The Korean War and the Vietnam War: People, Politics, and Power (America at War)

229 Pages·2009·7.82 MB·English

by  William L. Hosch

Published in 2010 by Britannica Educational Publishing
(a trademark of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)
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First Edition
Britannica Educational Publishing
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Korean War and the Vietnam War: people, politics, and power / edited by William L.
Hosch.—1st ed.
p. cm.—(America at war)
“In association with Britannica Educational Publishing, Rosen Educational Services.”
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-61530-047-1 (eBook)
1. Korean War, 1950–1953—Juvenile literature. 2. Korean War, 1950–1953—United States—
Juvenile literature. 3. Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Juvenile literature. 4. Vietnam War,
1961–1975—United States—Juvenile literature. I. Hosch, William L.
DS918.K5655 2010
951.904'2—dc22
2009036105
On the cover: (Left) American soldiers of an artillery gun crew load a howitzer during the
Korean War, c. July 1950. U.S. Army/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; (Right) A U.S. Army
patrol being led by Captain Robert Bacon, c. 1964, Vietnam. Larry Burrows/Time & Life
Pictures/Getty Images.
Korean War Chapter Opener Image: One of the 19 statues of soldiers at the Korean War
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. © www.istockphoto.com/Gary Blakeley.
Vietnam War Chapter Opener Image: Taken from a 1999 United States Postal Service
commemorative stamp, soldiers are seen leaping from a helicopter near Chu Lai, Vietnam,
in the spring of 1967. © www.istockphoto.com/Ray Roper
46
CONTENTS
Introduction 8
Chapter 1: Precursors to the
Korean War 17
Korea Occupied and Divided, 1910–50 18
Chapter 2: Korea at War, 1950–53 26
Preparations for War 26
Invasion and Counterinvasion, 1950–51 27
Talking and Fighting, 1951–53 38
Chapter 3: Political Leaders
77
of the Korean War 52
North Korea 52
South Korea 55
United States 66
Soviet Union and China 71
Chapter 4: Military Commanders
of the Korean War 74
Chung Il Kwon 74
Peng Dehuai 75
Douglas MacArthur 75
Walton H. Walker 76
Edward M. Almond 77
James Alward Van Fleet 78
Matthew B. Ridgway 78
Mark Clark 79
99
Chapter 5: Korea Still Divided, 1953– 80
South Korea Modernized 80
North Korea Isolated 81
Chapter 6: Korea and the Cold War 91
Chapter 7: Precursors to the
Vietnam War 96
Vietnam Colonized and Divided, 1897–1955 96
112
Chapter 8: The American War,
1955–74 105
The Diem Regime and the Viet Cong 105
The U.S. Role Grows 108
The Conflict Deepens 111
The Gulf of Tonkin 114
The United States Enters the War 116
Firepower Comes to Naught 118
Tet Brings the War Home 124
De-escalation, Negotiation, and
Vietnamization 129
The United States Negotiates
120
a Withdrawal 133
The Fall of South Vietnam 144
Chapter 9: Political Leaders
of the Vietnam War 147
French Indochina 147
North Vietnam 150
South Vietnam 156
Unified Vietnam 159
Cambodia 160
United States 163
Chapter 10: Military Commanders
of the Vietnam War 183
Vo Nguyen Giap 183
Van Tien Dung 185
Tran Van Tra 185
William Westmoreland 186 123
Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. 187
Chapter 11: Journalists and Antiwar
Activists of the Vietnam War 188
David Halberstam 188
Walter Cronkite 189
Joan Baez 190
Jane Fonda 190
Abbie Hoffman 191
215
Chapter 12: Vietnam Unified, 1974– 192
The Socialist Republic 192
Problems of Modernization 195
Chapter 13: Vietnam and the
Cold War 198
“America’s Suicide Attempt” 198
The Conduct and Cost of the War 202
Détente as Realism 203
Scaling Back U.S. Commitments 205
The Opening of China and Ostpolitik 206
Arms-Limitation Negotiations 210
End of the Vietnam War 213
The Vietnam War in Perspective 214
Glossary 216
Bibliography 218
Index 222
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Introduction | 9
The Korean War and the Vietnam Indeed, the confl ict escalated, becom-
War were confl icts that involved far ing a battleground between communism
more than either the geographic inhabit- and democracy, which many leaders,
ants or local military personnel. Countries political theorists, and activists felt were
across the globe weighed in with pro-war in complete and irreconcilable opposi-
and antiwar sentiments, with many nations tion to each other. The involvement of
sending aid—monetary or military—to the United States as well as the Soviet
one side or the other. Both wars involved Union, and later China, further compli-
complicated opposing issues that led cated matters.
to escalation rather than resolution, If there is one number associated
creating a stage for some memorable with the Korean War, it is 38. The 38th
people history will never see again, nor parallel, bisecting Korea, became a bor-
