Question

Which of the following statements best describes why President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur in 1951?

Answer 1

MacArthur had publicly criticized Truman’s approach to the war.

President Eisenhower could not tolerate insubordination by one of his generals.  Dwight Eisenhower had been a military general himself (during World War II).  But in 1950, when North Korean forces invaded South Korea, Eisenhower was in the position of civilian commander in chief as President of the United States.  General MacArthur wanted to bomb the People's Republic of China and also use Nationalist Chinese forces from Taiwan in an attack on communist China.  President Eisenhower would not grant these requests to escalate the war, and MacArthur made his opposition to Truman's policies a public argument.  Eisenhower felt he had to relieve MacArthur of his command and maintain respect for civilian control of the military, with the President as Commander-in-Chief.

Answer 2

The correct answer for the question that is being presented above is this one: "MacArthur had publicly criticized Truman’s approach to the war." The statement that best describes why President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur in 1951 is that MacArthur had publicly criticized Truman’s approach to the war.