The Haberdasher and the General
Sometimes for inspiration about what to write about in this community I seek inspiration in what happened on this day in US Presidential History. For instance, today (April 11th) was a busy day for past presidents:
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Today in
U.S. President History
1898 - U.S. President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war with Spain.
1951 - U.S. President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur as head of United Nations forces in Korea.
1968 - U.S. President Johnson signed the 1968 Civil Rights Act.
1974 - The Judiciary committee subpoenas U.S. President Richard Nixon to produce tapes for impeachment inquiry.
1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital after recovering from an assassination attempt.
1985 - The White House announced that President Reagan would visit the Nazi cemetery at Bitburg.
2003 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced that Saddam Hussein's regime was out of power in Iraq
From that list I decided to look into Truman's firing of MacArthur because I haven't journalled much about Truman yet. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, leading to the Korean War. To help the South Koreans, Truman ordered a naval blockade of Korea, but budget cutbacks meant that the U.S. Navy no longer possessed a sufficient number of warships to enforce the blockade. Truman then urged the United Nations to intervene and since the Soviets were boycotting the UN at the time, the UN authorized armed defense for the first time in its history. The American infantry forces deployed to Korea proved too few and were under-equipped.
Truman (with UN approval) opted for a strategy of attempting to conquer North Korea. UN forces led by General Douglas MacArthur led the attack, and won a stunning surprise victory at the Battle of Inchon that nearly trapped the invaders. UN forces then marched north, toward the Yalu River boundary with China, with the goal of reuniting Korea under UN auspices.
China surprised the UN forces with a large-scale invasion in November. The UN forces were forced back to below the 38th parallel, then recovered. By early 1951 the war became a fierce stalemate at about the 38th parallel where it had begun. UN and U.S. casualties were heavy. MacArthur aggressively wanted to attack Chinese supply bases north of the Yalu, something that Truman didn't think was a good idea. MacArthur promoted his plan to Republican House leader Joseph Martin, who leaked it to the press. Truman was gravely concerned that further escalation of the war might draw the Soviet Union further into the conflict. The Russians were already supplying weapons and providing planes to North Kora. On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur from his command.
Relieving MacArthur of his command was among the least politically popular decisions in presidential history. Truman's approval ratings plummeted, and he faced calls for his impeachment. MacArthur meanwhile, returned to the United States to a hero's welcome, and, after his famous address before Congress—which Truman was reported to have said was a bunch of "damn bullshit". MacArthur was even rumored as a candidate for the presidency.
The war remained a frustrating stalemate for two years, with over 30,000 Americans killed, until a peace agreement restored borders and ended the conflict.In the meantime, Truman became so unpopular that Democrats looked to other candidates. Truman was forced to cancel his reelection campaign. Truman's approval mark rating of 22 percent was the all-time lowest approval mark for an active American president until 2008.
When asked in an interview with Time Magazine why he fired MacArthur, Truman replied: "I fired him [MacArthur] because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President... I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail."
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Today in
U.S. President History
1898 - U.S. President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war with Spain.
1951 - U.S. President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur as head of United Nations forces in Korea.
1968 - U.S. President Johnson signed the 1968 Civil Rights Act.
1974 - The Judiciary committee subpoenas U.S. President Richard Nixon to produce tapes for impeachment inquiry.
1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital after recovering from an assassination attempt.
1985 - The White House announced that President Reagan would visit the Nazi cemetery at Bitburg.
2003 - U.S. President George W. Bush announced that Saddam Hussein's regime was out of power in Iraq
From that list I decided to look into Truman's firing of MacArthur because I haven't journalled much about Truman yet. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, leading to the Korean War. To help the South Koreans, Truman ordered a naval blockade of Korea, but budget cutbacks meant that the U.S. Navy no longer possessed a sufficient number of warships to enforce the blockade. Truman then urged the United Nations to intervene and since the Soviets were boycotting the UN at the time, the UN authorized armed defense for the first time in its history. The American infantry forces deployed to Korea proved too few and were under-equipped.
Truman (with UN approval) opted for a strategy of attempting to conquer North Korea. UN forces led by General Douglas MacArthur led the attack, and won a stunning surprise victory at the Battle of Inchon that nearly trapped the invaders. UN forces then marched north, toward the Yalu River boundary with China, with the goal of reuniting Korea under UN auspices.
China surprised the UN forces with a large-scale invasion in November. The UN forces were forced back to below the 38th parallel, then recovered. By early 1951 the war became a fierce stalemate at about the 38th parallel where it had begun. UN and U.S. casualties were heavy. MacArthur aggressively wanted to attack Chinese supply bases north of the Yalu, something that Truman didn't think was a good idea. MacArthur promoted his plan to Republican House leader Joseph Martin, who leaked it to the press. Truman was gravely concerned that further escalation of the war might draw the Soviet Union further into the conflict. The Russians were already supplying weapons and providing planes to North Kora. On April 11, 1951, Truman fired MacArthur from his command.
Relieving MacArthur of his command was among the least politically popular decisions in presidential history. Truman's approval ratings plummeted, and he faced calls for his impeachment. MacArthur meanwhile, returned to the United States to a hero's welcome, and, after his famous address before Congress—which Truman was reported to have said was a bunch of "damn bullshit". MacArthur was even rumored as a candidate for the presidency.
The war remained a frustrating stalemate for two years, with over 30,000 Americans killed, until a peace agreement restored borders and ended the conflict.In the meantime, Truman became so unpopular that Democrats looked to other candidates. Truman was forced to cancel his reelection campaign. Truman's approval mark rating of 22 percent was the all-time lowest approval mark for an active American president until 2008.
When asked in an interview with Time Magazine why he fired MacArthur, Truman replied: "I fired him [MacArthur] because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President... I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail."