Book Reviews: The Korea Story. By JOHN C. CALDWELL and LESLIE FROST. (Chicago: Henry Regnery Company. 1952. Pp. xii, 180. $3.00.)

• Published date: 01 December 1952
• Date: 01 December 1952
• DOI: 10.1177/106591295200500465
• Author: Charles Sweeny
• Subject Matter: Articles

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The Korea Story. By JOHN C. CALDWELL and LESLIE FROST. (Chicago:
Henry Regnery Company. 1952. Pp. xii, 180. $3.00.)
The World Leadership megalomania of the American people has
gotten the nation into many difficult and some disgraceful situations but
never into one more disgraceful than the present Korean War. Since
President Wilson first sanctified himself &dquo;savior of suffering humanity,&dquo;
his successors have, to a lesser or greater degree, hidden behind the same
hypocritical mask to meddle in and disrupt the affairs of other peoples
and nations. Usually we have gotten out of the succeeding disasters by
sanctimoniously vilifying our victims and placing on their shoulders the
blame for our failures. For the first and probably not the last time events
have caught up with us. The blame for Korea is ours. We shall find
it difficult to shrug it off. It is this fact, not the excellence of the book,
which makes its publication of vital importance today. The Korean Story
is an honest, straightforward statement of facts, written with commendable
simplicity and candor. The author, John C. Caldwell, by his upbringing,
education and experience, qualifies as an expert on Far Eastern questions.
His first Korean assignment as a civilian information specialist of
the American Army of Occupation was to establish an information service
near the 38th Parallel and to carry on the underground war against North
Korea. The author, also, participated in the preparations for the &dquo;demo-
cratic&dquo; elections of May 1948, which were supervised by the United
Nations.
On January 1, 1949 the &dquo;American Mission in Korea&dquo; took over
the supervision of the country and its government from the Army. At its
head was Ambassador Muccio but behind his back were the two real
rulers, First Secretaries Harold Noble and James Stewart. The United
States Department of State also furnished the additional personnel to
motivate and implement the Mission. This &dquo;Advance Guard of Democ-
...