Korean War SBQ_USSR Concerted Effort SBQ Qns Paper (H2)

THE SUPERPOWERS’ INVOLVEMENT IN THE KOREAN WAR Source A An act of aggression such as this creates a very real danger to the security of all free nations. The attack upon Korea was an outright breach of the peace and a violation of the Charter of the United Nations. By their actions in Korea, Communist leaders h ave demonstrated their contempt for the basic moral principles on which the United Nations is founded. This is a direct challenge to the efforts of the free nations to build the kind of world in which men can live in freedom and peace. Furthermore, the fact that Communist forces have invaded Korea is a warning that there may be similar acts of aggression in other parts of the world. The free nations must be on their guard, more than ever before, against this kind of sneak attack. The principal effort to help the Koreans preserve their independence, and to help the United Nations restore peace, has been made by the United States. We have sent land, sea, and air forces to assist in these operations. We have done this because we know that what is at stake here is nothing less than our own national security and the peace of the world. Radio Address to American Public by President Truman, Broadcasted on 11th April, 1951. Source B So far as Korea is concerned, my thoughts are not on any regret for the basic determination of to enter the Korean War, which was unquestionably the correct one. But I think we will be on very dangerous terrain if we fail to recognise the distinction between these two outcomes. a. b. It was not tolerable to us that Communist control should be extended to South Korea in the way in which this was attempted on June 24. The negative psychological impacts resulting from our mere acceptance of this development would have been wholly disrupti ve to our prestige in Asia. c. d. Nevertheless, it is beyond our capacity to keep the entire Korea permanently out of the Soviet orbit. I believe that it is not essential to us to see an anti -Soviet regime extended to the entire Korean peninsula. We could actually tolerate a part of Korea being nominally independent, but actually amendable to Sov iet influence, provided that this state of affairs does not threaten the security of Japan, and the region as a whole. Confidential memorandum from George F. Kennan to Dean Acheson, 23rd August, 1950.

Source C During this period, Kim Il Sung and other Korean leaders were firmly determined to unify the country by military means, without devoting the necessary attention to studying the possibility that existed at that time for peaceful reunification through the br oad development of the democratic movement in South Korea. Calculating that the USA would not enter a war over South Korea, Kim Il Sung persistently pressed for agreement from Stalin and Mao Zedong to reunify the country by military means. Stalin at first treated the persistent appeals of Kim Il Sung w