Understanding the Korean War, 1950-53.

After Japan's surrender, Soviet armies had occupied north Korea and Americans the south, with the
38th parallel as the dividing line. North Korea, was larger in area (48,000 square miles, slightly
smaller than New York) and possessed most of the relatively few industrial plants. It is mostly
mountainous, and in 1950 had a population of 9 million. South Korea (37,000 square miles, a little
smaller than Virginia) had 21 million people, and the best agricultural land. The two powers
evacuated Korea in 1948 and 1949 respectively. The Soviets left behind a Communist regime in the
north that refused to permit a U.N. supervised election to unify Korea. Elections were held in South
Korea in May 1948; Syngman Rhee became President of the Republic of Korea.

Each Korean government claimed the whole of the peninsula, and each was itching to fight for it.
Because Korea had little significance in the complex contest between the Soviet Union and the
United States, neither power closely supervised its dependent government before 1950. At a January
1950 press conference Secretary of State Achenson stated that he did not regard Korea as having
any great strategic importance.

On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked across the 38th parallel with 7 divisions and 150 tanks.
Because the South Korean army had no armor at all, the North Korean attacks were stunningly
successful. At this time, the Soviets were boycotting the UN for its refusal to seat Communist China
(because of U.S. policy, the Nationalists on Formosa represented China in the UN until 1972).
Within hours of the attack President Truman ordered supplies dispatched to the South Koreans, then
he ordered the U.S. Seventh Fleet to sail between China and Formosa to prevent an invasion. He
also promised additional assistance to counter-revolutionary forces in the Philippines and
Indochina. On June 30, U.S. ground forces were committed to the Korean fighting.

The U.S. pushed a resolution through the UN Security Council branding the North Koreans as
aggressors, demanding a cessation of hostilities, and requesting a withdrawal behind the 38th
parallel. The resolution was a brilliant stroke, for without any investigation at all it established war
guilt and put the UN behind the official American version. Although 16 nations did make small
contributions to the UN forces, the UN commander, General Douglas MacArthur, reported to, and
took his orders from, the U.S. Joint Chiefs. MacArthur later declared that: "even the reports which
were normally made by me to the United Nations were subject to censorship by our State and
Defense Departments. I had no direct connection with the United Nations whatsoever."

Truman responded to the Communist attack for several reasons: the administration believed that the
Korean attack was a major test for the policy of containmentif the U.S. allowed Korea to "fall" to
the Communists it might send a message to the Soviet Union that the U.S. would not back up its
commitments to Western Europe; Chiang could not hold on in Formosa nor Rhee in South Korea
without an American commitment; the U.S. Air Force and Navy needed a justification to retain their
bases in Japan; and, the Democrats had to prove false the Republican charges that Senator Joe
McCarthy and others were making that they "were soft on Communism." The administration also
used to war as the rational for a massive rearmament program; the defense budget rose from $13.5
billion in 1949 to $71 billion in 1952.

(excerpted from the James Madision U.S. History curriculum website:

www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/teacher/curriculum/chap13htm