JAPAN AND AMERICA, c1930-1955
THE PACIFIC WAR AND THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN
Series One: The Papers of General Robert L Eichelberger (1886-1961) from the William R Perkins Library, Duke University

Part 3: Correspondence (Boxes 5-27)

Eichelberger's Correspondence files, 1872-1961 (contained in Boxes 5-27) provide scholars with a vast array of Personal and Official Correspondence. The bulk of the material is for the years 1942-1961.

There are many war-time letters from General Eichelberger to his wife, Emma Gudger Eichelberger, describing the fighting in the Pacific, the nature of his relations with General Douglas MacArthur, the condition and morale of troops as well as the difficulties of jungle life.

The following is the opening of a five page memorandum written by Eichelberger to his wife on 22 October 1943 just before he left San Francisco for Australia (from Box 8):

"Before leaving you to go back to the fog of censorship, I would like to leave with you some notes on the peculiar happenings in the S.W.P.A.: My mission as given to me by Gen. MacA on 30 November 1942 is contained in your lock box in Asheville. The directives were given in the presence of Brig. Gen. C. E. Byers.

In giving me the mission of crushing the Japs at Buna it must be remembered that the American troops (only infantry then present) consisted of 128th Infantry and about 2/3 of the 126 Infantry (the rest of the latter were under Aussie command on the Sanananda trail.) The 127th Infantry did not begin to come in until the middle of December. These facts are shown in my report on the Buna campaign which I gave to Francis to send to you. These fever ridden troops who had been on part rations for a long time had not been trained by me and the plan of campaign (the taking of Buna) was not mine. The troops had been roughly handled by the Japs and the situation as stated to me by General MacA (this was true) was desperate.

In his letter to me of Dec. 13, (you have a copy) as well as when giving me my mission, General MacA pointed out that "time was of the essence...", "That our dangers increased hour by hour" etc. In this he was right to a large extent - one great danger was that the malaria mosquito would lick us if the Japs didn't since our men were living in the swamps. There was also some danger of Jap reinforcement by water..."

The next extract comes from a long letter (from Box 10) dated the Philippines, 16 May 1945, 4:00pm, Headquarters Eighth Army, United States Army, Office of its Commanding General, APO 343:

"Dearest Emmalina ! -
Right now I am standing outside by my new house in my bathing suit dictating to Mr. Schneider who is sitting on the verandah. I am going to sleep in there tonight. About half of the walls are screen and the screens are made of copper wire...the house looks native but inside it is one of the most luxurious tropical homes I have ever seen. There are two big rooms 16 X 20, a hallway for the icebox and Dombrowski's working table...Dombrowski just came out to tell me that the fluorescent lights are already working..."

Included in the correspondence files are Eichelberger's many drafts of articles, memoranda and essays on the war. One of the articles featured here is his draft chapter on The War in the Southwest Pacific for the Army Ground Forces Pictorial History of World War II.

The correspondence contains much material on General Douglas MacArthur and events in Japan after 1945. There are letters to and from MacArthur, to and from Eichelberger's military colleagues (such as Brigadier General Clovis Byers and Major General R K Sutherland) and to and from friends and family. 

In correspondence and dictations after the war Eichelberger reflects upon his military career and various people, including Generals Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall, Clovis Byers, Dwight D Eisenhower and Robert C Richardson. After leaving Japan, Eichelberger served for approximately six years in the War Department and then in the Pentagon as an advisor on the Far East. He was also very active on numerous committees and on American political matters from 1948 through to 1961. There are many interesting letters to friends and colleagues during this period, in America, Europe, Australia and Japan, dealing with the situation in the Far East - especially Japan and Korea but also Cuba, Berlin and the communist threat; politics and economics, both in Japan and America, as well as many other subjects. All these letters reveal a deep respect for Eichelberger's views and opinions.

On 31 August 1961 Clovis Byers (formerly Eichelberger's Chief of Staff in the Pacific Campaigns) writes to him outlining his concern about the Berlin situation (see Box 24, Folder 2):

"...The way we are reinforcing the West Berlin area worries me. We had plenty of people in Berlin adequately to demonstrate our interest. The addition of reinforcements has given the Communists an excuse to increase their number in East Berlin at a much faster rate. The presence of large numbers of military personnel on both sides of the boundary can only increase the opportunity for provocative acts. The situation today is truly that of a tender box. Personally, I wish we would discontinue talking about what we are going to do and quietly do it. To illustrate, if the Communists tell us to fly below 10,000 feet, all future flights at once would be above that altitude. There would be no threatening talk. The Russians would know nothing about it until the flights had taken place. Top cover would be in the area to shoot down any Russian plane that attempted to interfere with our commercial flights. Everytime we mention what we are going to do, the Russian then plans those movements that will make our announced actions look as silly as possible. If we made no prouncement of our contemplated action, the Russian would have no opportunity to plan his harassing movements."

One box is entirely devoted to his correspondence with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Review Board, 1955-1958; the North Carolina State Ports Authority, 1959-1960 and with Gertrude Algase, January 1946-March 1950. These letters reveal his continued involvement in serving the community in later life, his large network of friendships across the United States and his readiness to offer advice and support to those in greatest need.

Letters for the earlier period, c.1903-1941 deal with his upbringing and education at Ohio State University, his graduation from the US Military Academy at West Point, his three years on the War Department General Staff in Washington DC, his experiences in Siberia from 1918 to 1920 serving as Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations Division, and Chief Intelligence Officer with the American Expeditionary Forces, life at the American Embassy in Tokyo in 1920 followed by a year in China and the Philippines on military intelligence activities, as well as his perceptive comments on developments during the inter-war period. 

Particularly from 1935 onwards (when Eichelberger reached a more senior position as Secretary of the General Staff under General Douglas MacArthur and then General Malin Craig), he had an exceptionally close insight into all the operations of the War Department and became acquainted with some of the great characters of the period: General Simonds, General Stanley D Embick and General Marshall (when he became Deputy Chief of Staff).