Truman, MacArthur and the Korean War: June 1950 to July 1951

At 4:00 a.m. on June 25, 1950, North Korean artillery began pounding South Korean positions and the Korean War began. The Americans underestimated the strength of the North Koreans, who quickly invaded the South and nearly overran the country. Every US intelligence agency failed to predict the attack. General Douglas MacArthur in Japan was sending gloomy reports after Pres

At 4:00 a.m. on June 25, 1950, North Korean artillery began pounding South Korean positions and the Korean War began. The Americans underestimated the strength of the North Koreans, who quickly invaded the South and nearly overran the country. Every US intelligence agency failed to predict the attack. General Douglas MacArthur in Japan was sending gloomy reports after President Truman decided to stand up to Communist aggression in East Asia. A long duel began between the general and the president that characterized the first year of the war and ended with the sacking of the man many Americans thought of as a national hero.