Dean Acheson and the Place of Korea in American Foreign and Security Policy, 1945-1950

Abstract

The Korean War was a vital part of the career of Dean Acheson and has justly attracted a considerable number of studies. His involvement in policy to the peninsula before 1950, however, has seen little detailed analysis. This article explores Achesons view of Korea and his influence on policy to the country during his time as Under Secretary of State between August 1945 and June 1947, and as Secretary of State from January 1949. It concludes that Acheson was committed to Korean independence and the development of its political institutions and to its economic rehabilitation. The country was an important component of his Asian policy. But the territory itself, even during the War, was never a strategic priority. Before June 1950 Acheson advocated aid, but this was limited by Congressional restrictions on funding. The massive US military commitment in response to the attack was designed more to deter aggression and to resist communist expansion than to protect a strategically important territory. For most of the conflict the Americans and Acheson favored a limited war. Achesons outlook was realistic in terms of the geopolitical situation and domestic constraints.