have whatever you want.

Command of a corps.
That's all I want.

Your old corps is yours
whenever you're ready, General.

- Sid.
- Yes, sir?

What did I do
with Jean's pen?

Here we go, sir.

We are gathered here,

representatives
of the major warring powers,

to conclude this solemn agreement
where by peace may be restored.

The issues have been determined
upon the battlefields of the world...

...and hence are not
for our discussion or debate.

The representative
of the emperor of Japan,

and of the Japanese Imperial
general headquarters,

now sign
the instrument of surrender.

General Sutherland, will you show him
where to sign, please?

The supreme commander
of the Allied powers...

...will now sign on behalf of all the nations
at war with Japan.

Will Generals Percival and
Wainwright come forward, please?

The representative of the United
States of America will now sign.

The representative of the Republic of China
will now sign.

The representative of the United Kingdom
will now sign.

The representative of Canada
will now sign.

The representative
of France...

The representative of Australia
will now sign.

The representative of the Netherlands
will now sign.

The representative of New Zealand
will now sign.

The representative of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics...

...will now sign.

Today...

...the guns are silent.

A great tragedy
has ended.

I speak...

...for the thousands of silent lips
forever stilled...

...among the jungles
and the beaches...

...and in the deep waters
of the Pacific...

...which marked the way.

I pray...

...that an omnipotent
Providence...

...will summon
all persons of goodwill...

...to the realization
of the utter futility of war.

We have known
the bitterness of defeat,

the exultation of triumph,
and from both we have learned...

...that there can be
no turning back.

We must go forward
to preserve in peace...

...what we won in war.

The destructiveness
of the war potential...

...through progressive advances
in scientific discovery...

...has in fact
now reached a point...

...which revises
the traditional concept of war.

War...

...the most
malignant scourge...

...and greatest sin
of mankind...

...can no longer be controlled,
only abolished.

We are in a new era.

If we do not devise...

...some greater
and more equitable means...

...of settling disputes
between nations...

...Armageddon will be
at our door.

We have had
our last chance.

Court, I want you to tell Washington
that I'm transferring food...

...and medical supplies
to the Japanese authorities.

- Yes, sir.
- The next priority is to get those men home,

get them to work
rebuilding this country.

I don't know.

In terms of communication, transport,
industrial plant, there isn't any country.

Yeah, well, they'll have
to build a new one.

A new Japan
with new ideas...

- ...but preserving the best of the old.
- Yes, sir.

All of our troops
will be judged by me...

...for their conduct as men
and as soldiers.

I want them to understand
that the Japanese...

...must be treated
with courtesy and respect.

Alexander,
Caesar, Napoleon...

...all failed as occupiers
of conquered countries...

...because of the harshness
of their policies.

I do not intend to fail.

We're coming up
on the palace now.

I wonder whether
it wouldn't be a good idea...

...to summon the emperor
to explain your policies.

Show of authority
to the Japanese people.

No. After a lifetime
of studying the Oriental mind,

I can tell you that I must not
directly challenge...

...the authority
of the emperor.

He lives there in that palace across
that moat, half god, half king.

His decrees limit the degree
of each man's freedom.

His word is absolute.

The time will come when
Hirohito, of his own volition,

will cross that moat
and come to me,

and that will mark
the beginning of the end...

...of his absolute power
over the Japanese people.

- Good morning, sir.
- Good morning, Court.

Morning, gentlemen. I've been going
over these additional suggestions...

...from the State Department
on the occupation.

I have to work them in with our
own task force recommendations.

General Marquat, what's
happening with land reform?

The landowners are having
difficulty with their tenant farmers.

Oh, they are? I don't want to ever
hear the word "tenant farmer" again.

I want these privileged landowners
stripped of their holdings.

- We'll break up these great estates.
- Yes, sir, but...

They've been squeezing the
farmers dry far too long.

But, sir, they're
very strong.

They may not be
as strong as they think.

And the right-wing industrialists are
the fellows who led this country to ruin.

I want them expunged.

Expunged, sir?
Don't you think that you...

All in the best possible
legal language, of course.

I want to see a labor
movement take root.

- Labor movement?
- That's right.

The workers must have a strong
voice in the means of production.

General, pardon me, but this
reminds me somewhat of...

- Well, it's like...
- Like what?

Like the New Deal.

Ah. Well, this is Japan,
not America.

But considering
her fascist past...

