Victory-less War

November 2, 1951 — The Sarasota Herald-Tribune


Arash Norouzi

The Mossadegh Project | February 2, 2021                  


The Korean War

Lead editorial in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune newspaper in Sarasota, Florida.

Korean War archive




Questions On Korea War

Possibility of the United States finding a graceful exit from the strangest conflict of arms in which it has ever become involved is brighter now than at any time since the Communist armies marched across the 38th parallel in Korea. The Red negotiators have come closer to accepting the United Nations’ conditions on a buffer zone than at any time in the past. Although there are many other questions to be settled before a cease-fire can become effective, the truce line has presented the negotiators with their biggest hurdle. Indications are that with that out of the way, a good chance is presented for bringing the Korean war to an end.

A truce would extricate our officials in Washington from a most embarrassing situation. Our government has officially ruled out of the conflict the main objective in every war which we had previously fought—victory. Never before have United States forces been asked to sacrifice lives without the prospect of a decisive defeat of the enemy. Today finds our forces in the same relative position that we occupied geographically 16 months ago. To carry on this strange military struggle we have sacrificed casualties of 95,592, with 14,393 American boys being killed in action on the Korean peninsula. That represents 95 percent of the United Nations losses under Communist fire. At the same time we have expended billions of dollars to finance this so-called “police action” for the United Nations. All for a purpose that is fast getting beyond understanding.

While American losses continue as high as 2,000 a week on the Korean front, we boast about the large number of atomic bombs we have stored away and broadcast for the world the successes we are having in development of atomic-power tactical weapons. But not a one has been dropped on the Korean front in an effort to reduce the toll of lives there. While division after division of American fighting manpower is shipped to Europe, where manpower is abundant, we restrict our forces in Korea to a numerically inferior 350,000 men. Washington turns its back on the real war that is taking place on the Korean peninsula to devote its time and energies to a mythical war in Europe.

How much longer is the nation going to be asked to sacrifice for this military farce? Can we look forward to paying another 100,000 casualties for maintaining this victory-less war? The American people are justified in demanding an unequivocal answer to those questions.



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Related links:

Give Him a Fighting Chance | The Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 8, 1951

Time For Truman Action | Sarasota Herald Tribune, Dec. 12, 1951

Korea: Military Double-Talk Written in Blood | Robert Ruark (1951)



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