Contents
Chapter
1
Foreword
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Introduction
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World Map
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Historical Background on the
Korean War
1. The Korean War: An Overview
Judson Knight
When Communist North Korea invaded
South Korea in 1950, it set off a three-yearlong battle that rapidly progressed from a
regional to an international conflict that
involved the United Nations and seriously
affected US policy and attitudes.
2. Communist Troops Move into
South Korea
Times (London)
In this 1950 article, a British newspaper
reports on the crossing of North Korean
troops into South Korean territory, South
Korea’s subsequent call for help, and the
United States’ reaction to the attack.
3. Events in Korea Lead to a Call for
Action
Ferdinand Kuhn
In this 1950 article, a journalist reports on
US president Harry S. Truman’s request for
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assistance for South Korea and the unprecedented response of the United Nations to that
request.
4. A Legendary General Is Dismissed
over US Policy in Korea
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Gettysburg Times
This 1951 American newspaper article
reports on President Harry S. Truman’s firing of General Douglas MacArthur from four
important positions, including that of United
Nations commander-in-chief for Korea.
5. The Mightiest Blow of the Korean War
Sam Summerlin
In this 1952 article in a Canadian newspaper,
a journalist describes in detail the dawn-todusk bombing raids on North Korea’s capital
city by the aircraft of four allied countries.
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6. The Korean War Ends in an
Uneasy Truce
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Independent Record
This 1953 newspaper article reports that the
signing of an armistice by United Nations and
Communist army generals is viewed by some
leaders on both sides more as a temporary
truce than an end to the Korean War.
7. Policing of the Korean Truce Gets
Underway
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Sydney Morning Herald
This 1953 Australian newspaper article reports
on the first meeting of the commissions tasked
with overseeing the armistice and on the
rehearsal of the system for the exchange of
prisoners of war.
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Chapter
2
Controversies Surrounding the
Korean War
1. The Soviet Union Is Mainly
Responsible for the Korean War
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Paul Wingrove
In this 2000 essay, a British academic concludes that even though North Korean
Communist leader Kim Il Sung instigated the
Korean War, he would not have acted without
the support of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
2. General MacArthur Did Not Deserve
to Be Fired During the Korean War
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Alexander Wiley
In this 1951 speech, a US senator contends
that General MacArthur did not willfully
defy President Truman and that the president
should have found a way other than dismissal
to resolve their differences.
3. President Truman Had Reason and
the Right to Fire General MacArthur
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Julie A. Miller
A student at a military university makes the
case in 1992 that General MacArthur’s role
was to carry out, not question, US policy in
Korea, and that President Truman had a constitutional right to relieve him of his duties.
4. Problems Are Inherent in the Korean
Armistice
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Economist
This 1953 article in a British publication
contends that the armistice will only make
more urgent the need to solve the problems of
Korea and of the Far East.
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5. The Chinese Claim Victory in Korea
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David Halberstam
A journalist maintains in this 2007 publication
that the Communist Chinese regarded Korea
as emancipation for China, a major victory for
their country, and a personal victory for their
leader Mao Zedong.
6. The Korean War Changed the
International Status Quo
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William W. Stueck
In this excerpt from his 1995 work, an author
examines the effects the Korean War had on
the diplomacy, attitudes, interrelationships,
and prestige of the United States, the Soviet
Union, China, Korea, and the United Nations.
7. The Korean War Had Far-Reaching
Consequences for US Political Culture
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Paul G. Pierpaoli, Jr.
In this 2001 journal article, an academic
maintains that the Korean War had a major
impact on US foreign policy, political and
constitutional systems, and the politics of anticommunism.
8. It’s Time to Bring American Troops
Home from Korea
121
Stephen Erickson
The executive director of a contemporary
centrist organization argues that, because the
Cold War is long over, the time has come for
the US military to end its presence in South
Korea, which should be able to defend itself
from North Korea.
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9. American Troops Play an Essential
Role in Korea
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Walter L. Sharp
An American general proclaims in this 2009
statement that the US-Republic of Korea
alliance has benefited both countries and
­contends that the presence of US forces is
­necessary to preserve peace and stability in
the region.
Chapter
3
Personal Narratives
1. An American Journalist Reports from
the Korean Battlefront
135
Marguerite Higgins
A female war correspondent on the scene in
Korea during the United States’ first battle of
the war describes the scene at the front, the
actions and attitudes of the soldiers, and the
emotions felt by all.
2. A Young Korean Is Unknowingly Drafted 145
Chang Kil-yong (Mark Monahan)
A retired US marine talks about his and his
family’s experiences at the onset of the Korean
War when he was a teenager. He explains why
he fled from his home in North Korea and
describes what happened to him before and
after he was informed he was in the military.
3. A North Korean Officer Fights in
the War
Lee Jong Kan
A colonel in the North Korean army who
was born in China tells why he joined the
Communist army and describes campaigns
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in which he and the other members of his
Korean division took part.
4. An American Doctor Serves in Korea
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Otto F. Apel, Jr. and Pat Apel
A surgeon tells what life was like in a mobile
army surgical hospital (MASH) unit in Korea.
He describes living conditions and what doctors and nurses did for recreation.
5. A Korean Family Suffers the
Hardships of War
169
Lee Hyun Sook
A South Korean woman describes her family’s
escape from Seoul before the North Koreans
occupied the city and the harsh treatment her
husband and others received at the hands of
the enemy.
Glossary
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Chronology
177
For Further Reading
182
Index
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