The Philippines honored Douglas MacArthur in 1948

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

To the inhabitants of the Philippines, Gen. Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) is considered a certified hero (although there are always those who may disagree) for his pre-World War II service as military advisor to the Philippines from 1935 to 1941, and his campaign to expel Japanese occupiers from the region that finally succeeded in early 1945.

On Feb. 3, 1948, after the Philippines achieved independence on July 4, 1946, it issued a set of three commemorative stamps (Scott 519-521) honoring MacArthur, shown in Figure 1.

Of course, though widely acknowledged as a great military leader, existing United States Post Office Department regulations did not allow for such an honor for MacArthur in his own country because U.S. stamps picturing living people were not to be issued.

By the time MacArthur passed away on April 5, 1964, events following World War II had somewhat soiled his reputation such that a philatelic honor was not immediately forthcoming.

What had he done? As commanding general of United Nations forces in Korea, he had advocated for freedom and resources to attack China by bombing and setting up a blockade of Chinese ports. No problem there. He could propose the idea, but the U.S. Joint Chiefs in Washington, D.C., and President Harry Truman made the final decision, and they decided against the proposal.

That should have been the end of it, but ...To read the rest of this column, subscribe to Linn’s Stamp News.

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