256 a short history of the united states
other member nations under U.S. command, headed by General Doug-
las MacArthur, who was still in Japan as Supreme Allied Commander.
These troops repelled the communist invasion and by October 1 , 1950 ,
won back the territory up to the 38 th parallel.
At this point the Communist People’s Republic of China warned that
if the UN forces crossed the 38 th parallel it would send troops to defend
North Korea. Foolishly, no one in the West believed the warning. The
UN General Assembly counseled MacArthur to secure all of Korea, and
he launched a massive invasion of the north, declaring that he expected
to end the war by Christmas. But, as promised, the Chinese sent about 1
million soldiers into the disputed territory and drove the UN troops
back to the 38th parallel. MacArthur urged Truman to blockade Chi-
na’s coastline, assist Chiang Kai-shek in an invasion of the Chinese
mainland, and drop atom bombs on the country if necessary.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington counseled an altogether
different course of action. An all-out war with China was unthinkable.
It might bring the Soviet Union into the war to aid its Communist ally
inasmuch as the two nations had reached a mutual defense agreement
in 1950. As General Omar N. Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, stated, a war with China “would be the wrong war, at the wrong
place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.”
So MacArthur was ordered to limit his activity to the defense of the
Korean Republic. But the general disagreed with the order and, in an
action that directly contradicted the administration’s foreign policy, he
sent a letter to the Republican minority leader in the House of Repre-
sentatives, Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts, that said: “We must
win. There is no substitute for victory.” Martin read the letter in the
House, to the delight of most Republicans. Truman responded by re-
lieving MacArthur of his command. “I could do nothing else and still
be the President of the United States,” wrote Truman. “Even the Chiefs
of Staff came to the conclusion that civilian control of the military was
at stake, and I didn’t let it stay at stake very long.”
The President acted properly, but it triggered wild demands for his
impeachment. MacArthur returned home to be greeted with jubilant
parades and a triumphant appearance before a joint session of Con-
gress. “Old soldiers never die,” he told the assembled members, “they
merely fade away.” And so he did. He faded away.