"One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda"
About this Quote
Modern warfare depends as much on legitimacy as on logistics. Armies can fight, but they cannot be sustained without a population willing to pay, produce, enlist, and tolerate loss. Douglas MacArthur, whose career spanned two world wars and Korea, points to the decisive role of public opinion in making that possible, and to the media systems that shape it. As mass literacy, newspapers, radio, and newsreels knitted the home front to distant battlefields, governments learned that winning battles required winning narratives.
The observation cuts across regimes. Democracies need votes, appropriations, and patience; leaders must persuade citizens that objectives justify costs. Autocracies rely on a managed public mood to deter unrest and keep soldiers and workers compliant. From the British and American propaganda drives of World War I to the Allied and Axis information campaigns of World War II, the press and official messaging framed enemies, sanctified aims, and softened the shock of casualties. Psychological warfare became a formal component of strategy.
MacArthur also signals a tension. The press can serve as a watchdog, testing claims and exposing failures, yet wartime pressures can bend it toward cheerleading or censorship. Propaganda exploits that pliability, fusing patriotism with policy so tightly that dissent appears disloyal. Strategists who ignore this terrain do so at their peril; shaping perception becomes as integral as maneuvering divisions. MacArthur himself understood spectacle and rhetoric, from carefully staged appearances to sweeping statements, and his public feud with civilian leadership during Korea showed how opinion can constrain strategy even as institutions reaffirm constitutional control.
The insight anticipates today’s information warfare, where speed and saturation magnify the molding he described. Still, the core remains unchanged: war is a political act requiring consent or acquiescence, and narrative is the lever that moves it. The admonition is double-edged, urging commanders to respect the public and warning citizens and journalists to scrutinize the stories that summon their support.
The observation cuts across regimes. Democracies need votes, appropriations, and patience; leaders must persuade citizens that objectives justify costs. Autocracies rely on a managed public mood to deter unrest and keep soldiers and workers compliant. From the British and American propaganda drives of World War I to the Allied and Axis information campaigns of World War II, the press and official messaging framed enemies, sanctified aims, and softened the shock of casualties. Psychological warfare became a formal component of strategy.
MacArthur also signals a tension. The press can serve as a watchdog, testing claims and exposing failures, yet wartime pressures can bend it toward cheerleading or censorship. Propaganda exploits that pliability, fusing patriotism with policy so tightly that dissent appears disloyal. Strategists who ignore this terrain do so at their peril; shaping perception becomes as integral as maneuvering divisions. MacArthur himself understood spectacle and rhetoric, from carefully staged appearances to sweeping statements, and his public feud with civilian leadership during Korea showed how opinion can constrain strategy even as institutions reaffirm constitutional control.
The insight anticipates today’s information warfare, where speed and saturation magnify the molding he described. Still, the core remains unchanged: war is a political act requiring consent or acquiescence, and narrative is the lever that moves it. The admonition is double-edged, urging commanders to respect the public and warning citizens and journalists to scrutinize the stories that summon their support.
Quote Details
| Topic | War |
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