Volunteers crossed the Yalu River
A question bothers many people: In the Korean War , in the face of successive defeats by the US military, why did the United States not use atomic bombs against the volunteers? One thing is for sure, the United States is by no means soft-hearted. There must be something they have concerns behind. Chairman Mao's words revealed the reason and also pointed out the weakness of the United States at that time.
On June 25, 1950, the Korean War broke out. Almost at the same time, Truman and Chairman Mao on both sides of the Pacific received the news. Regarding the outbreak of war in North Korea, Chairman Mao once said this to Kim Il Sung, "North Korea should persist in achieving the goal of reunifying the motherland, but North Korea does not need to take action in the near future. The current international situation is not conducive to Korean reunification."
At that time North Korea and South Korea have been experiencing constant friction near the 338th Parallel. Both China and the United States had anticipated the outbreak of war, but they did not expect it to come so quickly. Under the attack of the Korean People's Army, the South Korean army was no match for them and collapsed thousands of miles away. This dumbfounded the US government.
One and a half days after the war broke out, Syngman Rhee's government was forced to move to Daegu , 240 kilometers south of Seoul . That afternoon, South Korea's ambassador to the United States Zhang Mian submitted Syngman Rhee's letter for help to Truman. When seeing Truman, Zhang Mian almost cried, but Truman smiled and said that the United States would not ignore South Korea.
Almost at the same time, Truman ordered the air force and navy of the US military stationed in Japan to launch an attack on the Korean People's Army crossing the 38th Parallel to directly support the South Korean army. On June 27, Truman publicly announced that he would send the U.S. military to the Korean Peninsula and ordered the U.S. Seventh Fleet to invade the Taiwan Strait. He also made remarks about "the status of Taiwan is undetermined" and "the neutralization of the Taiwan Strait", openly preventing the People's Liberation Army from liberating Taiwan. .
Truman
In this way, the People's Liberation Army's campaign to liberate Taiwan was temporarily unable to be launched. Premier Zhou said to Navy Commander Xiao Jinguang: "The changing situation has added new troubles to our attack on Taiwan. Because the United States is blocking it, the Party Central Committee decided to liberate Taiwan. The time will be pushed back. "
This kind of aggression by the United States is not a whim. Long before the outbreak of the Korean War, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Far East Garrison MacArthur submitted a "Opinion Letter to Protect Taiwan" to Secretary of Defense Johnson and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Bradley . He believed that Taiwan was more powerful than South Korea. Important, likening it to an "unsinkable aircraft carrier."
On June 28, Chairman Mao presided over the eighth meeting of the Central People's Government Committee, focusing on Premier Zhou's report on the international situation after the outbreak of the Korean War and his response to the US military's invasion of Taiwan. statement. Chairman Mao delivered an important speech at the meeting:
"The Chinese people have long stated that the affairs of all countries in the world should be managed by the people of each country themselves, and the affairs of Asia should be managed by the Asian people themselves, and should not be managed by the United States. The United States Aggression against Asia can only arouse widespread and resolute resistance from the Asian people. On January 5 this year, Truman also stated that the United States would not interfere in Taiwan. Now he has proved that this is false, and at the same time he has torn up the United States' agreement on non-interference. All international agreements on China's internal affairs. The United States has exposed its imperialist side in this way, which is of great benefit to China and the Asian people. It is completely unreasonable for the United States to interfere in the internal affairs of North Korea, Philippines , Vietnam , etc. , the sympathy of the entire Chinese people and the sympathy of the vast majority of people around the world will be on the side of the invaded, and will never be on the side of U.S. imperialism. They will neither be tempted by imperialism nor fear the threat of imperialism. Imperialism is the work of foreign powers because it does not have the support of the people. The people of the country and the world must unite and make full preparations to defeat any provocation by U.S. imperialism."
