Macarthur Memorial Podcast

In November 2000, the Memorial's Archivist was asked to look at four letters purportedly written by Douglas MacArthur shortly after World War I. The letters were authenticated and today they provide a window into a previously unknown chapter of MacArthur's life. The letters were written to Herta Heuser, a young German Red Cross worker who helped nurse MacArthur back to health during the Occupation of Germany. Sent home in 1919, MacArthur began a correspondence with Herta in which he declared his love for her. Since 2000, more letters from this correspondence have come to light. The letters tell a fascinating story of love and loss. They may also help to explain why MacArthur married his first wife. Few close to him could understand why he married Louise Cromwell Brooks - and why he married her in such haste - but the MacArthur-Heuser letters may point to a broken heart.