It therefore came as a surprise when Krueger was informed that a theater commander had requested his services.[33] General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), said that he was "especially anxious to have Krueger due to my long and intimate association with him".[34] This too came as a surprise to Krueger; while the two men had known each other for forty years, and Krueger had been chief of the War Plans Division when MacArthur was Chief of Staff, the two had never been close.[34]