...it might be good to move her just a
little left of center, don't you agree?

- Yes, sir.
- Of course, we
wouldn't call it the New Deal.

No, sir.

Now...

Japanese women.
What about them?

They must be given the vote.

- The men are not gonna like that.
- Neither did our men at first.

General, I'm sorry, but it's too much to expect
a feudal country like Japan...

...to swallow a whole new
constitution in one gulp.

Their cabinet
will never go for it.

The old cabinet wouldn't, but we've
yet to hear from the new prime minister.

And may I congratulate you on your
appointment, Mr. Shidehara.

Thank you.

General, I extend to you
my gratitude...

...for the penicillin your medical
services made available to me.

It aided me in recovering
from a serious illness.

Happy to be
of assistance.

Diseases are conquered,
sir...

...even very old
epidemic diseases.

- Yes?
- Sometimes, though...

...the cure is slow
and painful.

Yes, of course.

Is there some
particular difficulty?

General,
our new constitution...

...must forbid any military
establishment in Japan whatsoever.

There must not
be an army...

...a navy or an air force.

We must renounce now
and forever...

...the use of force as an
instrument of national power.

- Mr. Prime Minister, I can only...
- Please. Hear me out.

Of course.

In this way...

...and only this way...

...can we eliminate forever...

...the power of
the militarists.

Only in this way...

...can we reassure the world
that Japan...

...no longer has warlike design
against any people.

We are a poor country...

...with 70 million person
to feed and clothe.

We cannot afford armaments.

We cannot afford
the trapping of power.

And never, never again
can we suffer...

...Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Let us renounce war, sir.

Please.

Let us renounce war
in the new constitution...

...and forever.

Mr. Shidehara...

...no man detests war...

...more than this soldier.

My abhorrence for it
reached its height...

...with the development
of the atom bomb.

No man, sir, could be
more moved by your offer...

...or more determined
to accept it.

It's damned embarrassing.

I've been telling Congress for
months we need 400,000 men in Japan.

MacArthur holds a press conference, says
he can make do with half that number.

- General, did he clear
this with you?
- No, sir.

- There's been some misunderstanding.
- Not by me there isn't.

I invited MacArthur to come home. I wanted
to discuss occupation policy with him,

and I expected him to back up our position
before the congressional committees.

So I held out
the big carrot to him.

I told him we'd set up a series of welcome-home
demonstrations and a joint session of congress.

You know what he replied?

He said he thought the situation was just too
dangerous there for him to come home right now.

He was just too busy. That's what he said to
the president of the United States, damn it!

General Derevyanko,
I must say...

I've missed you.

Only short visit to Moscow,
a meeting with my superiors,

a holiday on Caspian Sea
with family.

Good. I was afraid that
Stalin had you shot.

No, no.
Why do you say that?

Would Truman
have you shot?

Sometimes I wonder.

General, it's come to my attention
that several hundreds of thousands...

...of Japanese prisoners
fell into your hands...

...in the closing days
of the war.

You understand that
the Japanese authorities...

...and my own superiors as well are
pressing me for an accounting.

Ah, we have some small numbers of
enemy troops in our hands, that is true.

But I can assure that in
this matter, as you know,

my government will abide by the
decisions of the Potsdam Conference.

Yes. When will they
be repatriated?

Soon.

In that connection,
my government is making plans...

...for the occupation
of Hokkaido Island.

Hokkaido Island is occupied.
It is under my command.

The Soviet Union
is a coequal ally.

It is my government's
intention...

...to occupy Hokkaido
on its own behalf.

As the supreme commander,
I represent all Allied powers.

We are fully prepared to commence
our rightful occupation...

...whether you permit or not.

You see, the terms of
my command are absolute.

This is not Germany.

I will not countenance separate
spheres of influence or occupation...

...of the home islands of Japan
as long as I'm in command.

Well, then, sir,
my government...

...will insist upon
a new supreme commander.

If the day comes
when Soviet troops...

...attempt to land on Japanese soil
without my expressed consent...

...I will throw the entire Soviet
delegation in Tokyo into jail.

Including you...

...General Derevyanko.

I believe you would.

And I believe
this is where you get off.

As the historic
changes continue to transform Japanese life...

...it was becoming evident this
week that the women of Japan...

...were winning their fight to end
family contract marriages,

the right to equal
cigarette and sake rations,

and the right to vote.

Dress fashions are not the only
thing that have changed radically.