soon forget. der dividing that nation into two halves,
The Korean War, also known as North Korea and South Korea. The cross-
the Korean Confl ict, began on June ing of this line by either side was
25, 1950. At that time in the United considered an act of aggression. However,
States, Harry S. Truman was president, the existence of the parallel as a border
The Third Man by Anton Karas was the predates the Korean War, being a result
number-one song, 17-year-old Elizabeth of the end of World War II. When Japan
Taylor was on the cover of Movie Picture was about to lose that war, its control
Magazine, and frozen pizza had just over colonies such as Korea was thrust to
been invented. Half a globe away, North the victors, which included the United
Korean forces launched an invasion into States, Britain, France, and the Soviet
South Korea. Union. While the Allies had been united
It was with a thunderous artillery against the Axis powers—Germany, Italy,
barrage that Communist North Korean and Japan—political and ideological con-
forces overran American-occupied South fl ict over what the world should be like
Korea. But a fast defeat of South Korea after World War II arose among them,
was not to be. Instead, Republic of Korea particularly pitting Britain and the
Army (ROKA) forces formed a strong United States against the Soviet Union.
defence that held the North Korean army This ideological standoff became known
at bay. Still, if the South was to stave off as the Cold War. While the two super-
collapse, it would need outside help. powers never fought each other directly,
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. honours members of the U.S. armed
forces who served and died in the Vietnam War. A boy runs his fi ngers along names of
soldiers in 1982, the year the monument was dedicated. Owen Franken/Time & Life Pictures/
Getty Images.
10 | The Korean War and the Vietnam War: People, Politics, and Power
conflicts such as that in Korea were forces during 1949, but later returned to
impacted, and some say, furthered, if not aid in the conflict against the North. The
altogether caused by it. North was known as the Democratic
Three days before Japan’s August 15, People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK); the
1945, surrender, the Soviet Union quickly South was known as the Republic of
advanced into Korea from the north. U.S. Korea (ROK).
officials, fearing a communist takeover of Though the war lasted only three
the country, quickly offered a solution to years, many North and South Koreans
keep the peace between the U.S.S.R. and died, along with members of UN forces
the United States, proposing the 38th and Soviet forces. To this day, the United
parallel as the military dividing line for States has a force of over 35,000 troops
Japanese surrender. stationed in South Korea. When two U.S.
The Soviets agreed. In the North, the journalists were captured and imprisoned
Japanese would surrender to the Soviets; by the North Koreans for illegally enter-
in the South, to the Americans. The divi- ing the country in March of 2009, it took
sion was meant only as a temporary an unannounced visit by former U.S.
measure, with the understanding that the president Bill Clinton and a subsequent
Korean halves would unite under a new pardon by North Korean leader Kim Jong
unified government of their choosing. Il to secure their release.
This, however, would not come to pass, Dramatic, complicated, and unre-
and has remained a remnant of unful- solved, the schism between North and
filled peacetime promises. South Korea is presented for readers to
During the delay of peacetime repa- consider. Among those profiled is legend-
rations and the establishing of a new ary military leader General Douglas
order, North Korea elected its own MacArthur, relieved of duty by Pres.
communist leader, receiving support Harry S. Truman in 1951 for fear of his
from the Soviet Union. In 1948, North bringing about a war with China over the
Korea refused to take part in an election Korean Conflict. Kim Dae Jung, who,
controlled by the United Nations, the passed away August 18, 2009, is also pro-
goal of the UN having been to create filed. Though not a key figure during
and all-Korean government. Following the Korean War itself, Kim would go on
this outright refusal to unite with the to champion democratic government,
South, South Korea sought its own becoming South Korea’s 15th president.
solution through the UN. In late 1948, His so-called “sunshine” policy allowed
the UN approved the elections that South Koreans to visit relatives in the
had taken place, thereby validating the North. In 2000, Kim became the only
new South Korean government. The Korean to receive the Nobel Prize for
United States withdrew its occupying Peace, an award granted for his efforts to