ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores United States policy between the end of hostilities in 1945 and the North Korean invasion in June 1950. It focuses on the conflict between the State Department and a military establishment that preferred to disengage from South Korea. The book discusses the difficulties the United States faced in coming to terms with limited war, a form of conflict that was alien to the American tradition. It shows how this sentiment combined with the Republican support for Douglas MacArthur in ways that encouraged the decision to attempt to reunify Korea. The book highlights the way in which MacArthur overstepped the bounds of military command, giving Truman little choice but to dismiss him. It also focuses not only on great power relations, but also on the consequences of the war for the balance between presidential and congressional prerogatives in foreign policy.
