7 April 2019
Dear Phyllis,
I believe General Douglas MacArthur was one of the greatest men of the 20th century. He was probably the greatest military general America ever produced. Admiral Bull Hulsey said
the Inchon invasion, in Korea, was the greatest military maneuver ever executed in human history. That is probably true. MacArthur pulled off the Inchon invasion with less casualties than die in traffic accidents in the US in one day and in three weeks they
completely eliminated every North Korean soldier from South Korea.
But his greatest achievement was Japan. It might be arguably said that Douglas MacArthur was the greatest man in Japanese history. What Japan is today can be largely attributed to MacArthur.
During the 2nd WW, in the Pacific theater, MacArthur was the mos feared general. The Japanese said they couldn't fight him because he always struck in the place they least expected it. And when they surrendered he was the man they feared the most.
But when he left Japan in 1952 they made a bronze statue of him in Kanagawa with the title
“Douglas MacArthur, the savior of Japan”.
When Japan accepted America's surrender terms in 15 August 1945 they sent a delegation to talk to him in Manila. He told them, “I will be landing at Atsugi air base on the 23rd.
They were terrified. Atsugi was a kamikaza base and the most dangerous place in the country. They begged him, “Please don't do it! We can't protect it.” MacArthur replied, “I will land at Atsugi and you will be responsible.”
Japan was in turmoil. The base commander at Atsugi took over the base and said he would kill anyone who surrendered. A band of armed men got on the imperial grounds in Tokyo in an attempt
to assassinate the emperor. When MacArthur flew to Japan from Manila his staff strapped on so many guns the looked like Poncho Villa. MacArthur told his staff, “Take off the hardware boys. We are going to show them who won the war.” When his plane, Bataan,
landed at Atsugi and the door opened the world was startled to see a man stepped out with his collar opened, sun glasses on, and the most lethal weapon he had was his corn cob pipe. He looked just like a tourist.
The war was never over until MacArthur was on the ground. When he landed that was it.
What happened in Japan in 1945 has never been duplicated in human history. He had an unusual people who were utterly prostrated, that willingly accepted him as their new emperor. MacArthur
was singularly responsible the deliverance of the Emperor. Everyone in America and Australia wanted Hirohito tried and executed. MacArthur was a rare man of destiny. Mrs Johnson had been a missionary in Manila before the war and had a Bible study that Jean
and Douglas MacArthur regularly attended. She told Betty Whewell that she thought MacArthur was a born-again man. He read the Bible every night and had deep Christian ethics. In an unprecedented moment in history, he was granted unlimited authority to mold
Japan the way he wanted.
The first morning he was in Japan he ordered two eggs for breakfast. The next morning his staff apologized and said they had looked all night and could only find one egg in the country. When
MacArthur heard that he gave an order never before issued by a conquering nation, and forbid any military personal to eat any native food. He said, “They can't feed themselves and we are not going to take their food.” There was a report of an American soldier
raping a Japanese girl and MacArthur gave an order, “Any soldier convicted of raping a Japanese girl will be court marshaled.” That stopped it. The US State Dept. was disturbed that he was calling for so much food. He fired off a reply saying,
“Send me bread or send me bullets”. That stopped the inquiry and MacArthur feed Japan. He gave them western democracy and wrote their constitution. He broke up a feudal system and gave them land reform. He set up an American doctor to institute health
protection who saved more Japanese lives the first year than the total casualties of the war. He brought in top men from GM and taught them how to make automobiles. He gave them womans suffrage and released all political prisoners including communists. He
gave them an excellent education system and guaranteed free speech. Then he arrested communists when they tried to pull paralyzing labor strikes. MacArthur pleaded for missionaries and said, “If I can have more missionaries I can have fewer troops”. What Japan
is today can be largely attributed to Douglas MacArthur.
You might ask the question, “Why in the world are you writing so much about General MacArthur in a PB letter?” I have found a direct parallel in what MacArthur did for Japan and what Jesus
has done for me. Hundreds of times I have pleaded with the Father, “Please let Jesus do for me what MacArthur did for Japan.” I have found surrender impossible. Flesh will never overcome flesh. It takes an outside source to get victory over flesh.
Just as the war was never over in Japan until MacArthur was on the ground; victory and peace came to my life when Jesus came in.
I hope we have come to a place in history where we will stop emotional evangelists singing twelve courses of “Just as I am”, pleading with undeserving sinners to please be kind to God and
accept His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. It is unimaginable grace that God would offer such salvation, and for sinners to weigh the option like they were buying a pair of shoes is insanity. And
I am bewildered by the message of surrender. Surrender??? My goodness, that isn't the issue!
I have never surrendered my life to Jesus, but I have begged Him thousands of times to take me if He will have me. MacArthur was Japans only hope of salvation, and Jesus is the only hope I have of getting out of a mess. If He will have me – please do it!
John Bunyan expressed it the best I have ever read when he wrote The Holy War. That is, perhaps, one of the best books I have ever read. It is the story of Prince Emmanuel taking the town
of Mansoul for His father, King El-shaddai. Mansoul had been usurped by King El-shaddai's enemy, Diabolus, and Mansoul was more or less aligned with the enemy. And the mayor, Mr. Will-be-will, was a vacillating rascal. I never read anything that more perfectly
described my plight. Japan had to be reduced to rubble before they ran up the white flag. But once they quit fighting, and MacArthur was on the ground, there was a new sheriff in town, and things started going the other way. Planes that were dropping bombs
started bringing supplies to save the country. Why in the world, it should be an issue who is in charge in our lives is bewildering.
Father, let Jesus have everything. Let Jesus be in charge. Lord Jesus, I can't drive the car. I don't want to drive. Please, Lord, take the wheel and do the steering. I don't want to be in
charge. I don't want it to go my way. If there is any good that comes from my life I don't want the profit to go on my account. I want everything to go in Jesus' pocket. If there is anything positive that comes from my life it certainly is no credit to me.
It is 100% attributed to the Lord's amazing mercy that He would have anything to do with me and work through me – in spite of the resistance.
Japan was in absolute turmoil. Insanity had run that country for decades. The destruction was astronomic. But now there was a new administration and everything got turned around. Thank God
for what MacArthur did for Japan, and thank God for what Jesus has done for me. The parallel is amazing.
Lord, have Your way in my life. Thank You,
bill
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