China and North Korea: General MacArthur is Vindicated

Amerisrael ^

[TEXOKIE]

Thank you for the well-chosen excerpts of MacArthur’s work as an explanation for the pickle we are in at this time.

[Jack Hydrazine]

For some reason MacArthur didn’t think there were 300,000 Chinese military on the border of North Korea before they invaded.

[Jack Hydrazine]

It would have been better if he would have been given the authority to nuke those 300,000 Chinese as they came pouring over the border. This more than likely would have collapsed Mao’s new Chi-Com government and allowed us to re-install Chang Kai-shek.

[Defiant]

Those same principles apply to dealing with the left.

[ClearCase_guy]

Judging MacArthur is a complex business. I will say this: The USA used to fight wars to win. We did whatever it took, and if the other side suffered, it was just evidence that messing with the USA was a bad idea. MacArthur wanted to win in Korea, and if that meant taking on China and/or using nukes, then he was ready and willing. The politicians (Truman) decided that in the name of political expediency, perhaps a lighter touch would be desirable.

Haven't really won a war since.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Patton wanted Russia and MacArthur wanted China. Let’s not forget that the American people were tired of war. We may have had nukes but what’s a million Chinese deaths other than millions more available? Didn’t matter to them. We were in a unique position after WWII and we didn’t take advantage. Hindsight will always be 20-20. Even our Rat friends second guessed 41 for not taking out Saddam the first time only AFTER arguing against the mission.

[Wuli]

“But with regard to his handling of the illegal Chinese military involvement and attack against U.S. and allied troops in Korea, Truman was flat out wrong.”

I have only one problem with the statement quoted above, and that is with just one word in it - the term “illegal”. That is only acceptable if one accepts the United Nations as a binding “legal” authority, which in the first place I do not and in the second place China was not a member at the time.

[PIF]

As I recall from those days of listening to the daily bickering about the size and shape of the table to conduct peace treaty meetings on, McA was fired because he proposed, in lieu of the reasons stated in his book, that the US lay down a miles wide corridor of Cobalt 60.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, if China had successfully occupied the entire Korean peninsula (which they do still consider their territory, historically) all of it today might look more like Shanghai or Shenzhen than Pyongyang. There isn't a vast substantive difference between the governments of China and South Korea, today. The Kims would never have maintained the rule by cult of personality they have today under the oversight of Beijing. By "winning", we liberated Seoul but trapped Pyongyang in a 1953 time warp.

On the other hand, if China had taken the Koreas, they would surely have started much more trouble with Japan in the 50's and 60's.

Sometimes history unfolds in strange ways. Churchill warned about wars having grave and unforeseeable consequences.

[TEXOKIE]

Good points. I’m just seeking to learn the lessons of history.

I appreciated the explanation set out in the above article...as I appreciate your placing them in context.

[Farmer Dean]

Our present situation proves that killing communists was always the right thing to do.Truman was a pussy,he should have given MacArthur permission to do what needed to be done.

[bmwcyle]

Patton had the better idea.

[yldstrk]

yeah he probably was

[yldstrk]

truman was an idiot

[InABunkerUnderSF]

MacArthur didn't want there to be 300,000 Chinese troops on the Yalu. Marine and ROK units in northeast Korea were reporting captures/defections of Chinese troops from over 20 divisions if memory serves. But X Corp commander Ned Almond USA - racist, incompetent suck-up that he was, knew that MacArthur didn't want there to be Chinese troops in Korea and either didn't forward these details to Tokyo or Sutherland, who also knew that MacArthur didn't want there to be a massive Chinese army about to attack him, dismissed the reports he received as being a few Chinese "volunteers" serving in the DPRK army.

[Jack Hydrazine]

When Truman was threatening to use nukes in Korea he suddenly backed off. I watched a clip on GoogTube of a press conference he had about this and what I saw on his face was pure fear. I’ve tried finding it again but have been unable.

I don’t know if the Ruskies threatened to get involved or what but what ever was happening behind the scenes scared him pretty bad.

[Jack Hydrazine]

If Truman had email back in the day I would have sent him this.

http://youareanidiot.org/

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Before the Korean War Truman appointed Louis A. Johnson, a fellow former national guard officer with an open contempt for the regular army, as his secretary of defense. Together they "cut the fat" out of the defense budget. Among the "fat" trimmed was bazooka ammunition and recoil oil for main tank guns. The first troops deployed to Korea were armed with the 2.36" bazooka, not real useful against a T38 in the best of cases, supplied with 6 rounds per weapon. The first Chaffee light tanks to reach Korea fired one round each - after which their turrets were knocked out of alignment by the recoil and their guns were knocked off their mounts.

Truman should have been impeached.

[yldstrk]

only do that to people you hate. you gave em a migraine with that