Chairman Mao
On the same day, Premier Zhou issued a solemn statement on behalf of the Chinese government:
"Truman's statement on the 27th and the actions of the US Navy are an invasion of Chinese territory and a destruction of the United Nations Charter ... All the people of our country, We must unite as one and fight to the end to liberate Taiwan from the U.S. invaders...We call on all peace-loving, justice- and freedom-loving human beings around the world, especially the oppressed nations and peoples in the East, to rise up in unison and stop the new expansion of U.S. imperialism in the East. aggression. "
On September 15, the U.S. military carried out the Incheon landing, and the Korean People's Army was directly cut off. By the evening of September 30, the " United Nations Army " had already marched near the 38th Parallel, and the South Korean army crossed it on October 1 Obviously, the United States did not listen to China's warning.
MacArthur said to Major General Church, commander of the 24th Division: "I have given my guarantee to the wives and mothers of the boys of the 24th Division. , the boys will return home at Christmas. Don't make me a liar. As soon as you get to the Yalu River, I'll let you go. "The fundamental reason why MacArthur was so arrogant was that he did not take the Volunteer Army into consideration at all.
If we look at the strength and weapons and equipment of China and the United States, China is completely weak, and the gap is staggering. In Lin Biao's words, "The country has been destroyed. "In 1950, the annual steel output of the United States was 87.72 million tons, while that of our country was less than a fraction of that of the United States, only 600,000 tons; the total industrial and agricultural output value of the United States for a year was 280 billion U.S. dollars, while that of our country was 10 billion U.S. dollars, a difference of 28 Times.
In addition, when it comes to the military equipment of China and the United States, not to mention the Chinese Air Force and the navy are just starting out, our military's weapons and equipment are still diverse, basically at the level of "millet plus rifle". Therefore, MacArthur has the ability to be arrogant. There is also the most powerful weapon-the atomic bomb. He believes that China's sending troops is to attack the stone with an egg.
MacArthur
MacArthur is too naive. He does not understand the Chinese people who have suffered from war and will defend the country to the death on October 19, 1950. , 260,000 volunteers secretly crossed the Yalu River. After more than a month of fighting, the volunteers crushed MacArthur's clamor to "go home for Christmas." The "United Nations Army" suffered more than 36,000 casualties, including more than 24,000 US troops. Forced to withdraw from the Yalu River to near the 38th Parallel.
The disastrous defeat of the US military in North Korea shocked the United States. MacArthur kept clamoring to use atomic bombs against the volunteers as early as August 1945. After the atomic bomb, the United States regarded the atomic bomb as an important weapon to deter its opponents.
In July 1950, the Policy Design Committee of the US State Department submitted a research report: If China or the Soviet Union sent troops to North Korea to participate in the war, the United States should use the atomic bomb as an important weapon. , which could achieve a decisive military victory. At that time, President Truman secretly ordered 10 B-29 strategic bombers equipped with non-nuclear components to fly directly from the United States to Guam to verify the possibility of dropping an atomic bomb on northern Korea. .
After the secret mission was successfully completed, Truman instructed Secretary of State Acheson to deliberately disclose the news to reporters. For a time, major newspapers around the world published this shocking news. Truman had only one purpose in doing so, a warning. China and the Soviet Union should not act rashly, let alone send troops to participate in the war.
Now that the US military has suffered successive defeats, MacArthur and his subordinates have calculated that 26 atomic bombs are needed to achieve the goal of delaying the military operations of the volunteers. One atomic bomb bombed the "Volunteer Offensive Forces" and four atomic bombs bombed "an important gathering place of the enemy's air force." "
Korean War Diagram
The remaining atomic bombs were used to bomb China's important industrial bases, and a radioactive radiation belt was set up along the Yalu River between China and North Korea to stop the Chinese Volunteer Army.MacArthur's proposal attracted the attention of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who began to study the implementation of nuclear strikes against North Korea, Northeast China, inland and other areas, and formulated detailed plans.
At this time, Truman "leaked the plan" at the press conference. On November 30, 1950, Truman attended the press conference, and they had some exchanges:
Reporter: Mr. President, what do you think about North Korea's current situation? How do you plan to deal with the Korean War?
