General Douglas MacArthur and his United Nations troops joined the South Korean forces that were backed up in Pusan, near the southernmost part of South Korea. MacArthur knew that confronting the confident North Koreans at Pusan would be difficult and costly. On September 15, 1950, MacArthur launched a large-scale amphibious assault on the rear of the North Korean lines near Inchon. The North Koreans were surprised by MacArthur's bold strategy and were caught unprepared. The North Korean troops suffered heavy casualties and were driven north of the 38th parallel by the South Korean and American troops.

MacArthur and the South Koreans were eager to defeat the North Koreans. MacArthur asked Truman for permission to allow troops to pursue North Korean forces north of the 38th parallel. Truman was reluctant to invade North Korea, as the initial U.N. objective was to "contain" North Korea and restore the border between the North and South. However, presented with the opportunity to prevent future North Korean incursions, Truman and the United Nations allowed forces to enter North Korea with the caveat that they were not to engage Soviet or Chinese forces. MacArthur, in a critical miscalculation, doubted that the Chinese or Soviets would directly intervene, and he boldly advanced into North Korea with the goal to end the war decisively.

MacArthur's U.N. forces advanced rapidly and quickly became overextended. After warnings from the Chinese went unheeded, over 300,000 Chinese "volunteers" attacked the U.N. troops, inflicting numerous casualties and driving them back to the 38th parallel. MacArthur was enraged and humiliated by his defeat and called on Washington to blockade China and bomb its military bases. Truman's administration was leery of extending the war or directly engaging the Chinese or angering the Soviets.

Truman and the U.N. ordered MacArthur to fight a "limited war." They feared that any attack on China would prompt the USSR to retaliate in Europe or Asia. Truman also announced that nuclear weapons would not be used against Korea or its allies. The ultimate goal of the U.N. forces was to restore the original border between North and South Korea and establish a peaceful resolution.

MacArthur was furious and felt that a limited war would not allow his troops to win the war or achieve his objectives. MacArthur began publicly questioning Truman's policies and leadership with pronouncements like, "there is no substitute for victory." His statements grew more bold and critical, leaving Truman which no choice but to relieve him of command. MacArthur returned home to a hero's welcome, and the American public viewed him as a brilliant commander. Public sentiment had turned against Truman, and some began to view him as a fool and a communist sympathizer.

Informal preliminary peace talks began in Korea in July of 1951. There was little progress on the many divisive issues such as prisoner exchange, and the talks quickly disintegrated. Unofficial discussions continued sporadically for the next two years but were largely unproductive. Meanwhile, fierce fighting continued and the number of casualties on both sides of the conflict rapidly grew.

Copyright 2006 The Regents of the University of California and Monterey Institute for Technology and Education