Archive Report
Archive Report
War Heroes and the 1948 Presidential Race
Availability of War Leaders as Political Candidates
The spectacular growth of the Eisenhower-for-President boom in recent months and the possibility of a separate boom for Gen. MacArthur upon his return from Japan in April have revived a perennial controversy over the place of military leaders in the nation's civic affairs. A leading columnist11 has called the movements on behalf of the two generals a “military blitzkrieg,” and has warned that the nomination of either man would violate “our basic tradition of civilian responsibility in …politics and …government.” On the other hand, partisans of Eisenhower and MacArthur have pointed to the long line of military men who have occupied the White House in the past, and have argued that the ...