The Perpetuation of a Myth: The Relief of Major General Ralph C. Smith During the Battle of Saipan (June 1944)
Graduation Date
Fall 2000
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Patricia Dougherty, OP, PhD
Second Reader
Aquinas Nimitz, OP, PhD
Abstract
Rivalries between the branches of the armed services, acute in the Central Pacific during World War II, reached a crescendo when Marine General Holland M. Smith abruptly relieved Army General Ralph C. Smith of command during the Battle of Saipan. This thesis explores how the Marine Corps, using strong public relations and with close ties to the press, were able to slant news articles in their favor, the effects of which linger today. Most notably, Robert Sherrod of Time, wrote articles about Marine heroics while often criticizing the Army. Concerning Ralph Smith’s dismissal and the performance of the 27th at Saipan, Sherrod’s humiliating articles carry great responsibility for sparking the "Smith v. Smith" controversy. The ongoing war effort precluded the Army from issuing a rebuttal while post-war publications, presenting the Army’s point of view, went largely unnoticed. Conversely, Holland Smith’s memoirs received wide circulation and, though grossly inaccurate, became the standard for evaluating the 27th Division, because many authors paraphrased from Smith’s book. This thesis demonstrates that despite new scholarship in the 1980s which exonerated the Division, popular history continues to adhere to the longstanding myth surrounding Ralph Smith and the performance of the 27th.