Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas. While little is known of his birthdays prior to World War II, as a senior leader during World War II and the occupation of Japan, his birthday took on more diplomatic significance. Following his return to the United States, an annual birthday dinner/SWPA reunion was held in the dining room of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where he lived. This stag dinner ranged from 25-140 participants depending on the year, and included General Walter Krueger, Major General Leif Sverdrup, Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, General George Kenney, and many more. In addition to the distinguished guests, presidents and other world leaders would send birthday messages to be read at the dinner. As part of the MacArthur Memorial's 2022 commemoration of General MacArthur's birthday, MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams sat down to discuss these birthday parties.
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