Sold – Douglas MacArthur Works to Field a 1928 U.S. Olympic Team

In the First World War MacArthur commanded the 42nd Division on the Western Front and was decorated 13 times and cited 7 additional times for bravery. After the war he became superintendent of West Point. Over a three year term he doubled its size and modernized the curriculum. In 1922 he was sent to the Philippines where he commanded the Military District of Manila, and at age 43 MacArthur became the Army’s youngest general. Returning to the U.S. in 1927 he accepted appointment as president of the American Olympic Association (AOA). He held that position until 1928 after he returned with the Olympic team from Amsterdam.

General Palmer E. Pierce was the first president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In the early days the AOAwas dominated by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which did what it could to minimize the influence of the NCAA. Pierce wanted the organization of an AOAthat would be really representative of all interests concerned, and made strenuous attempts to broaden the scope of the NCAA’s influence. The AAU opposed his efforts at every step, and the two major athletic organizations were at loggerheads. By 1926, the AAU had attained such a degree of control over the Olympics that Pierce recommended to his organization that it withdraw altogether from the AOA, which would create chaos for the 1928 Olympic games. Into this maelstrom stepped the new president of the AOA, Douglas MacArthur. It took lots of diplomacy, but he was able to halt the threat to the upcoming games by getting the NCAAto rejoin in the interest of unity and amity. This letter was part of that campaign.

Typed Letter Signed on American Olympic Committee letterhead, Baltimore, October 28, 1927, to Murray Halbert, whom he addresses familiarly as “My Dear Murray,”seeking help on selling Pierce on his peace-making efforts. “I had a note from Senator Borah this morning in which he says he is very anxious to speak at our banquet. He states that he has already another engagement for that date but will endeavor to break it and will inform me later. This sounds encouraging. I enclose a tentative reply to General Pierce. Will you freely and frankly make such changes as you believe will fit the circumstances of the case to the extent of redrafting the entire letter if advisable? The impression, however, is strong on me that he does not clearly understand the mechanics of the rather complicated and intricate control system for both national and international sports. I am hoping to send him a letter which will clarify his own mind and in consequence disabuse him of any idea that he is being badly treated. It would be an accomplishment if this could be done and it is to that end I solicit your further help.”

Havingbut a matter of months to gain his end of securing the fielding of an American squad for the 1928 Olympic Games, MacArthur’s game-plan was essentially to pressure Pierce (even at the risk of talking down to him). In this he was successful. Ultimately MacArthur’s successor, Avery Brundage, settled the feud once and for all by coming up with a broad-based solution that gave all interested parties representation. Afascinating letter at the junction where sports meets military history.