National Policy and Military Strategy: The Korean War Case, July 1951 - December 1952

Abstract

Unlike previous major conflicts, American policy and strategy during the Korean War was tested by ambiguous war aims and constrained to a great degree by America’s allies who joined a United Nations coalition—the United Nations Command (UNC)—and who desperately wanted to avoid a wider war. President Harry Truman's effort to shape public opinion was a difficult balancing act to restrain the urge to escalate when circumstances appeared to limit American prospects for military victory. His explicit desire to limit the conflict ensured that nearly every military decision would have a diplomatic or political component, a policy which produced significant strategic limitations on his theater commanders, especially during the negotiations phase of the conflict.