The Korean War
The Cold War got hot - a communist North Korea invades a Democratic South Korea. But, how far would the United States go to contain communism in Korea? Would the United States be willing to risk a third world war? These questions would lead to one of the most unceremonious and high profile firings in United States history.
Battle Map of the Korean War
"In my generation, this was not the first occasion when the strong had attacked the weak….Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini, and the Japanese had acted ten, fifteen, and twenty years earlier. I felt certain that if South Korea was allowed to fall, Communist leaders would be emboldened to override nations closer to our own shores."
- President Harry Truman
- President Harry Truman
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Korean War Political Cartoons
President Truman versus General MacArthur
One man was one of the most decorated generals in United States history. The other was the leader of the free world. Both men had very different views on how to handle the Korean conflict.
“In the simplest of terms, what we are doing in Korea is this: We are trying to prevent a third world war.” - Harry S. Truman, April 16, 1951
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"I will defend Korea as I would my own country—just as I would California." - Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Public Opinion on the Korean War
Dwight Eisenhower's Presidency
After serving as a five star general and leader of the Allied forces in Europe, the architect of the D-Day invasion took over the presidency of the United States for two terms. Although he was a life long member of the military, he preached disarmament in dealing with the nuclear threat,
“If you don’t like us, don’t accept our invitations and don’t invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.”
Nikita Khrushchev, November 18, 1956
Nikita Khrushchev, November 18, 1956
" Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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President Eisenhower's Military-Industrial Complex Speech
"I feel impelled to speak today in a language that in a sense is new-one which I, who have spent so much of my life in the military profession, would have preferred never to use. That new language is the language of atomic warfare." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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