In November 2000, the Memorial's Archivist was asked to look at four letters purportedly written by Douglas MacArthur shortly after World War I. The letters were authenticated and today they provide a window into a previously unknown chapter of MacArthur's life. The letters were written to Herta Heuser, a young German Red Cross worker who helped nurse MacArthur back to health during the Occupation of Germany. Sent home in 1919, MacArthur began a correspondence with Herta in which he declared his love for her. Since 2000, more letters from this correspondence have come to light. The letters tell a fascinating story of love and loss. They may also help to explain why MacArthur married his first wife. Few close to him could understand why he married Louise Cromwell Brooks - and why he married her in such haste - but the MacArthur-Heuser letters may point to a broken heart.
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