On April 10, 1951, the U.S. Army was engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with our volunteers on the Korean battlefield. MacArthur , who was in command of the US Army at the time, was commanding the US Army in Japan. However, after he heard a news broadcast report, he was stunned, and the slightly noisy headquarters that received and sent information suddenly fell silent.
It turned out that this news report was issued by the US government, and its content was that US President Truman dismissed all positions of the commander-in-chief of the Far East, MacArthur. After hearing the news reports, MacArthur couldn't believe that his military career ended in such a bad way.
MacArthur was dismissed for many reasons, but the most important one was that MacArthur was prepared to use an atomic bomb on the Korean battlefield. This completely violated the strategic vision of the United States. Therefore, the US government decided to remove MacArthur from his post.
At the beginning of the war, the United States had always stated that it would use an atomic bomb against China. However, Chairman Mao dismissed the clamor of the United States. The weakness on the Korean battlefield.
So, in response to MacArthur’s idea of using an atomic bomb, what was the reaction of US President Truman? What are the shortcomings of the United States mentioned by Chairman Mao?
In the early days when the United States was involved in the Korean battlefield, the United States did not have the idea of using atomic bombs on the Korean battlefield. It believed that the North Korean army could be completely eliminated by relying on the strength of the American forces. However, as the war continued to expand, the United States saw that China also had the idea of sending troops, so internally it began to discuss the possibility of using atomic bombs on the Korean battlefield, and Truman also began to publicly issue nuclear warnings to China.
In an interview with reporters in November 1950, Truman said : "All necessary measures will be taken to deal with the military situation." When asked by reporters whether an atomic bomb would be used, Truman replied: : "Atomic bombs are one of our weapons. We will use all weapons when necessary." At the same time, when asked by reporters whether the use of atomic bombs was used to strike military or civilian targets, Truman replied that it depends on the battlefield. The military commander decided.
This is the first time that the President of the United States has publicly declared that the United States is considering using an atomic bomb against China on the Korean battlefield, and hinted that MacArthur will decide when to use the atomic bomb.
After hearing Truman's statement at the press conference, MacArthur was greatly encouraged. He made a request to the United States Chiefs of Staff to grant him the power to use atomic bombs. At the same time, he also provided the US government with a list of 26 military bases and industrial centers including North Korea and China. He hoped the US government Can agree to conduct a nuclear strike on these targets.
But the U.S. government headed by Truman does not intend to start a full-scale war with China. Although Truman is also hostile to China, he always believes that the war with China should be limited to a certain range and no full-scale war should break out. The United States should now focus on Europe, and cannot change its major strategic direction because of a small-scale war with China. Therefore, MacArthur's proposal was shelved.
The Korean War After the outbreak of the Korean War, the situation in the Korean battlefield became the most concerned issue of both China and the United States. After China decided to send troops, it launched a direct confrontation with the US military on the Korean battlefield.
MacArthur never expected that his Christmas offensive would become a big joke in the face of the Chinese army. The battle was originally expected to end before Christmas, but after fighting with the Chinese Volunteers, more than 36,000 casualties were caused in just one month, of which more than 24,000 were injured by the US military, and MacArthur was also disgraced by this.
A series of failures made MacArthur, a battlefield commander even more angry. He believed that the failure on the Korean battlefield was ultimately due to the restrictions imposed on him by the US government. He once again proposed to the US government to send a B-29 bomber_ span2span carries atomic bombs, bombing airfields and other military targets in the northeast of China, and dropping atomic bombs on the border between China and North Korea, forming a radiation belt that completely cut off the passage between China and North Korea.
At the same time, MacArthur also proposed to spread the war to China and send troops to attack China, even if the Soviet Union sends troops.
But before the U.S. government agreed to this request, the U.S. allies could not sit still. Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time, personally called Truman, indicating that the U.K. firmly opposed the U.S.'s use of atomic bombs against China and North Korea. At the same time, leaders of France, the Netherlands and other countries also called Truman to express their strong dissatisfaction.
European countries have responded so violently because the United States has also deployed B-29 bombers in Europe. Once the United States launches a nuclear war, the Soviet Union is likely to carry out nuclear strikes against these military installations. Therefore, in order not to act as a scapegoat for the United States, European countries can only To vigorously stop the American idea of using the atomic bomb.
Under this situation, Truman made a statement not to use the atomic bomb, but still secretly ordered that the atomic bomb be disassembled and transported to the Far East region and installed on a aircraft carrier .Ready to carry out a nuclear attack on the North Korean region at any time.
Facing the atomic bomb threat from MacArthur and Truman, the North Korean leader could not sit still. Kim Il Sung secretly took a plane to Beijing to meet Chairman Mao and discuss countermeasures on the Korean battlefield.
In fact, Chairman Mao has already prepared for the threat of the US atomic bomb.
At the Politburo meeting held on August 4, 1950, Chairman Mao said about on the North Korean issue: "After the war, there will be short fights, long fights, and big fights. The United States will strike an atomic bomb. We don’t have this. We still have to fight grenades, but we have to be prepared to face the atomic bomb." The United States also has many difficulties. Internal opinions are not unified, and some external countries oppose it. They have only one advantage in the military, that is, there is more steel. I can't compare them with the country in terms of steel. But they still have three shortcomings. First, the front is too long. They not only have to defend against the Soviet Union in Germany, but also fight us in North Korea. Such a long front will also affect the United States. Second, the transportation line is too far. The United States is too far away from North Korea. It is not so easy for them to transport supplies and troops. Third, the combat effectiveness of American soldiers is too weak, and they are not as good as German and Japanese soldiers, so the United States is not invincible.
