Blood, Sweat, and Fire
(1948-2017: Sixty-Nine Years that Changed the World)
Part One, Chapter Seven:
We Both Reached for the Gun
“...The year of 1949 was a defining twelve months for the Second Red Scare in the United States. Many events took place to heighten the fear in the public toward the Soviet Union, and this was not helped at all by people such as Joe Pyne, a famous radio talk show host at the time. He stirred the people toward panic and suspicion during this time, and ultimately it would help make future events even worse. Indeed, one could say that 1949 was the greatest height of the Second Red Scare...”
Victoria L. Flaga, author of, The Second Red Scare (circa 2012)
“...President MacArthur is a warmongering megalomaniac. How he was ever elected into office, I'll never understand. I respect his service in the military, of course, but as history has proven, military commanders do not always make the best of Presidents...”
A quote attributed to Representative John F. Kennedy, in a private conversation between him and his brothers
February and March passed by in a blur for the MacArthur Administration, with nothing much of note taking place in those months. However, it was in April where things truly got interesting. The first thing to happen in April that drew the attention of the world was the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance between (for all intents and purposes) the capitalist European and North American powers, such as the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Canada, Italy, and of course, the United States. This alliance has been one that President MacArthur has highly approved of, and campaigned for quite vigorously. In a speech to Congress, the President stated that,
“This defense alliance is a necessary step toward a better and brighter tomorrow, and for the continued freedom and safety of the United States of America. With this alliance, we shall show Mao and Stalin that we will not be intimidated by their monstrous actions, or their numbers. For the United States is no longer alone in this conflict. With the great powers of Europe and North America working together, we shall see that the tyranny of the Soviet Union is matched and kept at bay at every turn.”
The treaty itself passed through Congress easily, despite protests from Postmaster General Robert Taft and his Isolationist colleagues. Overall it was a move that the American Public supported, though as a consequence it helped to further fuel the Second Red Scare going on in the United States.
Toward the end of the month, two incidents related to the Chinese Civil War occurred, that further worried President MacArthur.
First, when a Royal Navy ship attempting to ferry British Commonwealth refugees from China attempted to pass the Yangtze River, it came under heavy fire from Communist forces. After an abortive attempt to rescue the vessel a few days later, the ship was forced to anchor on a nearby island, resulting in the United Kingdom negotiating with the Communist Chinese for the vessel's safe passage. Mao and his lackeys prolonged the negotiations for reasons unknown, further angering the United Kingdom.
However, the most concerning event happened shortly after this: On April 23rd, the Communists took the Nationalist capital of Nanjing. This event effectively nailed the lid on the coffin of the Kuomintang, as they were forced to retreat further and further away from Mainland China after this devastating loss. The KMT, despite constantly receiving funding from the United States, continued to fight a losing battle against the Mao Communists.
It was an event that both infuriated and (to some extent) frightened MacArthur. It seemed to him that Chiang Kai-shek couldn't do anything right; but, it also proved just how powerful Mao's army was becoming, and how much of a future threat it could pose to America, especially given its close proximity to Occupied Japan.
On April 27th, 1949, a closed session of Congress was held, with President MacArthur in attendance. What was said on that day remains unknown; however, the end result of that meeting changed the course of history in East Asia.
After the closed session, President MacArthur made this announcement to the American People on the radio:
“...With the approval of Congress, as of this moment, a state of war exists between the Communist forces in China, and the United States of America. For too long, we have allowed this menace to rape and pillage their way across East Asia. Now, though, The United States shall not stand for it any longer! With the help of the Kuomintang, we shall utterly annihilate Mao, and remove every single trace of Communism in China. Just as we defeated Hitler and his Nazi Regime, so shall we defeat Mao's Communist army...”