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The saying that "generals fight the last war" was quite popular at this time, so it is ironic that the Korean War is such a good example of it. The "forgotten war" is remembered mainly for two episodes.

The saying that "generals fight the last war" was quite popular at this time, so it is ironic that the Korean War is such a good example of it. The "forgotten war" is remembered mainly for two episodes.

One episode was Truman's decision to cross the 38th parallel in October 1950.<ref>Truman made the decision to invade North Korea in secret on September 11, 1950 on the advise of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just before the Inchon landing. The staff of the National Security Council advised against it. Going to the "gates of Vladivostok" was likely to provoke a Soviet response, according to George Kennan, a leading Soviet specialist of the time. (Chi Young Pak, ''Korea and the United Nations'') As an alternative, the French and British proposed a defensive line across the waist of Korea, located just north of Pyongyang.</ref> This is remembered as a lesson in American hubris, resulting in a Chinese counterattack. Learning all the wrong lessons, Vietnam-era policymakers never violated Vietnam's partition line. Thus Vietnam's communists had far less motivation to seek a ceasefire than did those in Korea.  

One of these episodes is Truman's decision to cross the 38th parallel in October 1950.<ref>Truman made the decision to invade North Korea in secret on September 11, 1950 on the advise of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just before the Inchon landing. The staff of the National Security Council advised against it. Going to the "gates of Vladivostok" was likely to provoke a Soviet response, according to George Kennan, a leading Soviet specialist of the time. (Chi Young Pak, ''Korea and the United Nations'') As an alternative, the French and British proposed a defensive line across the waist of Korea, located just north of Pyongyang.</ref> This is remembered as a lesson in American hubris, resulting in a Chinese counterattack. Learning all the wrong lessons, Vietnam-era policymakers never violated Vietnam's partition line. Thus Vietnam's communists had far less motivation to seek a ceasefire than did those in Korea.  

The other well-remembered episode was Truman's dismissal of General [[Douglas MacArthur|General MacArthur]] in April 1951. This is remembered as a president asserting civilian authority, with Truman supposedly saving the world from a nuke-crazed general. In fact, the dispute had nothing to with nuclear weapons. This episode led President Lyndon Johnson to divide up authority among various generals in Vietnam

The other well-remembered episode was Truman's dismissal of General [[Douglas MacArthur|General MacArthur]] in April 1951. This is remembered as a president asserting civilian authority, with Truman supposedly saving the world from a nuke-crazed general. In fact, the dispute had nothing to with nuclear weapons. This episode led President Lyndon Johnson to divide up authority among various generals in Vietnam