In any case, what cost MacArthur his job was putting too many toes over the bright line of civilian control of the military. I don't think Minihan's being as brazen about trying to influence policy as MacArthur was, but I suspect he may be being brazen enough, both from someone having leaked this memo in the first place, and from this:

> A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that Minihan’s comments “are not representative of the department’s view on China.”

If you don't know how to read these things, let me help you: this is DoD/military bureaucracy speak for "he fucked up."