Truman: As we always do, we will take whatever steps are necessary to deal with the current military situation.
Reporter: Does that include the atomic bomb?
Truman: Yes, including any weapons we have.
The reporter thought he heard wrongly and quickly asked: Mr. President, when you said "including any weapons we have", did you mean that you are actively considering using atomic bombs?
Truman: We have been actively considering the use of the atomic bomb, but I do not want to see the use of the atomic bomb. It is a terrible weapon and should not be used against innocent men, women and children... But once the atomic bomb is used, this situation will There is no way to avoid it.
It can be seen from this conversation that Truman was clearly prepared to use atomic bombs against the volunteers, but in the end he did not dare to use them at all, and MacArthur was dismissed from his post. Why?
Atomic bomb explosion scene
There are many interpretations of the reasons. There are two reasons that are often mentioned:
One is that the Soviet Union also had atomic bombs at the time. At 4 a.m. on August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union successfully exploded its first atomic bomb, thus breaking the United States' nuclear monopoly. When the news that Truman claimed that he had "been actively considering the use of the atomic bomb" spread quickly around the world, it immediately caused great panic among U.S. allies.
Although the White House Press Office issued a "clarification statement" a few hours after Truman's interview, explaining that Truman had not decided to use the atomic bomb. But the allies of the United States did not accept this at all. They believed that the commander of the "United Nations Army" MacArthur had been authorized to use atomic bombs at any time.
As a result, major official newspapers in Britain, France, Italy and other countries "condemned" the United States for trying to expand the war, and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the United States for making such a major decision without notifying them in advance, believing that the United States was trying to They were dragged into the abyss of war in Asia.
Of all the countries, the UK is the most panicked. As the most important ally of the United States, the United Kingdom has always stationed U.S. B-29 strategic bombers in its homeland. Now that the United States has announced that it will use atomic bombs on the Korean Peninsula, the United Kingdom believes that the Soviet Union will definitely retaliate. By then, the United Kingdom will most likely become the Soviet Union's first nuclear attack target.
American B-29 strategic bomber
British Prime Minister Attlee was like an ant on a hot pot. In just one day, he received countless phone calls and a joint letter from more than 100 Labor Party MPs, asking him to immediately go to the United States to confront Truman in person. Expressed opposition to the use of atomic bombs by the US military. The British Chiefs of Staff even called MacArthur directly to warn him:
"In our opinion, if the atomic bomb is used in North Korea, it will not only be unable to effectively stop the advance of the Chinese army, but will also make the situation worse, and the Soviet Air Force will inevitably "
On December 4, 1950, Attlee went to the United States for face-to-face talks with Truman. The result of this meeting was that Truman issued a statement, "We will not be the first to use the atomic bomb!" In fact, Truman was just a cover-up. Soon he secretly ordered that the decomposed atomic bomb components be dismantled and transported to the Far East, where they were stored on an aircraft carrier. .
Faced with Truman’s threat, Kim Il Sung secretly came to Beijing. Upon meeting, Kim Il-sung expressed his concerns to Chairman Mao. Chairman Mao said: " the United States is naked nuclear blackmail , this is a kind of intimidation.Not to mention that the Soviet Union has mastered nuclear weapons . Truman simply did not dare to risk an atomic war. ”
In March 1951, the U.S. intelligence agency detected that China was massing heavy troops along the Yalu River in preparation for launching a spring offensive. At the same time, Stalin also ordered the Soviet Army’s most elite air force to secretly participate in the war, forming the Soviet Army 324th The 64th Independent Fighter Air Force composed of the Guards Fighter Division and the 303rd Guards Fighter Division
Volunteer Air Force
Not only that, Stalin also specifically instructed Foreign Minister Molotov to solve the Asian problem, and in Vlad. A large number of submarines and elite troops were gathered in Divostok and the southern part of Sakhalin Island, as if they were about to enter the Korean battlefield immediately. These made the United States have some concerns. The unfavorable international situation, coupled with the powerful The rival Soviet Union also had the atomic bomb, which put the Truman government under great pressure. Even so, MacArthur still did not appreciate it. After repeatedly calling for the use of atomic bombs, and MacArthur almost ignored the Truman government, he was dismissed.
