The Korean War: The Untold Truth

Chapter 4 Introduction (1)
"A Bitter Little War"

"A bitter little war," Averell Harriman, the ageless veteran of American politics, said of it.President Harry Truman doggedly insisted that it was nothing more than a "police operation," insisting on this exasperating play on words even as U.S. casualties passed the 5 mark.The Republicans called it "the foreign policy folly of the century" and used it as a trump card to end the Democratic Party's 20-year rule of the White House. "Honestly, it was a military disaster," said Gen. Omar Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong enemy. A wrong war."

The Korean War (let's call it what it is) was the culmination of all the above, and it was also a turning point in US military and diplomatic strategy after World War II, marking the first time the US tried to stop communism by resorting to force military expansion.The Korean War was the first step on a long road of such adventures.In fact, just two months into the Korean War, the United States sent the first batch of military aid to the French in Indochina, who were fighting an uprising that turned into the Vietnam War.No matter what the outcome is, in the next 10 years, the United States will invest more and more of its national resources, plus its reputation and reputation, in Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.The Korean War was the beginning of the United States' attempt to dominate the world with its powerful military power.In order to maintain this power, even in the "peaceful years", it will consume half of the annual budget of the United States federal government and keep countless sons and daughters of the United States at war in the most remote places in the world.

Yet the Korean War was one of America's many less pleasant experiences: when it was over, most Americans were eager to wipe it from the crevices of memory.For some reason, the Korean War was the first American war without a triumphant squad.The United States has kept North Korea in a stalemate with China, a large and backward Asian country.Although the United States has used all weapons except the atomic bomb, China has overwhelmed the United States' immense technological might with its human wave tactics and ingenious manipulation of international politics.The atomic weapons that brought the Japanese to surrender in 1945 were banned, and field commanders could not "fight the war to the enemy's (referring to China) homeland." The Korean War shattered the American dream that atomic weapons made infantry obsolete.As far as politics is concerned, world opinion will not support the use of such abominable weapons.From a military point of view, the atomic bomb is not worth the loss when used against infantry scattered hundreds of miles in the mountains.In fact, when the Korean War began, the so-called "nuclear umbrella" of the United States consisted of only four atomic bombs.Washington strategists probably wisely decided that these atomic bombs should be kept as the decisive trump card in the war with the Soviet Union.

In the eyes of the American public, the Korean War was unpopular because it affected the postwar economic prosperity.From 1945 to 1950, that is, from the surrender of Japan to the beginning of the Korean War, although the United States still had some small economic and political turmoil, it was indeed one of the most comfortable times in American history.With the end of the Great Depression, Americans were full of hope to buy cars and play ball games, and they were no longer willing to worry about heavy national affairs.As a result, the United States did not instinctively rise to defend its own flag, especially by 1952 and 1953, when the Korean War was reduced to a dull and ridiculous-looking battle in which both sides fought over and over over the same few hills.Even seeing in the newspapers hundreds of American soldiers killed at places like "Sorrow Ridge" and "No Name Heights" did not galvanize public support for the war. In 1952, shortly after I graduated from high school, in martial-spirited Texas, during a beer-drinking discussion, a classmate summed up the attitude of those of us who were recruiting age. "Boys," he said, "there are two things we should avoid—North Korea and gonorrhea."

"The Korean War: The Untold Truth" attempts to reveal how the United States got involved in the conflict and how military and civilian leaders made decisions afterwards.The plot of this book is not exciting, because for most of the war years, the United States suffered under the leadership of a bunch of mediocre people.Of this bunch of dunces (the statement is strong, but the facts back it up), President Truman and his Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, are the most typical.Their strength of will was often under pressure transformed into sheer obstinacy, and they suffered as much from it as the nation did from it. In June 1950, after North Korea swung into South Korea, Truman and Acheson threw the United States into a war within four days, for which the U.S. military was unprepared, and in fact they had been told and did not There is no need to fight this battle.In those frenetic days of summer, Truman and Acheson "stopped" the Communist invasion.They believed that the "real enemy" was the Soviet Union (although they never said so publicly, in order to give Moscow a chance to save face and not intervene in the war), and they felt that they had completely overwhelmed the most powerful opponent of the United States.By October 6, the intervention appeared to be complete, the North Koreans had been driven back by an army (albeit mostly American) flying the UN flag, and Truman and Acheson were proud of their savvy contented.

