Let the Freeps know: RW hero Douglas MacArthur is to blame for North Korea

[ButterflyBlood]

Initially during the Korean War, the US and allies were able to completely occupy the whole peninsula, and the North Korea regime and leadership were removed and forced into exile. The war could've ended there with Korea as a unified nation with no part under that kooky regime.

But then MacArthur had to go in and start threatening China, and they sent troops in across the border. US forces were pushed back to the initial border, the North Korean regime was reinstated, a cease-fire called, and we're stuck with the situation today.

So whenever you hear Freeper types blaming Clinton for Kim Jong-Il having the bomb, let them know who's really to blame.

[williesgirl]

1. Have to confess I didn't know that. recommended

[bahrbearian]

2. Great Rebuttal

[Metta]

3. A valuable piece of information.

We have such short memories and are kept in ignorance.

[Selatius]

4. Not sure, but I think the Chinese would've invaded anyway

Prior to most of NK being secured, there were reports of encounters with Chinese troops more and more frequently in clashes with NK troops as they were moving northward towards the northern border. MacArthur, as far as I know, dismissed the reports until China decided to cross the Yalu River into North Korea and forced the US into retreat. It was only after that I remember that MacArthur wanted to punish China for interfering by advocating nuking Chinese cities to force them out of the war.

[NewJeffCT]

5. I think you may be right

Though, I'd have to do the research to make sure.

[Elidor]

6. The Chinese were tricked into supporting Kim Il-sung by Stalin

Mao was *very* paranoid about getting into a confrontation with America. The only thing that made the notion of supporting the North Korean army at all palatable was that Stalin promised to help. All of Mao's top military people were against getting involved until they could reorganize and re-equip their armies, which were worn out from the campaigns against Chiang Kai-shek.

As MacArthur fought his way up the Korean peninsula, Stalin told Mao that together they could help North Korea: he would supply airpower - which China did not have - and the Chinese could supply the ground troops. Then, with Chinese troops massed along the Yalu, Stalin claimed that his air forces were not up to the task. Mao realized he had been royally fucked: he could either commit his troops without airpower, ensuring they would be ground up badly, or he could let a neighboring communist state down at the last minute, a tremendous loss of face for the new Communist Chinese government. He called Stalin's bluff, but roughly 500,000 Chinese were killed in the fighting. A very expensive lesson for Mao. As devious as he was, he was a babe in the woods next to Stalin.

[Sherman A1]

7. Agreed

Mac made some huge miscalculations and didn't really pay attention when he should have, however I am certain the Chinese would have come across the border.

[Downtown Hound]

8. Agreed, the Chinese were already in North Korea

while MacArthur was pushing northward. This has been well documented, although they were mostly stragglers and isolated units, but they were definitely there. MacArthur's huge mistake was in not recognizing the threat they posed. The Chinese explicitly warned the Americans they would invade if they crossed the 38th parallel. MacArthur ignored the warnings, ignored the reports of Chinese troops being captured and killed by Americans as they drove northward, and finally divided his forces once they reached the Yalu river. This was a massive blunder and allowed the Chinese to encircle the Americans, cutting them off from reinforcements. They were forced to retreat through a slog of enemy forces, leading one American commander to give that famous remark, "Retreat? Hell, we're just attacking in another direction."

The solution would have been either to have stopped at the 38th parallel after the North Koreans had been driven out of the South, or prepare realistically for the intervention of the Chinese. MacArthur did neither, so he does share an enormous responsibility for the situation as it is today.