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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page analysis of an article by Stanley Weintraub, "How to Remember the Forgotten War" (American Heritage, 2000), which concerns the historical evaluation that the Korean War was a draw. Weintraub argues that Korea was a victory due to the fact that the US achieved its goal to push North Korea back to the 38th parallel. Other reasons are discussed as well, but the writer feels that the article is insightful primarily because it emphasizes the human foibles, ideologies, and motivations that provided the context for the war. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khforwar.rtf
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perspective, which emphasizes the human foibles, ideologies, and motivations that provided the context for the war. Weintraub accomplishes this by, first of all, discussing the grossly unprepared nature
of the American military in regards to war; the clash of opinion between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman regarding escalation; and, finally, the last sticking point in the
peace negotiations, which concerned the conditions for repatriating POWs. It is largely due to this last issue that Weintraub argues that, despite general public and historical opinion, the US
actually did win this war. While it is generally acknowledged that the US was unprepared for World War II, it is surprising to learn that American leaders were equally
unprepared for what happened in Korea. Supplies of all types were lacking, the soldiers and many officers were under-trained, and the government was unwilling to admit that any of these
conditions existed. For example, K ratios left over from World War II, on inspection, were shown to have turned black, but "The rations went anyway" (Weintraub, 2000, p. 100). Furthermore,
there were no replacements for tents, wire, radios, combat boots, vehicle space parts, etc. One American "heavy-weapons company" had no armor-piercing shells (Weintraub, 2000). The list of the countrys military
inadequacies compiled by Weintraub is impressive. While Weintraub portrays the US as narrowly avoiding another "Dunkirk" -- that is, a devastating defeat due to the US being
unprepared-- though the military genius of MacArthur, he also argues that MacArthur, a firm military traditionalist, did not correctly perceive the Cold War politics involved in Korea, nor
did he appreciate the potential ramifications of fighting an all-out war at this point in time. Weintraub writes that, for MacArthur, victory meant more than merely restoring the border
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