Then the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse. In November and December 1950, the Chinese, far more formidable foes than the North Koreans, intervened.During those desperate weeks, the United Nations Army was in danger of being driven from the Korean peninsula, with divisions trapped in the mountains in minus 11 degrees Celsius; only because Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway It was the superhuman efforts of an obscure war hero that held the army steady and halted the Chinese advance.At this time, Truman and Acheson hastily downgraded their "show of American will" actions and set various restrictions on the war, thus making victory completely hopeless.By the time they realized that it would take two years for the United States to have the ability to directly challenge the Soviet Union, it was already too late.Therefore, the Korean War was redefined as a regional war, which had to be confined to the Korean peninsula.

The recklessness of Truman's and Acheson's ventures, and their sloppiness and understatement in selling their reasons to the American people, was on display most clearly in their attempt to end the war with an armistice in late 1952.The stated reason for the intervention by the United States was to preserve the integrity and independence of the Republic of Korea (which is the official name of the South Korean government), but these conditions failed to satisfy the President of the Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee.The elderly and eccentric nationalist first appealed to President Theodore Roosevelt for Korean independence as early as 1905.Syngman Rhee believed that he would be put in danger of future communist invasion, and he was unwilling to give up his half-century struggle under this condition.He felt that Truman and Acheson would sacrifice him to save the United States from a war that had gone astray, and rejected the terms of the armistice.

As a result, the National Security Council of the United States is ready to find another way.If Syngman Rhee refused to accept the truce, the CIA would stage a coup to oust him and replace him with a possibly more docile military junta.If Syngman Rhee continues to resist, he will be "eliminated".

At one of the harsher moments in the Vietnam War, a young U.S. Army officer told a television reporter: "We have to destroy that village in order to save it." The man was talking about a village ; Truman and Acheson were to destroy an entire government, thus "saving it".Fortunately for the United States, the proposal to kill the recalcitrant Rhee, despite the bureaucratic red tape, was never approved by the NSC and President Truman.This suggestion had to be shelved.

When Truman-Acheson decided to intervene in the Korean War, it was a fight for honor.The regime of North Korea, a satellite state of the Soviet Union, the sworn enemy of the United States, brazenly invaded the Republic of Korea.North Korea (and its Soviet "mentor") had the opportunity to hold general elections under UN supervision to create a unified and independent Korea.In flagrant defiance of the United Nations, North Koreans have chosen the bullet over the ballot box.

However, to evaluate national leaders, we must look at their behavior and investigate their motives.Truman and Acheson aimed to build the argument that the international order could not be contemptuous or harmed.Their assumption from the start was that the Soviet Union was responsible for the war and that they were using a proxy to test the will of the United States.This theory of Soviet complicity requires only circumstantial evidence, which abounds.The Soviets armed the North Koreans to the teeth: tanks, attack aircraft, self-propelled artillery, all military equipment for offense, not defense; more than 3000 Soviet advisers worked closely with the North Korean People's Army; The Soviets supported the North Koreans politically, at the United Nations and elsewhere.Throughout, however, Truman and Acheson avoided directly blaming the Soviet Union as the real culprit in the war.This was a misstep, and it essentially confirmed the Soviet point of view: the Soviet Union could use its satellites to poke the weak spots of the United States without fear of provoking direct American retaliation.This is the fundamental mistake of Truman-Acheson in North Korea policy.

