DAGUPAN, Philippines – After a long-drawn-out debate and conflicting accounts on the Lingayen Gulf Landing, a historian at the MacArthur Memorial in the United States has presented definitive proof: General Douglas MacArthur landed in Dagupan City.
James Zobel, an archivist and historian at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, laid out his findings Monday, February 24, pointing to evidence that could finally put to rest the question of where exactly the Allied Forces commander set foot during the pivotal landing in the Lingayen Gulf during World War II.
The answer, Zobel asserted, is the shores of Barangay Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan.
Speaking at a program following the groundbreaking ceremony for the General Douglas MacArthur Memorial Hall and Museum project in Dagupan, Zobel detailed a meticulous examination of archival records, personal diaries, and military logs that traced MacArthur’s movements.
The Philippine Historical Committee (forerunner of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) has recognized Dagupan as the site of the landing, but this has been disputed by some historians. The PHC erected a marker in 1948 in an area in Dagupan now closed off by its private owner.
The city government, however, took the marker which will be placed at the MacArthur Memorial once built.
Confusion
The Lingayen Gulf landings were among the largest Allied military campaigns in history.
“May kanya-kanyang code ang beaches noong panahon iyon kung saan tinawag na Yellow Beach ang Binmaley, Crimson Beach ang Lingayen, Blue Beach sa Bonuan, Dagupan, at White Beach sa San Fabian,” explained Miguel Angelo Villa-real, vice president for corporate marketing and communications of the Philippine Veterans Bank.
(Beaches had their own codes during that time: Binmaley was called Yellow Beach, Lingayen was Crimson Beach, Bonuan in Dagupan was Blue Beach, and San Fabian was White Beach.)
Villa-real said soldiers were deployed across more than 30 kilometers of the Lingayen Gulf shoreline.
Citing records from the MacArthur Memorial archives, Zobel referenced a page from the American general’s office diary.
MacArthur, aboard the USS Boise (CL 47), went ashore past 2 pm on January 9, 1945. He was accompanied by General Sutherland, General Marshall, Colonel Fellers, aides, and other members of the party.
The diary entry continues that at around 3 pm, MacArthur visited General Edwin Patrick, who was in charge of the 6th Infantry Division.
Military records show that Patrick was stationed at Blue Beach. The diary, however, did not specify “Blue Beach,” fueling the debates.
“This (MacArthur’s diary) doesn’t say Blue Beach, and so for years we had this. I was convinced, but it wasn’t convincing to anyone else because it doesn’t say Blue Beach,” Zobel said.
Conflicting answers have since emerged. An article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer described the origin of the debate, citing sources written by Australian naval historian and journalist George Hill, along with other claims.
The Inquirer report cited the book Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Volume II – Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945 (1st Edition, 1968), which stated that MacArthur landed on the beaches of San Fabian town in Pangasinan.
In an article published by the state-run Philippine News Agency in 2020, Dr. Ricardo Jose, a historian and professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, also said that “General Douglas MacArthur originally landed in the Blue Beach of San Fabian, eastern section of the Lingayen Gulf, exactly 2:15 pm of January 9, 1945.”
Marshall’s diary
It was not until a few years ago that personal items belonging to Major General Richard Jaquelin Marshall – the same General Marshall who accompanied MacArthur in the Lingayen Gulf – were donated to the MacArthur Memorial. Among them were his own office diaries.
Zobel flashed a copy of the diary entry dated “January 9th.”
Marshall wrote, “We were in Lingayen Gulf. Watched the shelling of the beaches. The landings were going well. Sutherland joined the party and we went ashore at 2 pm at Blue Beach #2, to see General Patrick. Then we returned to the Boise.”
Zobel said, “MGen RJ Marshall’s office diary ends the question.”
There is also a map of the Lingayen Gulf Assault, showing Blue Beach #2 in Barangay Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City. The source is Triumph in the Philippines by Robert Ross Smith, Center of Military History, US Army.
Why Dagupan?
What made the landing in Dagupan so important to the Allied Forces?
Zobel explained that MacArthur wanted to push toward Manila as soon as possible, as many prisoners of war were held there.
Mulberry pontoons placed earlier had been devastated by storms. Military logistics were in trouble.
Dagupan was the prime area to transport supplies and troops to Manila, as it had railroads.
“Dagupan becomes the main supply depot for all landing forces. Dagupan is an important place for the entire effort of the United States to move into the Philippines,” Zobel said.
He added that on February 13, 1945, MacArthur moved his headquarters to Dagupan, where he stayed for the next 12 days.
MacArthur’s headquarters was located at the Home Economics Building of West Central Elementary School.
From there, he and his men planned offensives against the Japanese.
To the future
With this, the Dagupan City government held the groundbreaking ceremony for the MacArthur Memorial in the area where the general landed 80 years ago.
“The memorial will serve as the city’s testament to loyalty, perseverance, and the enduring spirit of freedom to remind both the old and younger generations today,” said Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez.
Fernandez urged everyone to reflect on the events of 80 years ago, when the city was a key point in Luzon’s liberation. – Rappler.com