Claim about MacArthur and nuclear bombs (was RE: AW: Victims)

["Strickert, Rick" <rstrickert@signaturescience.com>]

Franz Schoenhofer wrote:



	"You seem to forget that nuclear bombs were not even used in the Korean war - and to my knowledge one of the then war-heroes was dismissed by the then ruling president within 10 minutes, when he proposed to use nuclear bombs." 



Schoenhofer's suggestion that President Truman dismissed General MacArthur on April 11, 1951, within 10 minutes after MacArthur proposed the use of nuclear bombs is not in agreement with historical accounts.



1.  The reason Truman fired MacArthur was insubordination; MacArthur repeatedly ignored orders not to make public speeches contrary to Administration policies.  The specific reasons are given in the "Statement and Order by the President on Relieving General MacArthur of His Commands" that can be found at http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trumanpapers/pppus/1951/77.htm.



The last example was a letter to Representative Joseph W. Martin, Jr., House Minority Leader, dated March 20, 1951, which Representative Martin published in the Congressional Record of April 5 (vol. 97, P. 3380).  Elsewhere I saw a reference to an April 6 communication by MacArthur telling European diplomats the same thing, but I haven't seen any confirmation of that communication.



2. On December 9, 1950, MacArthur did requested the discretion to use nuclear weapons both in North Korea and China, and later supplied a list of 26 recommended targets. He made another request in March, 1951.  However, there is documentation  (see the references in http://www.thebulletin.org/issues/1992/a92/a92.cumings.html ) that the Truman administration had also considered the use of nuclear weapons during 1950, and authorized the preparation of a limited number of nuclear weapons for use in the Korean Conflict (it was not a constitutionally declared war for the U.S).  Furthermore, MacArthur's successor,  Matthew Ridgway, renewed MacArthur's request in May 1951,  for 38 nuclear weapons. And in late 1951, months after MacArthur had been removed, Operation Hudson Harbor was conducted to establish a capability to use tactical nuclear weapons on the battle field.  



Again, MacArthur was fired for disobeying orders not to publicly disagree with his Commander-in-Chief.  I found nothing to support the notion that MacArthur was fired within 10 minutes (or 10 weeks) of proposing to use nuclear weapons.  And there is evidence the Truman adminstration also considered and prepared for the use nuclear weapons, even after MacArthur was relieved of command. 



Rick Strickert

Austin, TX



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