Truman preferred the UN to Congress in seeking a military mandate. The ensuing carnage was officially classified as a ‘police action,’ neatly bypassing any applicable Constitutional stipulations.

The invader was pushed to the Yalu River within five months. Truman then ordered the 7th Fleet to be interposed between Formosa [Taiwan] and China for fear of a wider conflict. 300,000 Chinese troops were thus freed-up to be deployed against an unsuspecting MacArthur.

Truman’s drastic post WWII disarmament further eroded his military options. Shifting forces to Asia would have left Europe vulnerable. Fear of a Third World War also loomed. One can only speculate how world history would have been altered by a demonstration of Western resolve at that crucial moment.

People’s Liberation Army General Lin Piao provides a clear indication of the opportunity lost: “I never would have made the attack and risked my men and my military reputation if I had not been assured that Washington would restrain General MacArthur from taking adequate retaliatory measures against my lines of supply and communication.”

The war was being micromanaged from Washington: “How do you bomb half a bridge,” wondered MacArthur. Stalemate was left as the best possible outcome. His open protests and contrary assessments soon cost the General his command. The war then needlessly dragged on for more than two years, finally pausing in an uneasy, two-generation armistice.

Once again, legitimacy for a military response was sought from the UN. The subsequent Congressional approval was welcome, but was of symbolic value only. Thus an international body composed of mostly non-democratic governments was left to determine the final objective: The Iraqi armed forces would be evicted from Kuwait, but Saddam would be allowed to retain his dictatorship.

What then, has been the result of the policy of containment? Certainly not peace or security!

• The Korean people remain unnaturally divided. Kim Jong Il’s harsh dictatorship provides poverty domestically and weapons proliferation internationally. The People’s Republic of China has steadily grown stronger and more hostile; its people are gradually being acclimated to the inevitability of war with the US.
• Abandoned to an eminently defeatable enemy, Viet Nam fell into dictatorship. Blood-soaked despotism subsequently spread throughout the region. The US was also shown to be an unreliable ally.
• Unable to have both under UN sanctions, Saddam chose to continue his WMD program rather than care for his own people, who continue to languish in squalor. Aided by a compliant media, the US has successfully been tarred with the blame.

As the Allies considered their ultimate objectives during the Second World War, there was no conception of leaving any Axis regime intact. It was then agreed that victory could only be defined by securing unconditional surrender followed by an occupation that would continue until the last vestiges of the aggressor regimes were eliminated. The job would be completed by a deep commitment to nurture popularly-legitimized governments and economies based upon investment and hard work rather than cronyism.