Truman's press secretary informed the president of the order at a special press conference: "I deeply regret to conclude that Army General MacArthur, on matters related to his duties, is unable to wholeheartedly support the policies of the United States Government and the United Nations decision. In view of the special responsibilities assigned to me by the United States Constitution and the responsibilities specifically entrusted to me by the United Nations, I have decided to change the Commander-in-Chief of the Far East. Accordingly, I have relieved MacArthur of all commands and have appointed Lieutenant General Ridgway to succeed him. "
Starting from MacArthur's dismissal, it shows that the United States' "total war" strategic thinking on the Korean battlefield has become a thing of the past in the United States, and the concept of "limited war" has become mainstream, calling for "an honorable end to the war." "
In fact, Chairman Mao expressed his stance on the nuclear blackmail of the United States very early. As early as August 1946, when he met with the American progressive writer and journalist Anna Louise Strong, Chairman Mao said: "The atomic bomb is The paper tiger used by the American reactionaries to scare people may look scary but is actually not scary at all. ”
Chairman Mao
However, when he actually decided to send troops to North Korea, it became one of the most difficult decisions for Chairman Mao to make in his life. In addition to China’s inadequate weapons and equipment, there is another problem that everyone needs to face: If the United States What should we do if we use atomic bombs?
Chairman Mao knew this very well. Therefore, at the 9th meeting of the Central People’s Government Committee on August 9, 1950, Chairman Mao firmly believed that there was no need to be afraid even if the United States used atomic bombs.
"The so-called doing that is nothing more than fighting the Third World War, and using atomic bombs for a long time, which is longer than the first and second world wars. We Chinese people are used to fighting wars. Our wish is not to fight, but if you must fight, we have no choice but to let you fight. You hit yours, I'll hit mine, you hit atomic bombs, I hit grenades , seize your weakness, follow you to fight, and finally defeat you. When war breaks out, it will not be a small war but a big one, not a short war but a long war, not an ordinary war but a atomic bomb. We must be fully prepared. If you insist on doing that, we will follow you. "
It can be seen from Chairman Mao's words that he did not avoid the issue of atomic bombs before the Volunteers entered North Korea, and directly exposed the weaknesses of the United States. Chairman Mao also analyzed the advantages of the enemy and ourselves. He believed that the U.S. military " has one long and three "Short ", "One long" refers to the large annual steel production in the United States mentioned earlier, which can produce more weapons and equipment.
"Three short" means that the US military has three weaknesses. Chairman Mao's original words are: "The first front It is too long, from Berlin to North Korea; the second transportation line is too far, separated by two oceans; the third combat effectiveness is too weak, not as good as the German and Japanese armies. "Chairman Mao insisted that the United States' strategic focus at that time was on Europe and not on the Far East at all.
Chairman Mao
Of course, Chairman Mao also believed that the United States might also cause chaos. Regarding this, we must also fully estimate that we should despise the enemy strategically and pay attention to the enemy tactically. In this regard, the volunteers studied atomic bomb knowledge before entering the DPRK and prepared for possible atomic bombing. For example, after the volunteers entered North Korea, they had to dig more tunnels to deal with atomic bombings.
Later, when Premier Zhou visited the Soviet Union, he mentioned to Stalin Chairman Mao's judgment on the Korean War and the possible use of atomic bombs by the United States. Stalin kept nodding and said: "Comrade Mao Zedong's estimates are all correct. " 1952 This year is the year of the US presidential election. Republican presidential candidate Eisenhower was successfully elected.
Eisenhower's success in the election had a lot to do with his successful use of the anti-war sentiments of the American people. In addition, the U.S. military suffered heavy casualties in the Korean War. He claimed that he would end the war as long as he was elected. On July 27, 1953, the United States signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, ending this "bitter war."
Source: History Teacher Li
