The Korean Policy Of President Harry S. Truman And The Recall Of General Douglas MacArthur

On April 11, 1951, President Harry S. Truman discharged General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, thus relieving him of his various posts, including that of Supreme Allied Commander in the Far East. The action provoked enormous public controversy since MacArthur was one of the greatest and most popular military heroes in American history; whereas Truman was an unpopular President. As in most public controversies, the major facts and issues have been submerged by the emotional outcries of protest against and support for Truman's action. Even today the Truman-MacArthur dispute concerning Korean War policy arouses bitter controversy, generated mostly by subjective attachments to either Truman or MacArthur.