12. Douglas MacArthur became Chief of Staff in November, 1930
When Douglas MacArthur became Chief of Staff, following stints as Superintendent at West Point and command in the troubled Philippines, his credentials as a prima donna were already well-known within the Army. At his desk in the War Department, MacArthur preferred to wear a Japanese kimono rather than his uniform. During the 1930s most officers working in the various bureaucracies in Washington wore civilian clothes to work. But not many wore Japanese garb. MacArthur used a jeweled cigarette holder, maintained a mistress he had met when she was a teenager (16) in the Philippines, and established a public relations staff to control his image in the press. He considered the British Empire to be a threat to the United States, especially in the Pacific. MacArthur negotiated with the Navy to ensure the defense of shore installations was in the hands of his Army.
By 1931, the general habitually referred to himself in the third person, in correspondence and in meetings. He resisted cuts to the Army’s budget during the depression, gaining enemies within the White House and the War Department’s civilian employees. He also opposed the use of Army personnel for what he viewed as non-military employments. The Army supported many of the New Deal programs in a variety of ways, especially the Corps of Engineers. MacArthur jealously guarded against encroachments on his authority over the Army. He also warred with the press over-reporting some misguided actions, including suing two reporters in 1932. When they threatened to call his young mistress to court as a material witness, the general dropped his suit and paid the reporters a settlement for their trouble.