Chapter 82 Section VIII

On April 11, 1951, MacArthur was suddenly dismissed by Truman. A week ago (that is, on April 3), MacArthur inspected the North Korean front and encouraged the South Korean army in Xiangyang.At that time, the U.S. military broke through the 38th parallel on the western front, regained Seoul, and was pursuing the victory.Only the Japanese people were surprised to hear that the god-like MacArthur who was "greater than the emperor" was removed from office; and only the Japanese people were kept in the dark and did not know the reason for his dismissal. The prior meeting was held on Wake Island, an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean.It was Sunday, October 15, 1950, in a modest building in the Civil Aviation Authority quarters on Wake Island.

"The atmosphere of the talks was harmonious. Truman and MacArthur talked alone for about an hour, and then the entourages of both sides participated in the two-hour talks. Once the talks were over, a communiqué was drafted. The two were like the heads of foreign governments. Signed the communiqué. After signing, the marshal showed a somewhat disturbed look, as if he was eager to get out of there. At one point he took out the gold watch from his pocket, looked at it, then slowly stroked the surface with his fingers, and put it on again. Back in the pocket. The conclusion of this meeting took almost no one by surprise. The original plan was that Truman would start back in the evening of the same day, but he started at noon. MacArthur was five minutes behind him. And on their way home." (John Rootmuro)

On the Korean battlefield, it was time to push the North Korean army back north of the 38th parallel.Just when "victory" was approaching, Truman dismissed MacArthur. What was the reason? The immediate reason was that a Republican congressman questioned MacArthur on a general opinion.This opinion stated that the Kuomintang troops in Taiwan should be sent to the mainland of China to open up a battlefield and drive the Communist troops out of Korea.MacArthur replied in writing that he respected this opinion.But the congressman read the written answer in the House of Representatives, and a problem arose.This showed MacArthur's complete disregard for Truman's policy of confining the war to North Korea.

"If this was the case, the U.S. government would probably not have considered removing MacArthur. But that was the beginning of a series of events. The Marshal ignored President Truman's instructions and the government's opposition, and was determined to force Truman to adopt his own view of the situation. He judged the most suitable military policy. What he considered was to transfer the war from North Korea to China, blockade the Chinese coast, launch air force activities against the Chinese mainland, bomb the military and economic bases in Northeast China, and probably let the Kuomintang troops from Taiwan Invasion of mainland China—these ideas were not made public until later. In short, the Marshal believed that the adoption of these policies was absolutely necessary. And he believed that even if they were enforced, they would have the support of the majority of American public opinion. He believes that public opinion has Facilitating the passage of 'red-labeled' resolutions in Parliament, he was able to make the government do what he wanted as long as he had the support of public opinion." (Guy Wind, Editor-in-Chief, Manchester Guardian: Memoirs of the Korean War)

What policy did MacArthur hope to adopt?He thinks the United States is wrong to limit the war to North Korea.The excellent weapons that the United States boasts are not suitable for North Korea's terrain.This peninsula has too many mountains and is too narrow for mechanized warfare.The Air Force bombed too few targets. Therefore, MacArthur believed that Chiang Kai-shek should be encouraged to attack mainland China.His army should not be allowed to sleep, but should be used fully and effectively, in the "Recovery of the Continent" campaign.If such means were adopted, the war would be brought to a swift end without heavy losses, and the depletion of vital forces in Korea could be stopped.If the war is continued in the way it has been fought so far, it will only increase the number of casualties and there is little hope of success-this is what MacArthur actually said.And according to him, even if the U.S. forces drove the North Korean army to the banks of the Yalu River, China would not send troops, and the Soviet Union would not interfere (the Chinese army had not yet appeared at that time).

During the discussion in the committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Bradley, opposed it.He said that if MacArthur's advice was followed, the United States would inevitably send U.S. troops into areas where there was no hope of a decisive victory, and it would be very difficult for the U.S. military to retreat.Once such an adventure was undertaken, the Soviet Union behind the country could strike elsewhere—presumably in Europe.In this case, there is no way to effectively use the US military that can counter it.Truman finally sided with Bradley. It goes without saying that although MacArthur did not say it clearly, he must have considered the use of atomic bombs in the event of invading mainland China.As far as Truman himself is concerned, when the Chinese army swept in, he would also issue a statement saying: "The possibility of using atomic bombs is not ruled out." The British Foreign Minister was shocked when he read this statement, and immediately rushed to Washington to stop it. It's a well-known thing.

Neither the Washington government nor Britain nor France was as optimistic as MacArthur.If the U.S. military invades China, it will inevitably be stuck in the quagmire, just like the Japanese army had tasted back then, and the Soviet Union will definitely cross the border to attack somewhere.In that case, a world war will inevitably break out.And, as Bradley feared, the Soviet Union could strike from a corner of Europe while the U.S. military was stuck in vast swaths of China.This is the most terrible state of affairs for Britain and France. The reason why Truman dismissed MacArthur was not only because he supported Bradley's views, but also because the allies tried their best to stop it.

But what we want to talk about here is not the dispute between Truman and MacArthur, but if MacArthur's view is his consistent plan, then what kind of impact will this have on Japan as his base.