WI Truman asks Congress to declare war on North Korea in June 1950?

raharris1973

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How many hours or days does it take him to get a DoW from Congress, if at all?

Would a Formal DoW affect early American action, allied action, UN action, north Korean action, chinese action or Soviet action in any way?
 
The US did not recognize the government of North Korea. Could the US congress declare war on an unrecognized state?
 
Truman did not want to do anything that could be viewed as conceding that he could not act militarily in Korea *without* Congressional approval. But if he wanted congressional authorization, he could get it and quickly (though it would be very unlikely to be a formal declaration of war). Even Taft said he would vote for an authorization to use force. (And there is no reason Truman couldn't have taken the first steps toward intervention in the meantime.) In any event, Truman was extremely determined *not* to encourage a "war psychology" that would lead people to think that Korea was the precursor of a World War III.
 
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