The Korean War: The Untold Truth

Chapter 106 Open the secret (7)
In highly generalized form, this is what Acheson told the committee about the situation.Admittedly, there is nothing new, as the debacle in China has already been exhaustively reviewed before various congressional groups.Acheson's speech did not satisfy his opponents.Among them was Sen. Irving Brewster of Maine, who accused the secretary of state of gaining an "unfair advantage" over senators because of his in-depth knowledge of the subjects under discussion.

The rest of Acheson's testimony consisted of a vigorous defense of the government's war policy and a total denial of MacArthur's plans to direct the conflict to China.He did not doubt MacArthur's motives: If the general thought bombing "Manchuria" would end the war more quickly, the general meant it.But "our concern is that he won't be able to end the war".

Acheson was also strongly questioned about why the United States had withdrawn troops from South Korea in the late spring of 1950.He said the United States had recognized the situation as dangerous, but was "confident that an invasion would not happen until the South Koreans themselves were better able to deal with it".Acheson did not reveal that the State Department had in fact urged troops to stay in North Korea, and that they withdrew at the Pentagon's insistence.

Acheson believes that from a strategic point of view, the Chinese communists have made a big mistake by participating in the war, and the price they have paid is the loss of Taiwan, which is almost at their fingertips, and now Taiwan is far away from their grasp indefinitely .The international community no longer sees Taiwan as an unfinished business in China's civil war, and most people in the world now see China as "an international lawless element."China no longer has a say in the peace treaty with Japan.If China had stayed out of North Korea, it could have counted on having this say.Moreover, China has lost any hope of gaining a seat in the United Nations in the near future.

In contrast, the United States has several important gains.The first is to show that it will fulfill its promises to other countries.The expansion of the war fueled rearmament efforts that the American people and Congress would not otherwise have supported. "I think it made people realize very profoundly the extent of the danger that the whole world suffers and is facing," Acheson said.

The questioning was rambling and lengthy, and Acheson was even asked about irritatingly irrelevant topics (for a hearing on the military situation in the Far East), such as lending money to Mexico to develop oil resources; Acheson Former law firm's ties to Iran; Assistant Secretary of State George McGee's marriage to the daughter of international petroleum geologist Everett Fa-Gollier; soybean speculation by defected refugees from the Chinese Nationalist regime; allowing German scientists Come to live in the US; why did the War Department send this general and not that general to the China Survey Mission in 1945.Even Acheson's so-called friends became obnoxious, filling the transcript with tedious, repetitive questions.Wayne Morse made the most of the trouble, he didn't care what questions had been asked, he conducted the questioning as if he was the only senator present.

When Acheson finally wrapped up his hearing, a State Department friend asked him what he was going to do this weekend. "I have a plan to test my drinking power," replied the Secretary of State, "and if another war breaks out before I finish it, I will not fight that war."

End of the hearing

In fact, Acheson's testimony has concluded the substantive part of the hearing.Although the hearing dragged on for several more weeks, the peripheral witnesses had little to add, whether positive or negative, to what had been said.

Secretary George Marshall said on his last day of Senate testimony that he made the decision to fire MacArthur knowing it would be controversial.But added Marshall, whose attitude irritated Senator Burke Hickenlooper, "at the same time there was a sense that there would be some sobriety after the peak of the emotional wave had passed." "This could be interpreted as an assumption by the administration that the American people will return to calm after a period of time and remain in a state of indifference," he said.Marshall replied, "I don't think there's any comparison between clear thinking and calm."

Marshall's judgment proved correct.Even as the hearings continued, MacArthur traveled the country seeking fresh acclaim, but he found his attention waning.People came to see him out of curiosity, not to hear him speak.In Chicago, the midday motorcade drew an estimated three million people, but in the evening when he spoke at "Soldier Field," only 300 were there, half the stadium's capacity.MacArthur became increasingly provocative.Speaking to the Texas legislature, he charged that foreign policy, concocted by the "literati" (MacArthur made the term sound nasty and even sinister) in the US government, "is largely subject to - if Not, as in some cases, it is really dictated to — abroad, and ruled by the fear of being judged."As he continued to travel across the country, his speech sounded less like that of a retired politician than that of a conservative Republican presidential campaign.In Seattle, he charged: "Our nation's political reputation has been painfully damaged by a string of diplomatic missteps and domestic reckless grandiose goals . Every day.” He lamented “political stupidity and economic incompetence.”MacArthur found himself received by figures on the far right in American politics after the end of his government's logistical support.Texas oilmen Hunt and Clint Murchison put him at his disposal.The American public gradually disliked listening to the political views that MacArthur espoused, and they had already expressed their opposition to these views when they elected Truman as president in 5.

In the eyes of most of the press, especially Luce's Time and Life magazines, MacArthur's trip was an event with the same emotional level as Julius Caesar's triumphant return to Rome after his victorious expedition.Some less excited observers say otherwise.Lawyer Maury Maverick, a prominent political leader in San Antonio, Texas, sent President Truman a lengthy memo describing MacArthur's reception in the city.At first, vendors sold "Welcome MacArthur" flags for $1, but no one bought them, and the price dropped to 15 cents.Police had expected 50 people to turn out, but only about 8 turned up, most of whom appeared to be there for lunch.The highlight of MacArthur's visit was his speech at the Alamo. "When he started talking," Maverick said, "people threw their necks back and walked away giggling or chewing gum. . . . No one listened to the eloquence." Caused by the army, they blocked the intersection to allow MacArthur's convoy to pass unimpeded.Another Texas politician, Dallas lawyer Harry Seay, also watched MacArthur's travels in the state.In Houston, MacArthur drew 2 people at Rice College Stadium, a venue that seats 8;At Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, there were only 1948 people in the 7.5-seat arena, and many left before he could finish speaking. "His trip to Texas was a total failure," Seay wrote to the president, "and many of his friends admit it."

Although MacArthur may not have realized it at the time, there were fundamental reasons for his short-lived.Those Republicans brought him to Washington and provided him with a platform for congressional and Senate hearings, and they did so with a mixture of war policy concerns and a desire to shake up the administration.MacArthur mistook this affectionate attention for an invitation to launch a political crusade that would drive Truman out of the White House.However, in June 1951, the Republican plan to use against Truman had only one figurehead, Senator Robert Taft.MacArthur had a certain stature and utility for the Republican Party.Once he had finished his testimony, punished the government, and received national acclaim, he was of no further use.From mid-April to mid-June, MacArthur was in the limelight.But after that, he was just a lonely old man in a Manhattan hotel suite, as indifferent to anything in the Korean War as a freshman in a military training camp in New Jersey.

In the spring of the second year, MacArthur watched a baseball game between the Phillies and the New York Giants at Polo Stadium.Towards the end of the game, he and Joan and Arthur were walking across the field towards the exit as the band played "Old Soldier Never Dies" and the audience applauded respectfully.Then came a sonorous shout from the bleachers: "Hey, Mike! How's Harry Truman?" A roar of laughter erupted from the stands—the only documented instance of someone mocking Douglas MacArthur in person.

(End of this chapter)