When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, North Korea pressed South Korea to fight from the beginning. The United States could not sit still, and on 7 July, it immediately pulled Britain, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Turkey, and more than a dozen other countries to form a United Nations army and brazenly enter the country. This escalated a civil war into a local conflict in an instant.
At the time of the Inchon landing, the U.S. United Nations forces fought a very successful battle, which can be described as repeated victories, but soon the United States was in a difficult situation. In October, the arrogant and domineering U.S. military brazenly pushed the war to the border between China and North Korea, and the wolf's ambitions were clearly exposed.
Then, in order to defend homeland security, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army intervened strongly, and the tide of the war soon turned dramatically. In 1951, MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the "United Nations Forces", put forward a plan that shocked the world: to use 26 atomic bombs to force China to withdraw from the war.
Imagine if this plan were to be implemented, the consequences would be unimaginable. World War III will detonate, and it will be a nuclear war, and the civilization of the earth will be destroyed in one fell swoop. However, shortly after MacArthur submitted this proposal, he was removed from his post by the White House. What's going on here?
It turned out that the then US President Harry S. Truman was shocked when he saw this plan, and he was well aware of the power of the atomic bomb and the pressure of international public opinion that the use of such weapons would bring. After all, the impact of using an atomic bomb against a populous and Soviet-backed power would be far worse than the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
You must know that the bombing of Japan at that time was a just war and the aspiration of the people of the world. If the United States, as the aggressor side, uses the atomic bomb, it will fall into a catastrophe from which it will never recover.
Although the Truman administration considered the possibility of using the atomic bomb, it ultimately chose a more rational and secure solution to the Korean problem. They quickly replaced MacArthur, who had proposed this crazy plan, and replaced him with the more stable Ridgway to take command of the "United Nations forces."
The first half of MacArthur's life can be described as a five-star general in American history, an undefeated general in World War I and World War II. In the Pacific Theater, the Japanese army was pressed. His military prowess should not be underestimated. However, as his status gradually rose, he also became more and more arrogant and domineering. He even threatened to "hit the Yalu River and return to the United States for Christmas." It's a pity that his arrogance is not supported by the corresponding strength.
After the Chinese Volunteers entered the war, they quickly turned the tide of the war and forced the well-trained "United Nations Army," armed with advanced weapons, to retreat beyond the 38th parallel. This change made Americans begin to realize that they had hit a hard bone. And MacArthur's contempt and pride also cost him dearly.
At the beginning of the Volunteer Army's war in Korea, MacArthur did not see it as a threat. However, with the successive victories of the Volunteer Army, he had to face reality. In order to save face, he even put forward a crazy plan to use 26 atomic bombs to bomb China. This is not just a thought, he also made Zhou Xiang's plan.
Fortunately, this plan was not approved by the White House. As a statesman, Truman knew that the use of the atomic bomb must be done with caution. He understands that the use of atomic bombs against China will provoke strong international opposition and may even trigger World War III.
MacArthur's plans for a nuclear bomb eventually came to naught. And he himself was removed from his post and returned to the United States in disgrace. In his later years, he finally realized his mistake and left this sentence: "Whoever wants to go to war with China, he must have something wrong with his brain." This sentence may serve as a reflection on his crazy plan.