ABSTRACT
Even after large numbers of American ground forces began to fight and die in Korea, Truman continued to avoid the “W” word. In an address to the nation on July 19, 1950, Truman spoke to the country for the first time about what he called “the situation in Korea.” Earlier that same day he sent a special message to Congress in which he referred to “the Korean operation” and “the Korean crisis.” Neither in his address to the American people nor in his message to Congress did Truman speak of war, even though just three days earlier over 400 American soldiers had been killed, most of them in a battle at Kum River. Indeed, by the time Truman addressed the nation, some 1,200 Americans had already been killed in Korea. Before the Korean “situation” was finally brought to a close in 1953, 33,000 Americans had died in combat and more than three times that many had been wounded. Only the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War have produced more American casualties.3