So, who was it that dragged us into the Korean War?Most responsible are Truman and Acheson.This is the most incredible political pairing, the two of them act in unison and in perfect harmony.Truman's dress, speech and manners are in the small-town "Rotary International" style, and Acheson, who is paired with him, is luxurious and elegant, with a shaggy beard, and his demeanor, manners, and accent are enough to play an English Lord.Truman's strength lies in an intuitive intelligence and the determination to fight independently and never give up until he reaches his goal; although he is not from a major, he is probably the most profound about history among the previous presidents of the United States except Woodrow Wilson. One who understands.The problem with Truman was that no one took him seriously.Thus, when Truman defeated Republican Thomas Dewey in 1948, it produced the most shocking upset in American political life.Truman was no longer the short-sighted, incompetent Midwestern men's clothing store owner who had made his fortune in corrupt Missouri clique politics.Now the "accidental president" is in power and with a unique sense of confidence, because the man in his sixtieth year is finally relieved of the burden of convincing others of his worth. After 1948, Harry Truman was not plagued by self-doubt; he trusted his instincts, and when he made major decisions, such as intervening in North Korea, he acted with agility, almost out of compulsion.Act first, discuss consequences later.

Truman's confidence was that of a man who had overcome years of feeling humbled and humbled.In contrast, Dean Acheson's confidence seems to be innate.Acheson graduated from Groton High School and Yale University, and was a student of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.He's brilliant, almost astounding. In 1950, at the age of 57, he was a partner of the most famous Covington-Berlin law firm in Washington, and served as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury under Roosevelt, and served in the State Department from 1941 to 1947. high position.Acheson's strength lies in his ability to manage the intricate relationship between, for example, foreign and monetary policy.An official in the Truman administration said of Acheson: "The Dean (as he was nicknamed) could have been Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury at the same time."

In January 1949, Truman returned Acheson to the administration as Secretary of State.Though well versed in domestic politics, Truman realized he needed expert advice on foreign affairs.The time is ripe for a man with a European eye for the job.The Marshall Plan, which began in 1, was flooding Europe with economic aid, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established in 1947, was fighting the Soviet Union's expansion that had toppled Czechoslovakia.Acheson knew Europe and was loyal to Truman.He often said to his colleagues at the State Department: "I have only one electorate to whom I am responsible, and that is President Truman."

Of course, Acheson also has shortcomings.His utter self-confidence often turns his ingenuity into arrogance, a man who never knew the meaning of modesty or when to keep his mouth shut.He would rather speak harshly to his opponents than to comfort him, and the support of these people is actually extremely beneficial to him.In a secret congressional hearing, he drove Sen. Kenneth Wheley into a rage, the Nebraska Republican rushed across the table and pumped his fist while Acheson threw his arms back. With color, the situation later returned to calm.As a result, Acheson had few friends in Washington, even in the White House.Except, of course, Harry Truman.

In 1950, Acheson also had political problems.Republican opponents held him largely responsible for "losing" China to the Communist regime, which had ousted Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government the year before.They accused Acheson of publishing a voluminous white paper on U.S.-China relations, in which Chiang Kai-shek was dismissed as corrupt, incompetent, and hopeless.Republicans said the document added to the "Generalissimo's" downfall.Then, in early 1950, Acheson said that he had no intention of "turning his back" on Alger Hiss, which was kind but politically ill-advised.Hiss, his longtime friend, was a State Department official who had been convicted of perjury in an investigation into alleged Soviet spies.Thus, in June 1950, Truman and Acheson were fiercely criticized by the Republican Party for being "soft on the Communist Party" and for allowing the largest country in Asia to fall into Communist hands.

One institution used to deter the executive from acting impulsively in times of military crisis is the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the uniformed military chiefs who are effectively the president's top military advisers.From day one of the Korean War, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been largely responsible for the war's blunders. In 1949, the Joint Chiefs of Staff dismissed South Korea as an area of ​​"little strategic value" to the United States after extensively studying how to deploy the limited U.S. military power around the world.The occupying forces there should be withdrawn, and the United States should not participate in the defense should North Korea invade.Acheson's State Department, as well as the National Security Council and Truman agreed.

By June 1950, when Acheson persuaded Truman to overturn the established national policy and intervene in the Korean War, the Joint Chiefs of Staff just stood by.They simply failed to warn the president that he was giving a mission that the military was not ready to execute.

(End of this chapter)