In the newly established election,
13 million women went to the polls,

and in an unprecedented sweep,
elected 38 women lawmakers...

...to the house
of representatives.

I regret to say something
terrible has happened.

A prostitute,
Your Excellency,

has been elected
to house of representative.

- Prostitute?
- How many votes did she receive?

256,000.

She must have
an unusually loyal clientele.

Now after two and
a half years of painstaking work...

...the war crimes trial in Tokyo
comes to an end.

As America prepares for another
presidential election year...

...Japan celebrates 1948...

...with the first anniversary
of its new constitution.

Mmm... not these.

I think this one's the best. I
thought you might like that one.

That's fine.

Court, what time is it
in Wisconsin?

- I can never figure out...
- Polls closed an hour ago, and I wish I had been there.

- I would have had one of these on every lamppost.
- No, you don't, Vic.

No electioneering within
50 feet of the candidate.

Why, General, you're not a candidate.
Just another available citizen.

Excuse me, General,
but I'm from Wisconsin,

and my folks
are voting for you.

- Matter of fact, I would be, too, only I'm
not old enough.
- Well, thank you, son.

All the precincts?

This just came in
on the wire.

You only won
eight delegates.

Eight delegates out of 27.

It's their loss, General.

You would have made
a great president.

Well...

...what's on the calendar
for today?

Here's to four
more years, Mr. President!

Hear! Hear!

Happy days
are here again.

The skies above
are clear again.

So let's sing a song
of cheer again.

Happy days
are here again.

All together
shout it now.

There's no one
who can doubt it now.

So let's tell the world
about it now Happy days...

Roaring their approval
here at the 1949 Tokyo World Series.

The Giants are
the heavy favorites this year.

Meanwhile, as the Japanese economy
continued its painful but steady recovery...

...the mood of the nation began to
reflect the growing cultural change.

- Yes?
- General, I'm sorry
to disturb you at this late hour.

We have a dispatch
from South Korea.

The North Koreans have struck in great strength
across the boundary at the 38th parallel.

- In great strength?
- Yes, sir.

Assemble the staff.
I'll be there presently.

Why, General,
what's happened?

One last gift
to an old warrior.

My fellow Americans, tonight
we face a serious situation.

On the advice of the best
military minds I could muster,

I have decided to commit United States ground forces
to the Korean peninsula.

We are not at war.

Acting in concert with
our United Nations allies,

we are engaged in a police
action to counteract...

...a bandit raid into South Korea
by North Korean Communists.

Would you like to use
my binoculars, sir?

No, thank you.

I've seen all
I have to see.

General,
what happens next, sir?

My father was asked
that same question...

...when he found himself
surrounded in the Civil War.

He said,"The situation
is simple and apparent.

The enemy is closing on me
from three sides,

and my plan
is to fight like hell."

Now with the threat
of annihilation temporarily forestalled,

MacArthur pays a worried visit
to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,

leader of the Nationalist
Chinese on Formosa.

Son of a bitch, that's a goose step
they're doing.

Here it is felt the
foundation is being constructed...

...for Sino-American
military cooperation.

Damn it! Didn't we send MacArthur
to Formosa to do just the opposite?

Call off Chiang and tell him he couldn't send
his troops into mainland China or anywhere?

We didn't send him over there to
forge his own personal alliances.

Hell, that sounds like we're concluding
some kind of mutual defense treaty.

Mr. Secretary, I want you to radio
a message to His Majesty MacArthur.

What's the matter with them
back there?

Have they lost their nerve?
I know all about Chiang.

If he had two horns
and a tail...

...we should use him
as long as he's anticommunist.

We can reform him later.

It's my destiny
to defeat Communism,

and only God or those Washington
politicians will keep me from doing it.

You didn't
read this one, did you?

It's a letter to
the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"Nothing could be more fallacious
than the threadbare argument...

...by those who advocate appeasement
and defeatism in the Pacific...

...that if we defend Formosa,
we alienate continental Asia.

Signed, Douglas MacArthur."

You hear that?
Appeasement. Defeatism.

That's me he's talking about. Alvin,
can you explain why he's done this?

No, Mr. President,
I'm afraid I can't.

Did any of you know in advance
this letter was gonna be printed?

I want it withdrawn
right now.

Good morning, General.
Whitney.

I haven't seen that pipe
in a long time.

