All the Screwups With North Korea Happen with Democrat Presidents
China launched a 'Pearl Harbor' surprise attack on the UN forces during the Korean War and I thought Truman's response was weak. Truman sought a draw while MacArthur wanted to "Re-Raise" the Chinese. Truman feared that uping the antes would drive the Chinese and Russians closer together. Perhaps there is some truth in this this but when someone launches a surprise attack without a declaration of war.....YOU NEED TO PUNISH THEM. If I were Truman I would have done the following:
1. Send Nationalist troops from Taiwan to capture the large Chinese island near its southern coast. Strategicly the island was of little importance but POLITICAL it would be a great bargaining chip and it would embarass the Communist leadership.
2. Blockade the Chinese Coast.
3. Fortify Hong Kong against a possible Chinese attack.
4. Possibly strategic bomb Communist Chinese production facilities. I say possibly but I would avoid this if possible. If the Chinese attacked Hong Kong then BOMBS AWAY.
5. Arm the Chinese Nationalist on Taiwan for possible land attacks. The Chinese would take notice and perhaps not try to up the antes knowing we could throw 300,000 Chinese Nationalists into the fray.
6. Drive the Chinese back to the Yalu.
7. Keep A-Bombs in reserve but do not use them. In the early 1950s the USA had a HUGE A-Bomb advantage over Russia. Just having these weapons would have kept Stalin on the sidelines without having to make any threats.
Granted the Chinese have a huge population but equiping and supplying an army is another matter. The Chinese Army during the Korean War was rather pathetic considering all the advantages the had in the beginning of the war. China has had an inferiority complex toward caucasion countries for the last 200 years and they made their BEST effort in the Korean War to defeat the UN forces and they failed. If Truman had grown a pair of balls and reinforced our armies in Korea we would have pushed them back into the Yalu. Many people don't know this but Stalin sent Russian pilots to fly Chinese fighters to attackAmerican forces. Truman knew this and kept quiet. I would have visited "Uncle Joe Stalin" and given him a Don Corleone like offer...
The next big opportunity to have slowed North Korea occurred during the Clinton Administration. Unfortunately Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and Albright chose bribary/appeasment. This failed...of course.
Then we have the ***holes the South Koreans. There president elected to pursue the "Sunshine" Policy. Where South Korea provide money and supplies to North Korea. If there is a North Korea A-Bomb, it was built with South Korean money......
What can we do now?
My position is the day that North Korea begins selling nuclear weapons is the day the USA needs to nuke them... Lots of countries will be shocked and angry at the USA but I really don't care what most countries think. Nukes can NOT fall into terrorist hands and everything else is of secondary importance...
|