Kim Il Sung- Was the dictatorial leader of North Korea from shortly after World War II until his death in 1994. As a young man, Kim led guerrilla forces against the Japanese imperial army until he was forced to flee Korea in the late 1930's. In the early years of the Cold War, Kim sought to reunify all of Korea under his own Communist leadership. In 1949 and early 1950, it seemed that he might have more support among the Korean populace than the equally autocratic leader of South Korea, Syngman Rhee. But Rhee shored up his support by mid-1950, meaning that when Kim invaded the South in July of that year, his forces were not—as he hoped and expected—greeted as liberators.
Douglas MacArthur- He commanded all American forces in the Korean War until being relieved of his command by President Harry Truman in April 1951. In Korea, MacArthur organized a brilliant amphibious attack behind enemy lines at Inchon, nearly allowing the United States to win the war in the fall of 1950. However, MacArthur badly underestimated the threat of Chinese intervention, and was caught completely off-guard by the Chinese advance of November 1950. His forces thrown into retreat, MacArthur demanded a massive retaliation—possibly involving nuclear weapons—against China itself. President Truman denied his request, fearing such an escalation would lead to World War II.
Syngman Rhee- An American-educated Korean exile who returned to his country to become the first president of South Korea in 1948. A fierce anticommunist but also an unpopular autocrat, Rhee led his nation—rather ineffectually—throughout the Korean War. After North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel in June 1950, Rhee ordered his army and police to murder domestic political opponents, as many as 100,000 people are believed to have been killed in this "summer of terror."
Mark W. Clark - Allied commander in North Africa and Italy during World War II . General Clark was commander of UN forces in Korea from 1952 to 1953.
John Foster Dulles - Eisenhower's secretary of state. He was hawkish and highly anti-Communist.
James Van Fleet - Army commander who, during World War II, led the D-Day invasion of Utah Beach. In Korea, he served as Ridgway's field commander, controlling the Eighth Army.
John Muccio - US ambassador to South Korea.
Matthew Ridgway - Commander of the Eighth Army under MacArthur, Ridgway rallied the US/UN/ROK forces and pushed the Communists back. Ridgway became Allied Commander of the Far East after MacArthur's dismissal.
Dean Rusk - John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson's secretary of state. After World War II, it was Rusk, a former Rhodes scholar, who chose the 38th Parallel as the dividing line between North and South Korea.
Peng Teh-haui - Commander of the Chinese Communist "volunteers" in Korea.
Maxwell Taylor - US General who pioneered airborne warfare during World War II. He was commander of the UN forces and the Eighth Army in Korea during the last phases of the Korean War (1953).
Walton Walker - Lieutenant General who had served under Patton in World War II, Walker was commander of all UN ground forces under MacArthur. In December 1950, Walker was killed in a car accident, and Ridgway took his place.
Dean Acheson - Truman's secretary of state. Acheson came under attack during McCarthyism.
Harry S. Truman- The 33rd President of the United States upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945. The Cold War began under Truman's watch, as the president came to believe that he must take a hard stance to contain the expansionistic tendencies of the Soviet Union. The president's "Truman Doctrine" committed the United States to a policy of supporting foes of Communism everywhere in the world. Truman's failure to lead the United States to victory in the Korean War led to a severe decline in support for the president's policies among the American people.
Douglas MacArthur- He commanded all American forces in the Korean War until being relieved of his command by President Harry Truman in April 1951. In Korea, MacArthur organized a brilliant amphibious attack behind enemy lines at Inchon, nearly allowing the United States to win the war in the fall of 1950. However, MacArthur badly underestimated the threat of Chinese intervention, and was caught completely off-guard by the Chinese advance of November 1950. His forces thrown into retreat, MacArthur demanded a massive retaliation—possibly involving nuclear weapons—against China itself. President Truman denied his request, fearing such an escalation would lead to World War II.
Syngman Rhee- An American-educated Korean exile who returned to his country to become the first president of South Korea in 1948. A fierce anticommunist but also an unpopular autocrat, Rhee led his nation—rather ineffectually—throughout the Korean War. After North Koreans crossed the 38th parallel in June 1950, Rhee ordered his army and police to murder domestic political opponents, as many as 100,000 people are believed to have been killed in this "summer of terror."
Mark W. Clark - Allied commander in North Africa and Italy during World War II . General Clark was commander of UN forces in Korea from 1952 to 1953.
John Foster Dulles - Eisenhower's secretary of state. He was hawkish and highly anti-Communist.
James Van Fleet - Army commander who, during World War II, led the D-Day invasion of Utah Beach. In Korea, he served as Ridgway's field commander, controlling the Eighth Army.
John Muccio - US ambassador to South Korea.
Matthew Ridgway - Commander of the Eighth Army under MacArthur, Ridgway rallied the US/UN/ROK forces and pushed the Communists back. Ridgway became Allied Commander of the Far East after MacArthur's dismissal.
Dean Rusk - John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson's secretary of state. After World War II, it was Rusk, a former Rhodes scholar, who chose the 38th Parallel as the dividing line between North and South Korea.
Peng Teh-haui - Commander of the Chinese Communist "volunteers" in Korea.
Maxwell Taylor - US General who pioneered airborne warfare during World War II. He was commander of the UN forces and the Eighth Army in Korea during the last phases of the Korean War (1953).
Walton Walker - Lieutenant General who had served under Patton in World War II, Walker was commander of all UN ground forces under MacArthur. In December 1950, Walker was killed in a car accident, and Ridgway took his place.
Dean Acheson - Truman's secretary of state. Acheson came under attack during McCarthyism.
Harry S. Truman- The 33rd President of the United States upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945. The Cold War began under Truman's watch, as the president came to believe that he must take a hard stance to contain the expansionistic tendencies of the Soviet Union. The president's "Truman Doctrine" committed the United States to a policy of supporting foes of Communism everywhere in the world. Truman's failure to lead the United States to victory in the Korean War led to a severe decline in support for the president's policies among the American people.