In looking over your positions
this morning, General Walker,

I saw that plans are afoot to conduct
retrograde movements and abandon the perimeter.

Effective immediately,
these plans will be scrapped.

The present line
will be held.

We don't have any perimeter, General.
Just a few scattered strong points.

As soon as I put out one fire,
another two get started.

I know that you're outnumbered in this
thing, but sending you more troops...

...so you can hang on to
this little corner of Korea...

...is not good enough.

Well, I'll settle for
a regimental combat team.

Can't do it, Walt.
We need every man we've got.

General Shepherd...

...is putting together an overwhelming
amphibious assault on Inchon.

- Inchon?
- In one stroke, it'll cut across the enemy's rear,

sever his supply lines and isolate
all of his forces south of Seoul.

Without munitions, supplies,
communications,

the North Koreans
will be paralyzed.

- Inchon is the worst...
- Then you can
break out of that corner,

move north
and overpower them.

I think that Inchon
will finish the North Koreans.

- What?
- It'll never be approved.

Inchon has some of
the highest tides in the world,

but only once a month
do they reach a height...

...sufficient for our
largest landing craft to go in.

There are maybe two
three-hour periods...

...when MacArthur
can put troops ashore.

Which is not enough time
for a major amphibious landing.

Exactly. This is little more
than a trench in the mudflats.

If every possible handicap were
listed, Inchon has them all.

However, gentlemen, MacArthur claims that
these very handicaps are what he's counting on.

He feels that the enemy
won't believe that anyone...

would try to surmount
such obstacles.

The element of surprise
will be his most valuable ally.

What do you think
of His Majesty's plan?

It's daring, it's brilliant
and it's dangerous.

Court, you remember
I once said,

"The bullet has not yet been
cast with my name on it?"

I certainly do.

Inchon could be
that bullet.

There's 70,000 men
out there...

...waiting to hit Inchon.

As of this moment, the president has
not personally approved this mission.

The last communication I had
from the Joint Chiefs...

...said that he'd
been "informed."

He vacillated, delayed.

Finally gave
begrudging permission...

...to proceed here.

Powerful enemies, Court.

Who advised Truman that I was insubordinate
when I visited Chiang Kai-shek?

Who persuaded him
to force me...

...to withdraw my letters to
the Veterans of Foreign Wars?

Who are those who seek to humiliate
me and undermine my authority?

The Communists and their fellow
travelers in the British Foreign Office.

If Inchon fails,
they will have a jubilee.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff approved this
invasion because your arguments were valid.

Yes, they were valid.

But if the enemy is ready
with a superior force...

...we will not be able
to disengage...

without suffering
enormous losses.

We could lose
this entire fleet.

This date could be marked as one of the
greatest military tragedies in American history.

- General, I don't think for one...
- Are you surprised, Court?

I'm sharing my doubts with you
after all these years.

Did you
think I was invulnerable?

- It just came in. We've
got Wolmi-do Island.
- What?

- Wolmi-do is ours.
- It took my boys 58 minutes.

Ho ho! Ha ha!

Good work, General Shepherd.
Good work.

I'll be the first
to admit it.

- He did a hell of a job, and
here's to him.
- Hear, hear.

What's the matter, Alvin? Don't
you like the taste of victory?

Bourbon's not bad, either.

- Yes, Inchon is a
masterstroke.
- Damn right it is.

Now that's what
I call "generaling."

I've heard that the North Koreans have
turned tail and are running for home.

It's not the North Koreans
I'm worried about.

Mr. Panika,
the Indian ambassador to Peking,

informs us that any American
troops above the 38th parallel...

...will provoke an intervention
by the Chinese.

Yesterday we monitored this very
same warning over Radio Peking.

We've heard that sort of thing
before. How serious are they?

Frankly, we don't know.

- What's MacArthur say
about it?
- He's not worried.

- He's calling it political
blackmail.
- He's probably right.

Mr. President, let's watch our step. If we
expand the war in Korea to include Red China,

we're up against the Soviets,
A-bomb and all.

Alvin. You go on ahead to Wake
Island. Make the usual preparations.

I think it's time I had a
talk with General MacArthur.

- I've never met the man.
- Yes, sir.

Wake Island,
Mr. President.

By golly, that was quick.

How about one of you fellas
radio on ahead?

See if
the big general's there.

The president should be greeted.
He shouldn't be the greeter.

I don't see him,
Mr. President.

