Page 134 - NS-2 Textbook

THE COLD WAR ERA 127

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, commander in chief of U.S. forces during the first nine months of the Korean War. He was relieved
by President Truman in April 1950 because of disagreements over war strategy. Lieutenant General Walker, commander of ground forces in
Korea during the first part of the war, is riding in the rear.

tory at a cost of 70,000 South Korean, 34,000 American, roads, naval air attacks on strategic targets and lines of
and 5,000 other UN casualties on the battlefields. In ad- commwucations, and close air support of troops in the
dition, several million Korean civilians are believed to field. This naval power was indispensable to the allied
have died during the course of the war. effort. Close air support of grOlmd forces provided by
A major issue in the truce talks concerned prisoners Navy and Marine pilots and planes was so effective that
of war (POWs). Many North Koreans and Chinese taken the North Koreans eventually gave up all daylight offen-
prisoner in the south refused to go back to their coun- sive actions. Allied ground forces -were never harassed
tries. Flu'thermore, after American prisoners were re- by North Korean ail' pOV\Ter, because Navy, Mal'ine, and
turned, they brought with them many tales of inhumane All' Force pilots controlled the ail; attacking North Ko-
treatment in North Korean prison camps and failure to rean air bases and shooting down any North Korean air-
comply with international conventions concerning treat- craft that ventmed forth.
ment of POWs. The issue of North Korean treatment of
American POWs would continue to be a topic of discus-
KOREAN WAR AFTERMATH
sion between U.S. and North Korean representatives at
Panmunjom for years to come. Both the North Koreans Encomaged by the outcome in Korea, Communist guer-
and the United Nations still keep representatives at Pan- rillas led by Ho Chi Minh intensified their war against
mlmjom. They meet periodically to conduct negotiations the French in Indochina. In 1954 the French were de-
on many military incidents that have occurred over the feated in battle at Dien Bien Phu. This event resulted in
years since the armistice ending the war. the partition of Indochina into North and South Vietnam,
Laos, and Cambodia. The victory emboldened the Chi-
nese Communists, who threatened to invade Taiwan and
NAVAL CONTRIBUTIONS
the Nationalist-held islands of Quemoy, Matsu, and the
Although oniy a few insignificant naval actions took Pescadores. But in November the Uluted States signed a
place at sea during the Korean Wm; sea power made treaty to guard Taiwan and the Pescadores from Com-
major contributions. The role of the Navy in supplying munist invasion, and the Chinese shifted their attention
and defending the Pusan Perimetel; and in the invasion to insurgencies in Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaya.
at Inchon, has already been discussed. In addition, In 1955 the COllummist Chil1ese threatened the
throughout the war naval forces under Admiral C. Nationalist-held Tachen Islands and invaded one of
Turner Joy conducted shore bombardment of coastal them. President Eisenhower did not want to get into a