Written by Arthur Donart, Ph.D.
Actually, I’m too old to go back and finish the job. By the time I was halfway through basic training, the Armistice had taken effect. In war, an armistice is a temporary cease fire; it is not a “peace treaty.” Enemies remain enemies. We have been able, since January 30, 1955, to negotiate a peace treaty with Korea, but our Government failed to do so. Since there was no shooting happening any more, it was evidently easy to put off. We also have had years to reflect on how we got involved in the first place. What we do know is that Korea was not of strategic importance to the Truman Administration at the time. So, why the war?
I remember the times very well. The Republican Party was every bit as nasty to President Harry S. Truman as they have been to President Barack Obama. Joseph Stalin was the evil boggeyman. The John Birch Society was riding as high as the Ku Klux Klan. President Truman had done the “unpardonable.” He had integrated Blacks into the Armed Forces, which was infinitely worse than the recent policy of “Don’t ask; don’t tell.” Being a Catholic, what I heard from the pulpit was, “The only sin worse than using a condom was being a Commie.”
Those applying for a teaching position had to sign an oath, declaring that they were not now, nor never had been, a member of the Communist Party. Meanwhile, General Douglas MacArthur became the hero of what we now call the “Alt-right.” These were the times. So, when it was announced that North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950, no one seemed to question it.
All the newspapers and television media echoed our Government’s assertion, that the North invaded the South (and they still do), just as today they echo our Government’s assertion that the Assad regime dropped sarin gas on its population. Hardly anyone questioned this assertion except for a few experts, who quickly recognized things were not adding up. Why? Because witnesses insisted “a cloud rose up.” Experts–knowing sarin is invisible–quickly realized ISIS was storing chlorine, and perhaps a fertilizer, which would cause the cloud and deaths.
President Trump, not bothering to question anything, ordered a missile attack. That showed he is decisive; it also shows he should not have his fingers on the nuclear trigger! My point is, the myth of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) attacking the Republic of South Korea persists today. Perhaps there is good reason to question it.
In his book Churchill and the Bomb English writer Ernie Trory has a section called “The Invasion of North Korea.” He starts out by explaining the deal reached by Britain, the USA, and the USSR. Korea was to be a “unified, independent, democratic state.” Incidentally, the World War Two allies (Great Britain, France, the USA, and the USSR) had a similar agreement with Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh, whose forces fought with the allies against the Japanese. However, Trory claims, “In violation of this agreement, the Government of the United States of America took advantage of the provisional military occupation by the victorious powers, to set up a regime in South Korea subservient to Washington.” This is a conclusion on Trory’s part, that may or may not be correct.
Although there is evidence to believe it is. Why was Syngman Rhee, who had been living in the USA for the past 30 years, suddenly flown to South Korea? Wikipedia states he was “the first and last Head of State of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and President of South Korea from 1948 to 1960.” What is not stated in the Wikipedia article is that another group of Korean patriots had already set up a Provisional Government, of which Rhee played only a brief role. These patriots had fought the Japanese and some had been imprisoned by the Japanese. Wikipedia goes on to state, “Syngman Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strong man….” Sounds like another anti-Communist, Prime Minister and first President of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, who also was a Catholic.
During World War Two, the Korean Provisional Government–which Syngman Rhee had nothing to do with–coordinated the Korean Liberation Army. This was a battle-tested and battle-hardened group of fighters, who General MacArthur regarded as a ragtag band of nobodies. However, the Office of Special Services (OSS) had worked with planning attacks on the Japanese occupying forces. During our invasion of Iraq (under the pretense that Saddam had “weapons of mass destruction), another opportunist advised the U. S. Government. Remember Aliman Chalabi, an unsavory character? Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi was an Iraqi politician, a founder of the Iraqi National Congress, and President of the Governing Council of Iraq. He was interim Minister of Oil in Iraq from April to May 2005. He tried to convince the George W. Bush Administration to “crown him” President of Iraq. So, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Syngman Rhee was supposed to be our South Korean puppet, making Trory’s assertion correct. Besides, anyone who doubts the U. S. Government breaks treaties, should just ask any Native American.
Once in power, Syngman Rhee jailed and executed his political opponents and suppressed the press (now known as unflattering Fake News.) Korea, having been occupied by the Japanese for 35 years, did not want another foreign occupation army, so Rhee agitated for the withdrawal of U. S. troops. President Truman was happy to comply. Then Rhee asked for a delay and help building an army. The U. S. obliged. The U. S. insisted on elections, and Rhee lost control of Parliament in a big way! However, if he unified Korea, he would be a hero. The only way to do that was to attack the North. Rhee had no idea how his green troops would do against the Korean Liberation Army–if he even had any idea there was such a thing. If things went badly, he could count on the Americans to help, by claiming South Korea had been invaded by the North. Given the anti-Communist hysteria of the time, this is highly probable.
Trory sees things differently. He writes, “At a conference with his divisional commanders in Seoul during October 1949, [Brigadier General William L.] Roberts, Chief of the American Military Mission in Korea said, ‘Certainly there have been many attacks on the territory north of the 38th parallel on my orders, and there will be many others in the days to come…. From now on, the invasion by the land forces of the territory north of the 38th parallel is to be carried out only on the basis of orders of the American military mission.'” Trory also cites a New York Times correspondent by the name of Sullivan who reported on March 14, 1959, that 13 Deputies of the National Assembly had been sentenced to prison, for violation of the Security Act on five charges. Charge four was “opposing the invasion of North Korea by South Korean forces.” There should be documentation somewhere to verify this.
Whatever the facts, the Korean conflict managed to become a United Nations “Police Action.” There is some question as to the legitimacy of the Security Council since China’s seat was held by Chiang Kai-shek’s representative. The USSR’s representative was absent at the decision meeting, and it was reported that Andrei Gromyko walked out of the session. Regardless of who invaded who, the cost in lives and wounded was staggering! Losses for the North are estimated at between 367,283 to 750,282 killed, while the South Koreans reportedly lost 178,405. The United States suffered 36,574 killed; 103,284 wounded; 8025 missing in action, and 4714 taken prisoner. Such a disaster did not have to happen.
Reportedly, the DPRK (North) offered a peace treaty along with a non-aggression pact. This was refused. In 1973 the U. S. Government started holding joint military exercises, claimed to be “defensive,” but perceived by the DPRK as “aggressive.” From that point on, it became a game of one up, tit-for-tat. In 1994 the Clinton Administration negotiated a deal for DPRK to stop building a nuclear reactor in exchange for oil. Later, the Republican-controlled Congress sabotaged the deal. That was no way to build trust.
When you consider that both Pakistan and India developed nuclear weapons as well as Israel, perhaps our Government should accept DPRK into the nuclear club–provided that they agree to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. It would make sense to agree to a peace treaty, once and for all ending the Korean War. It would be in everyone’s interest to agree on a non-aggression policy and gradually withdraw our military. Our Government should have learned something from Vietnam.
Pushing against any peaceful settlement will benefit our defense contractors and others who benefit enormously, from wars they don’t fight. We must make our voices heard.