Loyalty First: The Life and Times of Charles A. Willoughby, Macarthur's Chief Intelligence Officer

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David A. Foy

Loyalty First

The Life and Times of Charles A. Willoughby, Macarthur's Chief Intelligence Officer

David A. Foy

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Hardback

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English

Casemate Publishers
01 December 2023

Biography: historical, political & military; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Military history; Second World War; Military intelligence

First full biography of MacArthur's chief intelligence officer Charles Willoughby, reflecting on the consequences of prioritising loyalty to a superior over objectivity of intelligence.

Major General Charles A. Willoughby served as Douglas MacArthur's stalwart chief intelligence officer (G-2} for over a decade, throughout World War II and the Korean War. This first full biography examines Willoughby's shadowy origins in his native Germany, his curious arrival in the United States, and his military service in World War I, as well as his work during the interwar years as a junior diplomat, budding historian, and neophyte intelligence officer. His chance encounter with MacArthur in the mid-1930s would prove to be the genesis of a near-symbiotic relationship between the two, with significant consequences for both.

Throughout his life, Willoughby identified with strong, authoritarian leaders, notably Franco, and?especially?

MacArthur. The author also assesses Willoughby's performance as a professional intelligence officer both in World War II and Korea, where he is often vilified for his inaccurate assessments of enemy strength and most likely courses of action, as well as his sycophantic relationship with his commander. Willoughby is most often criticized for his failing to foresee the entry of Chinese forces into the Korean War and its impact upon the US Army and the prosecution of the war. Following MacArthur's removal by President Truman in 1951, Willoughby retired and spent the rest of his days engaged in right-wing political activity and in staunchly defending his much-maligned boss.

The legacy he left is one filled with lingering and important questions about loyalty to superiors, in civilian as well as military environments, how far that loyalty should extend, and walking the tightrope involved in telling truth to power.

AUTHOR: Dr. David Foy received his Ph.D. in Modern European History from the University of Arkansas, where he also was selected for Phi Beta Kappa. He has more than three decades' experience as a professional historian and intelligence officer, having worked as a college faculty member, an active-duty and civilian member of the US Army, a defence contractor, and an intelligence officer for several agencies within the US Intelligence Community. He is also the author of For You the War is Over: American POWs in Nazi Germany During World War II, a history of the tenure of a Director of National Intelligence, and numerous book reviews. He lives in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area.

By: David A. Foy
Imprint: Casemate Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781636243498
ISBN 10: 1636243495
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 December 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Dr. David Foy received his Ph.D. in Modern European History from the University of Arkansas, where he also was selected for Phi Beta Kappa. He has more than three decades’ experience as a professional historian and intelligence officer, having worked as a college faculty member, an active-duty and civilian member of the US Army, a defence contractor, and an intelligence officer for several agencies within the US Intelligence Community. He is also the author of For You the War is Over: American POWs in Nazi Germany During World War II, a history of the tenure of a Director of National Intelligence, and numerous book reviews. He lives in the greater Raleigh, North Carolina area.

Reviews for Loyalty First: The Life and Times of Charles A. Willoughby, Macarthur's Chief Intelligence Officer

"""Foy brings to readers a great deal of information on Willoughby as an intelligence officer.""-- ""Studies in Intelligence"" ""Enjoyed it.""-- ""Historical Miniatures Gaming Society"" ""...the first-ever biography of General Willoughby's creative legacy of loyalty to his superiors, questioning how far that loyalty should have extended, while examining how Willoughby walked the tightrope involving telling truth to power.""-- ""ARGunners.com"" ""Although a fascinating biography in its own right [this book] seems particularly timely and relevant given the new revelations about how the current command structure of the U.S. Military was able (and had to) to resist the unlawful and deadly dangerous attempts of Donald Trump to unconstitutionally use the military as his own personal instrument for insuring the continuation of his power and authority as a President and Commander-in-Chief before and after an insurrection.""-- ""Midwest Book Review"""