MacArthur, Douglas

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MacArthur, Douglas (1880–1964) US general. A divisional commander in World War I, he became army chief of staff in 1930, and military adviser to the Philippines in 1935, retiring from the US Army in 1937. Recalled in 1941, MacArthur conducted the defence of the Philippines until ordered out to Australia. As Supreme Allied Commander in the sw Pacific from 1942, he directed the campaigns that led to Japanese defeat. He became commander of UN forces on the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950. Autocratic and controversial, he was relieved of his command by President Truman in 1951.

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