Baseball Quiz: J Mac supplied me with these two. 1) Who is the
only player to win the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year
awards in their career? 2) Who is the only one to play in 3
different cities for the same franchise? Answers below.
6/25/1950, Part II
As we pick up our story on the origins of the Korean War, it is
late 1949 / early 1950 and the U.S. is trying to figure out how
they “lost” China to the Communists led by Mao Zedong. From
1945-49, the U.S. had funneled some $2 billion in aid to the
Nationalists.
The Republicans were able to successfully blame the Democrats.
At the same time, the Republicans were questioning why we
needed a policy of high taxes to sustain an aggressive foreign
policy and to rearm when the real danger was from within as
claims of Communist subversion in America were sweeping the
land.
Meanwhile, the U.S. had to address the fact that the Soviets had
successfully tested their first atomic weapon in 1949. We then
began to test the hydrogen bomb, an explosive that would be
measured in millions of tons of TNT rather than thousands for
atomic bombs.
By 1950, the Cold War had necessitated that the U.S. defend
forces of freedom in Asia as well as elsewhere. Japan turned into
a major forward base for U.S. troops and we stepped up our
military and economic assistance to South Korea and South
Vietnam.
But in a famous speech in January 1950, Secretary of State Dean
Acheson had excluded South Korea from the U.S. formal
“defense perimeter.” [Formosa (Taiwan) was also left off a
perimeter that included the Philippines and Japan.] Certainly
surprising since South Korea was dangerously close to Japan.
Well, this diplomatic gaffe clearly did not go unnoticed in
either North Korea or the Soviet Union. North leader Kim Il
Sung began to pester Joseph Stalin for permission to invade the
South. According to recently declassified documents from the
Soviet archives, Kim asked Stalin 48 times. Stalin kept saying
nyet. Then, finally, he gave his approval in January 1950. He
believed the U.S. simply would not respond and certainly our
public pronouncements backed him up.
[There is an eerie similarity between this situation and the one
between China and Taiwan today. Would the U.S. really
intervene if China made a move? Does China think we would?
But this is a discussion better left for “Week in Review” or “Hott
Spotts.”]
According to reporter Warren Strobel, on June 21, 1950, Stalin
received a telegram from his ambassador in Pyongyang, warning
that the South had learned of the invasion plan. Stalin replied
immediately, giving his approval for an all-out attack. On June
25, the North launched it.
President Truman was in Missouri when he was told of the
invasion. At once he feared this was the opening of World War
III. As he flew back to Washington, he was actually thinking
of the pre-war plight of Manchuria and Ethiopia. Truman
recalled:
“I remembered how each time that the democracies failed to act
it encouraged the aggressors to keep going ahead. If the
Communists were permitted to force their way into the Republic
of Korea without opposition from the free world, no small nation
would have the courage to resist threats and aggression by
stronger Communist neighbors. If this was allowed to go
unchallenged, it would mean a Third World War, just as similar
incidents had brought on the Second World War.” Upon landing
in Washington, he told an aide, “By God, I”m going to let them
have it.”
In what is perhaps the U.N.”s finest hour, on June 26 a
Security Council resolution passed 9-0 demanding an immediate
North Korean withdrawal. [You have to remember that back
during this time, the U.N. was even more wishy-washy than it is
today.] The Soviets had made a terrible blunder. About five
months earlier they had walked out of the Security Council over
the Council”s refusal to give a seat to Communist China rather
than for the Nationalists on Formosa. They thus didn”t have a
chance to veto the resolution.
Also on June 26, General MacArthur, head of forces in the
Pacific, sent a report on South Korean resistance. “Our estimate
is that a complete collapse is imminent.”
According to one source, Truman”s major concern during these
first few days was actually the Middle East. He told an officer in
the White House, “Korea is the Greece of the Far East. If we are
tough enough now, if we stand up to them like we did in Greece
three years ago, they won”t take any next steps. But if we just
stand by, they”ll move into Iran and they”ll take over the whole
Middle East.”
After the first U.N. resolution to withdraw was ignored, on June
27 the U.N. acted to “repel the armed attack and to restore
international peace and security in the area.” Truman issued a
statement:
“The attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that
Communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer
independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war.”
By June 28, most of the South Korean army had been destroyed
and the North was in Seoul. [This was their original battle plan,
to launch a blitzkrieg that would take the capital in 3 days and
the whole country in seven.] MacArthur estimated the South”s
fighting force was down to just 25,000 effective troops.
On June 30, MacArthur placed an urgent call to Truman
requesting that he be allowed to send two divisions to Korea
from Japan. Truman never hesitated and on July 1st the first
troops landed at Pusan. The struggle to retake the South had
begun.
So this weekend, remember the brave U.S. soldiers, 37,000 of
which died in an heroic fight against totalitarianism.
[Sources: Same as the 6/21 issue. In addition, Warren Strobel /
U.S. News.]
Miscellaneous
“I was excited to know he was still alive.”
–Lula Marschat, 94, who married 95-year-old Paul Johnston
more than 70 years after the two last dated. [U.S. News]
“You know when you love someone so much you can almost kill
them? I was nearly killed last night.”
–Actress Angelina Jolie, on life with Billy Bob Thornton after
the two recently tied the knot. [Newsweek]
Now I can”t say I follow the entertainment world that closely but
this is one screwed up marriage. First off, Jolie is an admitted bi-
sexual who, during the Oscars, was kissing her brother on the
lips in a rather incestuous way (which fueled talk that there was
indeed some incest going on there). And second, Thornton has
been married four times previously and was accused by at least
one ex- of spousal abuse. So the official StocksandNews
prediction is that this beautiful union ends around September 14th.
“Chicken Run”
I saw a note in U.S. News this week that I found intriguing. The
new claymation movie, “Chicken Run,” is from the creators
of “Wallace and Gromit.” I always wondered how quickly they
could put one of these together. According to the story,
“Animators make tiny tweaks to the models, then take a frame
shot; each shot equals one-twenty fourth second of film. A good
week might yield two minutes. It took 18 months to film the 82-
minute movie.” Not enough patience from this guy to be doing
that!
Randy Johnson vs. Pedro Martinez
[Through Wednesday”s games.]
Johnson, 11-1, 1.47 ERA
Martinez, 9-3, 1.18 ERA
Phenomenal, in light of the other pitching stats this season. Of
course, it was the same story for these two last year.
Top 3 songs for the week of 6/21/69: #1 “Get Back” (The
Beatles) #2 “Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet” (Henry
Mancini) #3 “Bad Moon Rising” (CCR).
Obituary
I saw the following headline in the local obits.
“Joseph Stolfi, 77. Scored a golf ace.”
Isn”t that what it”s really all about, folks? If I ever get one, that”s
at the top of mine.
Quiz Answers: 1) Don Newcombe, Brooklyn Dodgers, won the
Rookie of the Year award in 1949 and both the Cy Young and
MVP in 1956 when he went 27-7. 2) The great Eddie Matthews
played for the Boston Braves (1952), Milwaukee Braves (”53-
”65) and the Atlanta Braves (”66).
Winston Cup Standings: 1) Bobby Labonte 2) Dale Earnhardt
3) Dale Jarrett 4) Ward Burton 5) Jeff Burton.10) Jeff
Gordon.
Next Bar Chat, Monday…a little music.
