What if Admiral Roger Keyes commanded joint British and American forces in the Second World War to avoid dealing with MacArthur?
Short answerKeyes might outmaneuver MacArthur politically and divert him toward public appearances, but there is disagreement over whether MacArthur would cooperate.
NotesIn this proposed ABDA command, Roger Keyes would be senior to MacArthur and could use his political skills and American reputation to control the coalition. Clarke suggests directing MacArthur's appetite for publicity toward speeches and political missions while subordinate commanders handled operations. Presenting those assignments as MacArthur's own ideas might make him more willing to accept them. Another participant doubts that the approach would work because MacArthur could still pursue his own priorities. The disagreement turns on whether personal diplomacy could make a difficult subordinate cooperate.