They probably had a little trouble
getting him down off his cross.

- Wait a minute. There he is.
- That son of a bitch isn't
in uniform, he's in costume.

I don't know why it is an old man like that,
and a five-star general to boot,

has to run around dressed up like a 19-year-old
second lieutenant.

I'll tell you one thing,
if he was an officer in my outfit...

...I'd bust him so fast
he wouldn't know what happened.

And making me wait.

He can do that to Harry Truman,
but not to his commander in chief.

General, I've been
a long time meeting you.

- I hope it won't be so
long next time.
- So do I.

- General Bradley.
- MacArthur.

Bess sent along a plum cake
for the missus.

How very thoughtful.
Thank you, sir.

And how are Mrs. Truman
and your daughter?

They're fine.
Just fine, thank you.

General,
I've read a little...

...military history, and it's a pleasure to
congratulate you on your success at Inchon.

That was the work
of a master strategist.

Thank you, Mr. President. Coming
from you, that's a real tribute.

And I'd like to apologize for any
misunderstanding raised by my trip to Formosa.

Don't think any more about that.
I understand your feelings.

I was a captain in
Battery D in World War I,

and that was the center
of the war effort for me.

Perhaps you should have
stayed in the army.

Nope, I don't think so.

I've heard it's a bad idea for
army men to dabble in politics.

Mr. President, you know that I'm
not involved in politics in any way.

I did let the politicians make a
chump out of me in the '48 elections.

If a general is going
to be running against you,

his name will be Eisenhower,
not MacArthur.

Eisenhower?

That man doesn't know as much about
politics as a pig does about Sunday.

Uh, General...

...I came over here
to listen to your ideas...

...on the rehabilitation
of postwar Korea.

Mind if I smoke,
Mr. President?

No, I suppose I've had more smoke blown in my face
than any man alive.

The formal resistance,
I believe...

...should end in Korea
by Thanksgiving.

And now that we've authorized military operations
above the parallel,

- ...do you include North Korea
in that estimate?
- Yes, I do.

By the time I'm finished, we should
have the entire peninsula under control.

General, you do understand the
limitations on your directive...

...from the Joint Chiefs
of Staff?

No military operations beyond
the Chinese and Soviet borders...

...and no American troops
near those borders.

Yes, I believe I understand
that directive fully...

...and our boys should be home
by Christmas, Mr. President,

provided that Red China
stays out of the conflict.

Well, I'm glad
to hear that, General.

I've got the whole
United Nations on my back.

A couple dozen members have got troops under you
in Korea,

and the bunch of them are scared stiff
that we're pushing them into World War III.

There's no doubt that Stalin's
pact with Mao Tse-tung...

...pledges that the Soviet A-bomb backs the
Chinese if we should tangle with them.

You mentioned Chinese intervention.
Is there any chance of that?

Mr. President,
you must have...

...more complete intelligence
on that matter than I have.

- Anything that I would say would be purely speculative.
- Of course.

I'm sure that you
also realize that...

...any question
involving China...

...requires a political evaluation,
not simply a military one.

Our intelligence
on the Chinese is limited.

They're believed to have
about 300,000 men in Manchuria,

but I doubt they could get more than 50,000 across
the Yalu River.

They'd be highly vulnerable
to our air attacks.

So in my opinion, the chances
of Red intervention...

...are minimal.

And if they were to try
to get down to the parallel,

they'd be walking into disaster,
a crushing defeat.

Well, I've, uh... I've never had
a more satisfactory conference...

...since I've been president.

General MacArthur is a member of
the government of the United States,

and he's loyal to that government
and to the United Nations,

and he's loyal to the president
and his foreign policy,

and he's confident that the
fighting in Korea will soon be over.

Hey! What the hell is this?

Turkey!
Real turkey!

What'd you expect,
shithead? It's Thanksgiving.

Best thing about Thanksgiving
is eating white meat!

I tell you, if I had my
way...

General Bradley called me at 6:15 this
morning with a message from General MacArthur.

He says there are 260,000
Chinese out there against him.

He says he's stymied.

Says he has to go over
on the defensive.

It isn't a matter of a few volunteers.
The Chinese have jumped in with both feet.

Well, what are they saying
about me in Washington?

Sir, to be candid about it, they
think you walked into a Chinese trap.

That was a deliberate
misunderstanding.

The defeat of the North Koreans
was decisive.

In the face of this victory,
the Chinese Communists...

