General Douglas MacArthur had fervently hoped it would never come to this, but alas it had. President Hoover had proved himself unwilling and unable to quell the chaos and subversion of the Syndicalists and America Firsters. If America was to be saved from tyranny, Hoover had to go. MacArthur had already secretly discussed this with Vice President Curtis, who had agreed to support him, and the General was now marching on Washington at the head of his 1st Infantry Division.
Within a few minutes after leaving the barracks, a number of civilians had gathered around to see what was going on, and many of them jeered at the troops.
"Syndies..." MacArthur snarled under his breath. One of the soldiers next to him seemed nervous, casting worried glances at the angry mob.
"Don't worry Private." MacArthur told the young man. "As long as you keep marching and don't let on that you're afraid, they won't dare bother you."
"Yes Sir." The young soldier replied. Sure enough, as the troops marched on undaunted, the mob lost their nerve and dispersed. Within a few minutes, MacArthur and his men could see the White House just ahead. As they neared the gates, they finally encountered a guard.
"HALT! WHO GOES THERE?!" The guard demanded.
"General Douglas MacArthur." The General replied calmly. If there was one thing he'd learned after so many years in the army, it was keeping cool under pressure. He wasn't about to back down now, not with so much at stake.
"What's your business?" The guard asked.
"To save this republic." MacArthur replied, keeping his poker face as much as possible.
The two men stared at each other in silence for a tense few seconds. Finally, the guard spoke.
"Alright. Go ahead sir." He said, opening the gate and saluting MacArthur, who strolled into the White House lawn as his troops surrounded the building. Finally, he came to the Oval Office door, took a deep breath, and opened it.
"General MacArthur?!" President Hoover exclaimed. "I wasn't notified that you had an appointment here/ What's going on?!"
"Mr. President," MacArthur replied, with all the nerve he could muster, "as you have proven yourself unable and unwilling to protect this country from subversive elements, I, as Chief of the Army Staff, am invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows for the cabinet to remove a president who has become unfit for office. As Vice President Curtis is in poor health, he has agreed to place me in office as acting president."
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! IT'S TREASONOUS!" Hoover bellowed.
"On the contrary Mr. President, it's perfectly constitutional."
"And what if I refuse to comply?!" Hoover demanded.
"I would not recommend that, Mr. President. My troops have surrounded the building. I suggest you do things the easy way, and leave peacefully.
Hoover's face was still red with rage, but he grumbled "Fine" through clenched teeth. MacArthur than had him escorted out of the building to a comfortable house arrest.
-
The next day, Acting President General MacArthur made a speech to congress, announcing his takeover from Hoover and cancellation of the 1936 election until the situation had stabilized.. Congress, having essentially been presented with a fait accompli, voted unanimously to approve MacArthur's coup, giving his junta an air of democratic legitimacy. MacArthur made it clear that he did not intend to impose a dictatorship, and would keep the Congress in place as an advisory body. Most ordinary Americans, both Democrats and Republicans, breathed a sigh of relief, believing that the crisis was over. But not everyone accepted the change so readily. Syndicalists rioted in several cities, and MacArthur responded by declaring martial law, and banning the Combined Syndicates, as well as the America First Party.
This proved to be the last straw for the extremists. On November 24, 1936, Jack Reed's Syndicalists took control of Chicago, and proclaimed a new regime called the Combined Syndicates of America. Two days later, on November 26, Huey Long's Minutemen Militia took control of Atlanta and announced the creation of the American Union State. MacArthur refused to back down, and there was no turning back. The Second American Civil War had begun...
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