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8. WORLD WAR TWO ... AND STARTUP OF THE COLD WAR

THE WAR IN KOREA (1950-1953)

CONTENTS

Political developments in postwar Korea

North Korea invades the South

The "United Nations" (America) responds

China intervenes

Truman fires MacArthur

Stalemate

The textual material on this webpage is drawn directly from my work
        America's Story – A Spiritual Journey © 2021, pages 274-285.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN POSTWAR KOREA

As part of the enticement to Stalin at Yalta to get him involved in what was expected to be a long war with Japan, an arrangement had been made to allow the Soviet Russians to temporarily (no more than five years) occupy the Northern half of the Korean peninsula while America did the same in the southern half (divided at the 38th parallel) – to help the Koreans get back on their feet after a long and brutal Japanese occupation (since 1910).

Presidential elections in Korea.  When in 1947 Truman indicated that it was time for the United Nations to hold national elections to unite the two halves and turn over governing authority to the Koreans themselves, Stalin balked, claimed that Korea was not ready for such a turnover of power (knowing full-well that such an election would end Soviet domination in the North and turn a united Korea towards the West).  But UN-supervised elections went ahead anyway (July 1948) – but only in the South.  The Koreans elected the conservative Syngman Rhee as President (Korean Communists had boycotted the elections).  Interestingly, the "un-ready" North a few months later had its own elections – in which the Korean Communist Kim Il-sung was elected North Korean president.[1]

However, not wishing at that time to add the Korean issue to the growing tensions between Soviet Russia and America, both countries subsequently removed their troops from Korea.

But with the Soviet Russian detonation of its own atomic bomb in 1949, Stalin decided that the strategic dynamic in Korea had shifted greatly in his favor.   The looming threat of an American retaliation against a bold Soviet Russian move had now been greatly neutralized with Russia now also possessing the bomb (the Soviet fear of Truman's use of the bomb had in fact been a big factor in restraining the ambitious Stalin in Europe).  Also, America had not taken a very active role in the Chinese Civil War – and besides, in a recent speech by Secretary of State Dean Acheson describing America's sphere of vital interests globally, Korea had been omitted from the list.

America had made its international policy clear as merely containing Communism – and Korea had apparently fallen outside the American line of containment.  Indeed, Stalin noted that Truman seemed very concerned about South Korean President Rhee moving to unite Korea under his rule by an invasion of the North – starting a major conflict in Asia.  Stalin knew that adding an Asian conflict to America's heavy challenges in Europe was very unwanted by Truman – leading Truman to cut back considerably American military support of South Korea in order to discourage Rhee's ambitions.  No, America seemed most unlikely to do anything if Kim himself were to pull the same trick – to unite Korea under his rule by force.  So Stalin began to make preparations with Kim for a quick grab of the southern half of Korea.

[1]This marks the beginning of the ongoing rule of the Kim family – father, son, and now today, grandson – in the North.

NORTH KOREA INVADES THE SOUTH

On June 25th (1950), with no prior warning, Kim's North Korean army invaded the South – in the matter of only a few days overrunning an unprepared and totally shocked South Korean army, which had to flee its capital city, Seoul.  And within a week the ill-equipped South Korean army had fallen to a fifth of its original size.

At first Truman thought this was a mere Soviet ploy to distract him from events in Europe.  But he soon realized the seriousness of Soviet Russia and its puppet Korea being able to occupy the southern region of Korea – just opposite Japan and overlooking the entire South China Sea – where a huge Soviet Russian naval fleet could be stationed.   Truman quickly ferried American troops from Japan over to South Korea.  But they themselves were hardly a match to the huge and quite well-equipped (thanks to the Russians) North Korean army.  Back they fell before the advancing North Koreans.

THE "UNITED NATIONS" (AMERICA) RESPONDS

In the meantime, Truman moved to make this an international incident – claiming that it was the U.N.'s responsibility to protect the Korean regime that it itself had set up.  Thankfully at the time Soviet Russia was boycotting the meetings of the U.N. – angry over the refusal of the other members of the Security Council to let Mao's Chinese government take the China seat now that Chiang had been forced to take refuge in Taiwan.  Thus there was no Soviet veto of the Security Council decision to call on U.N. members to construct a United Nations military force to rescue South Korea.  British and French soldiers (and others) were sent to Korea as part of the U.N. Peacekeeping force.  But basically the U.N. troops (as they called themselves) were mostly Truman's American troops sent to Korea as a "police action" against the North Korean aggressor.

The landing at Inchon.  But the North Korean troops were well dug into the huge mountain range that runs down the center of the Korean peninsula.  It was like Italy only a few years earlier.  Advancing against an enemy well entrenched in mountainous heights was painfully slow.  And indeed it was like Italy – in that a decision (as at Anzio) was made to send a force of 75,000 troops ashore at Inchon behind North Korean lines.  Except this time (unlike Italy) it worked – brilliantly.  General MacArthur gave his troops no rest when they hit shore; immediately he headed them inland – cutting off the North Korean Army's supply line back to the North.  Now it was the North Korean Army's turn to panic – and panic turned itself into a full flight of the North Korean army.

Seoul was liberated – and then on October 1st the U.N. troops crossed the 38th parallel and headed into the northern half of the peninsula.  Within two weeks they had captured the North Korean capital at Pyongyang.  The North Koreans seemed unable to hold back the forces advancing north.

Now it was Mao's turn to get very interested in Korean developments – fearing that this U.N. army might possibly decide to not stop at the border between Korea and China at the Yalu River – and instead roll on into China in order to liberate China from Mao's Communist control.  Warnings were sent by Mao for U.N. troops not to approach the Chinese border with Korea at the Yalu River – for China would under no circumstances tolerate such a development.

At this point Truman and MacArthur began to have a major difference of opinion as to how to proceed.  Truman urged caution.  But MacArthur went before the press to argue about how an invasion of China to cut off Chinese supply bases supporting the North Koreans was a necessity.  So who was in charge?  The American Constitution makes it clear that the President is the Supreme Commander of all American military forces.  But MacArthur (who always loved public attention) was beginning to sound like some kind of Caesar wannabe.

CHINA INTERVENES

In any case, Mao was not going to wait around to see who won this debate about the American Constitution and on October 25th sent some 200,000 Chinese "volunteer" troops into North Korea against the advancing Americans – conscripted "volunteers" because he did not want to find himself officially at war with the United Nations!  Then a bitter winter set in on North Korea and some 30,000 American troops found themselves at one point facing a Chinese army four times their size at the Chosin Reservoir – and 15,000 American casualties resulted (though the Chinese loss was even greater).   Americans now began a retreat – back to the 38th parallel.  Even briefly Seoul was once again lost to the North Koreans – for about a month before U.N. troops were able to retake the initiative and again liberate Seoul ... also once again advancing across the 38th parallel.

TRUMAN FIRES MACARTHUR

Meanwhile, MacArthur continued his speculations before the adoring press, this time about the feasibility of using nuclear weapons to defeat the Chinese – even suggesting that the decision should be his rather than the President's.  This was for Truman the final straw – and in mid-April (1951) he simply fired a stunned MacArthur.  Mighty Caesar had been cut down!  Truman was well aware that he would take a lot of flak for firing this self-made American hero.  But it needed to be done.[2]

[2]Because of this action, many Americans came to view MacArthur as a national hero – and Truman as a coward, if not almost a traitor.  But a Congressional investigation ultimately concluded that Truman had indeed acted correctly, and that MacArthur (who actually spent all his time in Tokyo) was out of touch with political realities in Korea … as well as in the rest of the world.

STALEMATE

Once more a huge Chinese offensive opened up (some 700,000 Chinese troops this time) at about the same time.  But after about a month (May 1951), an immovable frontline of battle seemed to set in, a military stalemate that appeared to be rather permanent.



Go on to the next section:  Middle-Class America Triumphant

  Miles H. Hodges