...have committed the most offensive act
of international lawlessness in history!

We are now facing
a new, fresh,

highly trained army!

What does Truman mean by
calling this a "police action" ?

Isn't it a fact that the
casualties are mounting daily?

This "police action"...

...has almost destroyed
the Korean nation.

For what?

I've seen as much blood and
disaster as any man now living.

Every time
I come out of here...

...I could just...
just be sick!

It curdles my stomach.

Does he intend
to let this go on?

By what sophistry
of reason?

Sir, he has the Russians
to consider...

...and our allies.

General Bradley
feels the same way.

He says that a war with China
would be the wrong war...

...at the wrong time in the wrong
place and with the wrong enemy.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I requested permission to bomb
the Chinese airfields in Manchuria.

The request was denied.

I requested permission for hot
pursuit of enemy aircraft...

...into their privileged sanctuary
above the Yalu.

That request was denied.

I requested permission to bomb the Yalu
bridges to keep the Chinese out of Korea.

They said,

you might bomb...

...the southern half
of the bridges only.

In my 50 years
of military service...

...I have never learned
how to bomb half a bridge!

It's the most imbecilic order ever
given to a commander in the field.

This...

...is appeasement.

Unless some positive and
immediate action can be taken,

we should withdraw
our forces to Japan.

Forgive me, sir,
but...

...there are some of those
back home who believe...

...that it's possible to regain
the offensive without...

...well, without danger
of widening the war.

Without widening the war?

Well, the 8th Army is Ridgway's
now. He can do what he likes.

It won't do any good.

For the first time
in military history...

...a commander has been denied
the use of his military power...

to safeguard the lives of his
soldiers and the safety of his army.

It leaves me with a sense
of inexpressible... shock.

Well, hallelujah. Matt Ridgway's
retaken Seoul. What'd I tell you?

I wish I could celebrate...

...but the war
hasn't been won.

The battle lines roll
up and down, up and down.

Victory nowhere in sight.

This isn't war.
It's half war.

It's an immoral compromise
with evil.

There's more than dust
settling in Korea, Sid.

It's American blood.

Yes, sir.

Oh, the head of the United Kingdom
mission wants an appointment with you, sir.

What does he want?

He's worried that we're
getting desperate in Korea,

and we'll use the bomb. Huh!

Probably more worried about protecting
British profits in Hong Kong...

- ...than in saving lives in Korea.
- I'll shift his appointment, sir.

Excuse me, General. We just got
word that Washington wants you...

...to stop all offensive
operations immediately.

What?

They want to affect a political
rather than a military solution.

They're planning to draft
a cease-fire proposal.

They ask for any recommendations
you may have for minor adjustments...

...along your battle lines to consolidate
your position for adequate defense.

"Minor adjustments?" What
are they talking about?

Why should I recommend anything?
This is total capitulation!

Well, sir, in view of Truman's feeling, you want to
substitute your policy for his.

I couldn't substitute
my policy for Mr. Truman's,

because Mr. Truman
doesn't have a policy!

Fine, sir. Why don't you let me notify them that you're taking
the proposals under study...

No.
I have a better idea.

We'll send a message
to the Chinese commander.

Put it on all the wire services.
I want maximum exposure.

Sir, you have been specifically prohibited
from issuing any statements.

Sir, that is a direct order
from the president.

And that is part
of a dangerous concept...

...that men of the armed forces
owe their primary allegiance...

...to these temporary occupants
of the White House,

instead of to the country and the
Constitution we're sworn to defend!

I ought to kick his insubordinate
ass right in the Sea of Japan.

The lousiest trick he's pulled. I travel 14,000
miles to reach an understanding face-to-face,

- and he still thinks he can do what he damn
well pleases.
- Can you imagine?

He actually sent a message to the Chinese
threatening to destroy their forces...

...unless they were to negotiate
a solution with him personally.

You know,
there's a story...

...where Abe Lincoln was trying to
mount a horse that was skittish,

and the horse kicked a
hind hoof into the stirrup.

So Lincoln says to him, "If you're
gonna get on, I'll get off."

Well, I'm not
getting off.

I think Roosevelt should have pulled
Wainwright out of Corregidor...

...and left that five-star brass hat
MacArthur there to be the martyr.

What shall I do with
the cease-fire proposal?

Scrap it. I can't approach the Chinese
on any political basis, not after this.

