I Shall Go To Korea
During the election campaign of 1952, candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower promised that if elected, he would go to Korea in order to make an assessment of what was wrong with the American war effort there. On this day of November 29th in 1952, fifty-eight years ago today, Ike made good on his most dramatic presidential campaign promise. He flew to Korea to see if he could find the key to ending the bitter and frustrating conflict.
During the campaign, Eisenhower was very critical of the Truman administration's foreign policy, particularly its inability to bring an end to the conflict in Korea. President Truman challenged Eisenhower on October 24 to come up with an alternate policy. Eisenhower responded with the startling announcement that if he were elected, he would personally go to Korea to get a firsthand view of the situation. The promise boosted Eisenhower's popularity and he easily defeated Democratic candidate Adlai E. Stevenson.
While Ike fulfilled his campaign pledge, he was not very specific about exactly what he hoped to accomplish. He visited with US troops, even dining on k-rations with the troops. He returned to the United States, but remained vague about what he planned to do about the war.
After taking office, however, Eisenhower adopted a get-tough policy toward the communists in Korea. He suggested that he would "unleash" the Nationalist Chinese forces on Taiwan against communist China, and he sent only slightly veiled messages that he would use any force necessary (including the use of nuclear weapons) to bring the war to an end unless peace negotiations began to move forward. The Chinese, exhausted by more than two years of war, finally agreed to terms and an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. The United States suffered over 50,000 casualties in the war.
I found this YouTube video of Eisenhower's visit. Unfortunately it has no sound. If anyone can locate a better one, please send me the link.
During the campaign, Eisenhower was very critical of the Truman administration's foreign policy, particularly its inability to bring an end to the conflict in Korea. President Truman challenged Eisenhower on October 24 to come up with an alternate policy. Eisenhower responded with the startling announcement that if he were elected, he would personally go to Korea to get a firsthand view of the situation. The promise boosted Eisenhower's popularity and he easily defeated Democratic candidate Adlai E. Stevenson.
While Ike fulfilled his campaign pledge, he was not very specific about exactly what he hoped to accomplish. He visited with US troops, even dining on k-rations with the troops. He returned to the United States, but remained vague about what he planned to do about the war.
After taking office, however, Eisenhower adopted a get-tough policy toward the communists in Korea. He suggested that he would "unleash" the Nationalist Chinese forces on Taiwan against communist China, and he sent only slightly veiled messages that he would use any force necessary (including the use of nuclear weapons) to bring the war to an end unless peace negotiations began to move forward. The Chinese, exhausted by more than two years of war, finally agreed to terms and an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. The United States suffered over 50,000 casualties in the war.
I found this YouTube video of Eisenhower's visit. Unfortunately it has no sound. If anyone can locate a better one, please send me the link.