The Korean War was the first military clash of the Cold War, a war between the principles of democracy and the principles of communism. The two titans after World War II, the United Stated and the Soviet Union wanted to ideological shape the world in their images. President Truman, a common man in extraordinary situations, used the Cold War strategy of ‘containment’, which was not allow the spread of communism past the nations that already were communist. One of the battle lines that Truman’s policy would tested is at the Korean Peninsula; North Korea would be shaped by the Soviet Union and South Korea would be shaped by the United States, to be divided on the 38th Parallel. After World War II, America was exhausted of war and the U.S. assistance on the Korean Peninsula shrank, leaving South Korea with a token force as protection. The morning of the 25th of June, 1950 North Korea, backed by the Soviet Union and later by Communist China. Ill prepared South Korean forces and he small United States force retreated to the southeastern most area of the peninsula, Pusan. After the North Korean invasion, Truman went to the young United Nations to get a resolution to stop reestablish peace and the prewar border. With the Soviet Union boycotting the United Nations, the United Nations’ ‘police action’ was passed in July 1950 (MM - 457). Truman decided against asking congress to declare war because he thought his critics might filibuster the resolution and thereby dilute its symbolic effect (Oxford 178). Truman’s navigation around congressional approval in unconstitutional in itself. His precedent has been used by many presidents since to argue that the commander in chief clause empowers them to send U.S. troops to combat without congressional authorization (Oxford 178). Additionally, Truman saw that his action was legal due to the United Nation charter (MM - 457). The UN Security Council designed the United States to take lead, which President Truman turned and gave General Douglas MacArthur the command of Commander in Chief, United Nations Command, CICUNC (Oxford - 369). Truman’s goal was to keep the war isolated to the Korean Peninsula, keep the Soviet Union and China out of the war, and to maintain a strongly committed UN coalition (Oxford - 369).
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Whereas, General MacArthur, a Medal of Honor recipient, wanted to end the threat of communist by all means necessary (MM – 458). This tension between their goals would be their undoing. Problems only worsened between Truman and MacArthur in the Korean War. As commander in chief of the Pacific theater in World War II, MacArthur gained praise from the American public as he was charismatic and personable (). From 1945 to 1950, MacArthur was the surrogate emperor of Japan, often ignoring instruction from Washington on occupation policy (Oxford - 369). MacArthur was reinforced with additional army force, navy and marine forces, and the air force from the United States; United Nation troops joined the fray from 53 other nations, yet most of the fighting was under the American forces. In a daring act, MacArthur invaded the port of Inchon, near Seoul, despite negative recommendation from the Joint Chief of Staff and other officers. The invasion worked and by September 28th Seoul fell to United Nation forces; weakened by the invasion, the North Koreans began to withdraw north (Oxford 370). …show more content…
Yet, MacArthur continued to undermine Truman’s presidential authority, because he went to a joint session of Congress and publicly used his support to call Truman a defeatist and accommodating to communist ideology (MM - 460). Truman was forced to protect the civilian control of the military from MacArthur’s warmongering. Truman defended his actions when he stated, “General MacArthur was ready to risk general war. I was not” (MM - 460). Truman’s containment policy during the Korean War was high price. The cost of UN forces (killed, wounded, and missing) 459,360 men; 300,000 were South Korean (Oxford - 372). Over 88,000 were killed and 23,300 were American (Oxford - 372). The Chinese and North Korean loses have not been recorded. After MacArthur’s departure the Korean War steadily lost steam, but the war would last another two years till the armistice was signed in 1953. The armistice returned the disputed border back to the 38th
Whereas, General MacArthur, a Medal of Honor recipient, wanted to end the threat of communist by all means necessary (MM – 458). This tension between their goals would be their undoing. Problems only worsened between Truman and MacArthur in the Korean War. As commander in chief of the Pacific theater in World War II, MacArthur gained praise from the American public as he was charismatic and personable (). From 1945 to 1950, MacArthur was the surrogate emperor of Japan, often ignoring instruction from Washington on occupation policy (Oxford - 369). MacArthur was reinforced with additional army force, navy and marine forces, and the air force from the United States; United Nation troops joined the fray from 53 other nations, yet most of the fighting was under the American forces. In a daring act, MacArthur invaded the port of Inchon, near Seoul, despite negative recommendation from the Joint Chief of Staff and other officers. The invasion worked and by September 28th Seoul fell to United Nation forces; weakened by the invasion, the North Koreans began to withdraw north (Oxford 370). …show more content…
Yet, MacArthur continued to undermine Truman’s presidential authority, because he went to a joint session of Congress and publicly used his support to call Truman a defeatist and accommodating to communist ideology (MM - 460). Truman was forced to protect the civilian control of the military from MacArthur’s warmongering. Truman defended his actions when he stated, “General MacArthur was ready to risk general war. I was not” (MM - 460). Truman’s containment policy during the Korean War was high price. The cost of UN forces (killed, wounded, and missing) 459,360 men; 300,000 were South Korean (Oxford - 372). Over 88,000 were killed and 23,300 were American (Oxford - 372). The Chinese and North Korean loses have not been recorded. After MacArthur’s departure the Korean War steadily lost steam, but the war would last another two years till the armistice was signed in 1953. The armistice returned the disputed border back to the 38th