In Muscatine on Wednesday, April 11, 1951, Dale wrote, “President Truman fired General MacArthur.” U.S. President Harry S. Truman relieved General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his commands for making public statements that contradicted the administration’s policies. MacArthur was a popular hero of World War II who was then the commander of United Nations forces fighting in the Korean War. Above: Truman and MacArthur six months earlier.