President Truman's relief of General Douglas MacArthur purposes is [just temporarily] allied with Soviet Russia." If MacArthur's thesis was accepted, then it followed that expanding the war with China would not provoke a conflict with the Soviet Union. The Joint Chiefs emphatically disagreed, although this contradicted their position that it was Europe and not Asia that was the prime concern of the Soviet Union. Even among Republicans, there was little support for MacArthur's position. On 5 April, Martin read the text of a letter he had received from MacArthur, dated 20 March, criticizing the Truman administration's priorities on the floor of the House. In it, MacArthur had
President of the Philippines president who consequently heads the government's executive branch, including the Cabinet and all executive departments. The president has power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons, and remit fines and forfeitures after conviction by final judgment, except in cases of impeachment. The president can grant amnesty with the concurrence of the majority of all the Members of the Congress. The president has authority to contract or guarantee foreign loans on behalf of the Republic but only with the prior concurrence of the Monetary Board and subject to such limitations as may be provided by law. The president also exercises general supervision