Carol Morris Petillo, Author of Douglas MacArthur: The Philippine Years
In January, 1942, Philippines President Manuel Quezon offered General Douglas MacArthur $500,000 as payment for his pre-war service as Field Marshall of the Philippine Army. MacArthur accepted. Several of his staff members--including Lieutenant General Richard Sutherland, his Chief of Staff--also received payments.
These payments were known to only very few leaders in Manila and Washington, including President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson. A memo detailing this matter was discovered in General Sutherland's archives, and the payments were made public by Professor Carol Morris Petillo of Boston College in her 1981 biography, Douglas MacArthur: The Philippine Years.
At the time of her disclosure, MacArthur was revered as a great American hero, and publishing such a an explosive disclosure required a tremendous amount of courage. I asked Carol if she thought anyone besides Roosevelt and Stimson knew about this payment. True to her professional standards, she replied that she had not uncovered any evidence that anyone else knew--and, therefore, she could not offer an opinion.
In her book, Professor Petillo writes that President Quezon offered a similar gift to MacArthur's former aide. The aide declined very diplomatically, telling President Quezon that the offer itself was an honor and a gift--and explained that he could not be seen as serving two countries. This aide--Dwight D. Eisenhower--went on to become the Supreme Allied Commander of the largest invasion in history--Normandy on D-Day--and, later, President of the United States.
Carol, thank you for sharing the results of your years of research--and for your courage and integrity as a historian.
