Flying MacArthur to Victory (Volume 1)

This is the diary of the general's personal pilot, Weldon Rhoades.

Rhoades, a civilian airline pilot, was recruited by General MacArthur in 1944 as his personal pilot. As thisdiary verifies, this gave him a grandstand seat throughout MacArthur's later campaigns and the surrender of the Japanese. Although the many glimpses of MacArthur's personality are intriguing, it is Lt. General Richard Sutherland, his chief of staff, whose figure is dominant. Rhoades became intimate with this enigmatic man and traces the growing coolness between the two leaders over Sutherland's passion for an Australian womana coolness that developed into an open fight. "I've seen old men go nuts over women before," Rhoades remarks in one entry, "but never like this." In a broader context, the diary sheds light on the conduct of the war in the Pacific, especially the administrative methods of MacArthur and his very able chief of staff. Written by an intelligent and alert young man, the journal is an interesting account of the war from a unique vantage point. Photos. (March
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.