The Original Document from President Eisenhower stating that `I shall go to Korea`

Eisenhower 's Shall I Go to Korea

Eisenhower gave an indication of his foreign policy in his inaugural address and promised to follow the policy of internationalism of Roosevelt and Truman . Though he openly denounced the policy of appeasement-he said that ' The vital lesson is this : To vacillate , to appease , and to placate is only to invite war-vaster war-bloodier war In the words of the late Senior [Arthur H .] Vandenberg , appeasement is not the road to peace it is only surrender on the installment plan . I will always reject appeasement . And

that is my fourth pledge to you (Eisenhower , 1952

He also pledged American cooperation with other powers with a view to remove the causes of mutual fear and distrust among nations . On subsequent occasions , he further clarified his foreign policy and promised continuation of aid to the allies of the US , continuation of the reciprocal trade programmed with other countries of the world , and repudiation of agreement with government , which permitted the enslavement of peoples

In view of these announcements president Eisenhower set forth to follow a new and tougher line in foreign policy . Two factors contributed to this development . Firstly , in March 1953 Stalin died and it was expected that Russia would be more disposed towards compromise . Secondly , John Foster Dulles , the secretary of state who actually controlled the foreign policy believed that `containment ' would not serve the purpose and pleaded for more dynamism in American policy . He stood for the liberation of people who had been subjected to the communist control the advocated the policy of going to the brink of war and resort to massive retaliation if the communists refused to come to term

Korean issue was one of the first problems , which attracted the attention of the president

He said in his speech that ' The first task of a new Administration will be to review and re-examine every course of action open to us with one goal in view : To bring the Korean War to an early and honorable end This is my pledge to the American people for this task a wholly new Administration is necessary . The reason for this is simple . The old Administration cannot be expected to repair what it failed to prevent (Eisenhower , 1952

Eisenhower believed that Korean war was escapable as he said in his speech that ' The biggest fact about the Korean war is this : It was never inevitable , it was never inescapable , no fantastic fiat of history decreed that little South Korea-in the summer of 1950-would fatally tempt Communist aggressors as their easiest victim . No demonic destiny decreed that America had to be bled this way in to keep South Korea free and to keep freedom itself-self-respecting (Eisenhower 1952 )He decided to follow a different policy then his predecessors , he said that ' We are not mute prisoners of history . That is a doctrine for keeping with his electoral pledge , Eisenhower visited Korea in the interval between his election and inauguration . After protracted negotiations an agreement was...