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Good take on Gen. Mac -
"There is no sense in the UN, with America bearing
the brunt of the thing, being constantly compelled to man those front lines.
This is a job for the Koreans. We do not want Asia to feel that the white man of
the West is his enemy. If there must be a war there, let it be Asians against
Asians, with our support on the side of freedom." Dec. 17, 1952,
Gen. D. Eisenhower
Ike's stark warning fell on deaf ears and the
Vietnam War saw millions of Asians killed by the white man - for what? The
white man was driven out in the end for little to show for.
What about Korea? Didn't the white man save
Seoul from Stalin's rapastry? Didn't South Korea rise from ashes to become an
Asian tiger - all thanks to the white man?
What if the white man had not intervened in
Korea? Would Korea be starving and backward as North Korea is
today?
ysk
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 1:26
PM
Subject: MacArthur's War
Bob Dove, Bruce
Gardiner,
Thank you for giving me the clue for searching old files.
My reaction to Weintraub's work written in April 2000 is below. I
don't see any need to update it to reflect what Afghanistan is teaching (we
are learning ?) about other sorts of war.
My exposure to MacArthur
began with reading of his exploits and statements during WWII. It was
tempered a bit by the USMC's attempt to keep their own place in the sun.
Typical: "With the help of God (and a few Marines) MacArthur got back to
the Philippines." My clerk's job in the headquarters of the 7th Marines
in Hopei Province in North China stuck many things about him in my mind.
Going to Japan in 1949 made him the big chief, hence in the
consciousness of all of us. Korea was disconcerting to any soldier as
innocent as me.
And this intellectual baggage is what I carried during
all my military service, particularly in Laos and Vietnam. My positive
reaction to Weintraub's discussion of the first ten months of Korea owes much
to reflections that have never left me tranquil.
Best regards,
Carl Bernard
MACARTHUR'S WAR, Korea and the Undoing of an
American Hero
by Stanley Weintraub
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