[DoodleDawg]

Patton was engaging in all sorts of wrongthink. It was convenient for the powers that be that he died.

But not necessary to kill him. Nothing prevented Eisenhower or Truman from relieving him of his command. Truman fired MacArthur a few years later; firing Patton wouldn't have caused him any concerns. Especially if Eisenhower and Marshall were in support of it.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Especially if Eisenhower and Marshall were in support of it. ........................ Omar and Monty too..... But there must be conspiracy to make it more exciting. Roosevelt, Wallace and Morgenthau had to placate Stalin, and remove any antagonist that would upset the power cart of the post war divided Europe. Ehhh.

[JBW1949]

My dad said Patton was right when he said we should re-arm the Germans and join them to push from the west into Russia while MacArthur pushed from the east...Patton and MacArthur would shake hands in Moscow...

[GingisK]

Patton was rather unstoppable. He had already rearmed the Herman Goering Division. It seemed that he really could have "started a war with the Bolsheviks, and make them look like they started it". He could do just that in or out of uniform.

I think, in truth, that Patton knew where to draw the line. Perhaps those who ranked him did not know that for sure. He scared the crap out of them, making them desperate.

[jjotto]

Having known several WW2 veterans with a belief that Patton was murdered, their explanation was that it was Patton’s viability as a politician at home that caused him to be targeted by the then Deep State.

As noted, his immediate military views were easy to neutralize without killing him.

[CrazyIvan]

But not necessary to kill him. Nothing prevented Eisenhower or Truman from relieving him of his command.

Patton had stated that professionalism prevented him coming forward on some issues while still in uniform. He planned on exposing some after the war. Dismissal would have speeded this up.

[Tallguy]

Postwar, Patton was possibly going to be nominated as US Army Ground Forces Commander. But as the US Army Air Force was about to be spun off as a separate service branch, the position was being done away with. I mention this as it would have been possible to “promote” Patton out of the limelight. Bury him in the Pentagon where reporters had less access to him. In short, it wasn’t necessary to murder him.

[RinaseaofDs]

Political establishment was terrified of MacArthur. I think there is a book called American Caesar that details it.

Very illuminating perspective. They were more afraid of Patton than they were of MacArthur.