Then Chairman Mao also said : "China is used to fighting wars. If the United States wants to hit an atomic bomb, let him do it. If he hits him, we hit us. If the United States hits an atomic bomb, we hit it. Grenades, grasp the weakness, follow him, and finally defeat him."
Chairman Mao’s words can be described as a whip into the room.It sharply pointed out the weaknesses and advantages of our army compared with the US army, which also greatly encouraged the commanders and fighters who are about to enter the Korean war and gave them confidence.
At the same time, Chairman Mao also pointed out that wars are dominated by people. No matter how good a weapon is, it is also an auxiliary tool for people. We can’t just because we don’t have a good weapon. We have to fear them when we have an atomic bomb. Depending on the people, we can rely on our disadvantages. Weapons to defeat them.
After Kim Il Sung arrived in Beijing, he met with Chairman Mao and explained the US's clamor about the use of the atomic bomb. Chairman Mao looked indifferent and said to Kim Il-sung : "Don’t be afraid, they just scare us, we don’t eat this set." In a nuclear war, the Soviet Union already has an atomic bomb and will not be afraid of their threat. And European countries will not agree to the United States launching a major war unless the United States is confident that it will defeat the world with one country."
And the facts are just as Chairman Mao said, the United States does not want and is unable to launch a full-scale war, but the front-line commander MacArthur does not think so.
MacArthur always believes that as long as he can win, it is worth paying any price. In order to defeat China, he is even willing to risk the risk of causing a world war. This makes MacArthur strategically and US President Truman A fundamental contradiction has arisen.
At the same time, because of his great achievements in World War II, MacArthur was arrogant in the face of everyone, even in the face of Truman. faced some policies that did not suit his wishes. Not only did he disagree, he also publicly opposed the US government and even threatened the president to accept his opinions. Faced with MacArthur's various evil deeds, Truman was already furious, and he had to bear with him again and again after considering many factors.
March 1951,Truman decided to adopt peace talks to resolve the dispute on the Korean peninsula, and asked MacArthur to exercise restraint in subsequent actions to ensure that the peace talks can proceed smoothly.
But Truman’s decision was completely inconsistent with MacArthur’s vision. He also wanted to drag more countries into the water so that he could show his fists on the battlefield, and at the same time, he could defeat China and give his record a lot of color. One stroke.
So instead of following President Truman's instructions, MacArthur replied the next day: "The government should not restrict the rights of our commander-in-chief."
and he was still in the same month without passing through With the consent of the U.S. government, before Truman, he issued a completely opposite statement. This not only disturbed the mistakes of the U.S. government, but also seriously ignored the U.S. President. This behavior made Truman no longer tolerate MacArthur.
On April 10, 1951, Truman issued a statement at a press conference: "MacArthur could not wholeheartedly support the decisions of the U.S. government and the United Nations on some issues, so he decided to remove all of MacArthur’s duties and replace him in the Far East. Commander.”
It is worth mentioning that the U.S. government originally planned to send the report of dismissal to MacArthur before issuing the statement. However, for some reason, MacArthur did not receive the report in advance, but only after hearing the broadcast. Knowing that he has been dismissed, is also the first general in American history to receive news of his dismissal on the radio.
After learning of MacArthur’s dismissal, the Chinese people were very excited. Chairman Mao also said when discussing this matter : "MacArthur’s step down,It was a new victory for the Chinese and Korean people in their struggle against the United States, and it was also a victory for the people of the world in their defense against American hegemonic aggression.
Li Qiwei , who succeeded MacArthur as the commander-in-chief of the Far East, did not create any miracles on the Korean battlefield. He could only rely on the strong firepower of the US army and the volunteers to stalemate at the 38th parallel.
At the beginning of the war, every time the US military got into trouble, Truman would consider using an atomic bomb to break the situation. This idea continued until he left the White House. The nuclear threat to China became one of the main methods used by the Truman administration to face the North Korean issue.
As Truman was serving as President, the United States continued to lose on the Korean battlefield. Therefore, in 1953, Truman stepped down from the post of President of the United States and was replaced by Eisenhower.
Chairman Mao also held political negotiations this year. The meeting said : "The Korean War will last as long as we want. We don’t make a decision. In the past it was Truman, but now it’s Eisenhower. In the future, no matter what the president, they will fight as long as they want. We will stay with them. Continue to fight until a complete victory. Chairman Mao’s words fully show that China is not afraid of the nuclear threat from the United States. As long as it wants to fight, China will stick to the struggle.
In 1953, the to resist U.S. aggression and aid to Korea ended and China won a great victory. Facing the United States The Chinese Volunteer Army fought bravely and successfully defeated the American invaders with its powerful firepower and the threat of atomic bombs.
Chairman Mao said when summarizing the resistance to US aggression and aid to Korea: "The imperialist invaders should have understood that the Chinese people have stood. When we get up, in the face of aggression, we will definitely fight, and we will fight to the end. Even if the enemy has a powerful weapon, it is not afraid, because our people are the bravest. ”
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