Aug 26 2018 39 mins 37
Episode 34: Building Inchon examines the extensive diplomatic and political preparation which the Truman administration engaged with in the weeks before MacArthur’s landing at Inchon on 15th September 1950. Truman was forced to deal with several issues, including the independently minded actions of some of his own personnel, like the Secretary of Defence, who would be forced to resign. We see a new policy report NSC 81 come to the fore, even while it didn’t promise a whole lot it still managed to please the British and French, which was its primary goal. Meanwhile, Mao and Stalin’s cynical approach to Kim Il-sung’s precarious position became clear as August became September. As Stalin’s support of North Korea slackened, the Soviet leader became focused instead with building towards his political strategy and end goal of bringing China into conflict with the West. Mao on the other hand was determined to wait until the landings at Inchon took place, landings which he almost certainly expected, so that it would be easier to swoop into North Korea and re-orientate the loyalties of that state in its moment of desperation. Thus the Americans were allowed to plan for their famed amphibious landing in peace, and General MacArthur moved forward with his finest hour unaware that he was as much of a pawn in the wider game as Kim Il-sung had been. It was up to MacArthur now to turn the tide and open the next phase of this conflict, and the General proved more than up to the task. ******* Music used “You’re a Grand Old Rag” by Billy Murray in 1906. Available: https://archive.org/details/GrandOldRag-BillyMurray9256 SPONSORS 1) Use the code WDF15 to get 15% off your stylish new pair of headphones/earphones/listening things 2) To access some fascinating books, nerd out with like minded enthusiasts, further your knowledge of some classical works, get 25% off your first three months AND help the show, head on over to onlinegreatbooks.com! Remember to BEFIT! B is for blog E is for email [email protected] F is for Facebook, the Page and the Group I is for iTunes, please rate, review and subscribe T is for TELL ANYONE! 1) Pre-order our book on the Thirty Years War 2) Are you TeamFerdinand or TeamFrederick ? It's time to pick a side, and a t-shirt! 3) Don't forget of course to support WDF on Patreon to access ad-free episodes with the scripts attached, as well an hour of extra content every month, and so much more! - $1, $2 & $5 memberships available! 4) Of course, make sure you also follow us on Twitter, visit our website and... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