That man's trying to start World War
III, and I'm trying to prevent it.

I'm gonna fire that brass hat prima donna
right now. Who does he think he is? God?

What do you think Congress would
do if I relieve the big general?

Congress would
flay you alive.

Fortunately for me, the Navy
outfielder's throw was also wild,

over the third baseman's head,
and with those two wild throws,

I was able to dash around
the bases into home...

...with what turned out to be
the winning run.

- Excuse me.
- And... And
the final score was...

...West Point 4, Annapolis 3.

I think that the loudest cheers
were led by my mother.

She was always there.

They used to say about us that we were
the first... the only mother and son...

...ever to graduate from
West Point on the same day.

That was in Annapolis
in the spring of...

Well, Jeannie...

...we're going home
at last.

That was the first varsity
baseball game ever played...

...between West Point
and the Naval Academy.

Well, so much for
my baseball career...

...and for happy memories.

And now will you...
excuse us, please?

I've never seen
anything like it.

The entire city's come out to celebrate
the return of America's greatest hero.

Officials estimate from
seven to ten-million people...

...are here on hand, and that
surpasses Lindbergh's...

...and Eisenhower's homecomings
put together.

Schools are out.
The crowd is excited.

The office workers are...
just have taken a holiday.

Meanwhile,
in our nation's capital,

the statement from the Joint
Chiefs of Staff said in part, quote:

"It is fundamental
that all military commanders...

...must be governed by our laws and
the constitutional guarantee...

...of civilian control
over the military."

When asked to comment,
President Truman said:

People who think they're God are bound
to get into trouble sooner or later.

You have to understand that the people of
this country are men and women of common sense,

and whenever anybody gets too far out of line,
the people are gonna put him out of business.

But once war
has been forced upon us...

...there is no other
alternative...

...than to apply
every available means...

...to bring it to a swift end.

War's very object
is victory,

not prolonged indecision.

In war...

...there can be no substitute
for victory.

For history teaches us,
with unmistakable emphasis...

...that appeasement but begets
new and bloodier war.

Like blackmail,
it lays the basis for new...

...and increasingly
greater demands...

...until, as in blackmail...

...violence becomes
the only alternative.

"Why..."

"Why," my soldiers
asked of me,

"surrender military advantages
to an enemy in the field?"

I could not answer.

The magnificence
of the courage...

...and fortitude
of the Korean people...

...defies description.

They have chosen
to risk death...

...rather than slavery.

Their last words
to me were...

..."Don't scuttle
the Pacific."

I am closing my 52 years
of military service.

When I joined the army, even
before the turn of the century...

...it was the fulfillment of all
my boyish hopes and dreams.

The world
has turned over many times...

...since I took the oath
on the plain at West Point...

...and the hopes and dreams
have long since vanished.

But I still remember
the refrain...

...of one of the most popular
barrack ballads of that day...

...which proclaimed
most proudly that...

..."Old soldiers never die...

they just... fade away."

Like the old soldier
of that ballad...

...I now close
my military career...

...and just... fade away...

...an old soldier...

...who tried to do his duty...

...as God...

...gave him the light
to see that duty.

Good-bye.

Good-bye, hell. He's running
for president.

I give you the greatest war hero...

...America has ever known,
our finest leader of men,

our most
brilliant strategist,

a man of inspiration
and a man of action...

...I give you the next president
of the United States,

five-star General
of the Army...

...Dwight David Eisenhower!

What kind of president
do you think he's gonna make?

I think he'll make
a fine president.

He was the best clerk
who ever served under me.

The shadows
are lengthening for me.

Twilight is here.

My days of old have vanished
tone and tint,

they have gone glimmering through
the dreams of things that were.

Their memory is one...

...of wondrous beauty...

...watered by tears
and coaxed and caressed...

...by the smiles
of yesterday.

I listen vainly
but with thirsty ear...

...for the witching melody...

...of faint bugles
blowing reveille,

of far drums
beating the long roll.

In my dreams,
I hear the crash of guns,

the rattle of musketry,

the strange
mournful mutter...

...of the battlefield.

But in the evening
of my memory...

...always I return...

...to West Point.

Always there echoes
and re-echoes...

...duty...

...honor...

...country.

Today...

marks my final roll call
with you.

But I want you to know
that when I cross the river...

...my last
conscious thoughts...

...will be of the Corps...

...and the Corps...

...and the Corps.

I bid you...

...farewell.