THE UNITED STATES IN THE KOREAN WAR

In addition to the fact that the Korean War is so recent that perspectives and lasting effects are hard to establish, any U.S. author attempting to write about it has three additional problems to clarify. The first is explaining the concept and the objectives of a limited war. The second is the personal and political aspect involved in Truman's relieving MacArthur's command. The third is the prisoner of war question that still makes political hay. Mr. Lawson's statement of the strategy behind a limited war as opposed to all-out use of force paves the way for the presentation of MacArthur's relief, in which the questions of personalities, stubbornly held philosophies of duty, and partisan politics are thoroughly explored. The prisoner of war issue and the behavior of captive American soldiers has always been obscured by the casual interpretation of statistical data. There is a chapter on the techniques of brainwashing, with information from veterans who resisted with outstanding success. This is followed by a chapter on the Congressional Medals awarded in Korea -- a telling figure in itself -- 131. There is a chronology of Korean history from 1894 through 1954. Battle buffs will not be disappointed with the descriptions of the method of warfare.