MacArthur Writes Condolence Letter To Mother Of Soldier Killed In Korean War, 1950
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People's Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south. This was the first military action of the Cold War. By the end of June the first American troops landed in Korea. This letter, sent by MacArthur to the mother of a soldier from Tennessee killed early on in the war, was signed personally by the General. But as casualties mounted, it was no longer possible for the General to continue signing letters. The UN Command then began sending out letters with MacArthur's printed signature (the second letter shown here). Nearly thirty-four thousand American servicemen and women had lost their lives by the time the Korean War ended in 1953.
Original Letter Personally Signed By General MacArthur
Gary, That looks real to me. Though I wouldn’t know where I got the information now, I know that in the early part of the war he would sign them all. When the volume got heavy he then had someone sign for him. He did that in WWII as well. Of course you’d have to get a professional to appraise it, but it looks spot on. James Zobel, Curator MacArthur Memorial From: GARYGLS2000@aol.com [mailto:GARYGLS2000@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 3:23 AM To: Zobel, James Subject: MacArthur Condolence Letters Dear Jim, I would appreciate your thoughts on this letter. I know MacArthur had a number of secretaries in WWII who were authorized to sign his name to condolence letters sent to the families of servicemen killed in action. And during the Korean War he used letters with facsimile signatures for this purpose. I've seen quite a few of these with his name printed in blue ink. But recently I acquired a condolence letter with a standard message sent during the early stage of the Korean War (attached) which had exactly the same message as all of the mass printed ones. However, this one seems to have a signature actually signed by the General. Viewed under a magnifying glass, it was definitely written with a fountain pen. Is it possible that he did sign some of these letters from time to time?
Mass-Produced Letter With Facsimile Signature
General MacArthur reviews unit of black G.I.s in Korea, 1950.
MacArthur with General Matthew B. Ridgeway in Korea, 1950.
General MacArthur bids farewell to South Korean President Syngman Rhee, 1951