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Ahead of the 55th anniversary of the 1950 Incheon Landing, a turning point in the Korean War, the man who looks after the archive dedicated to its architect, General Douglas MacArthur, has expressed dismay at vociferous calls in Korea to topple a statue of the old soldier. James Zobel, the chief archivist at the MacArthur Memorial and Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, told the Chosun Ilbo this week it was ¡°surprising¡± that some Koreans claim MacArthur directly ordered the massacre of civilians. ¡°With that logic, how do you explain the evacuation of Hungnam, where countless Korean civilians were evacuated on U.S. ships?"
Referring to a wealth of documents during the three-hour interview, he sought to refute the arguments of Korea¡¯s anti-MacArthur camp that the U.S. caused the Korean War, that the general was a "murderer," and that he must bear responsibility for the division of the nation. Zobel has worked at the museum for 13 years.
He said what worried him most was the distorted view of the war held by some South Korean historians. ¡°Over the last couple of years, perhaps five or six South Korean historians have come here. At least three of them seemed to believe the Korean War was a defensive war on North Korea¡¯s part,¡± he said. ¡°I got the impression they were simply following communist propaganda. I¡¯m concerned these claims will spread among young people."
What is wrong with claims that the U.S. sparked or caused the Korean War?
That debate is already finished among historians. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many supporting materials came to light. It's an unshakable fact that Kim Il-sung invaded South Korea with the support of Mao Zedong. It's hard to understand why this Bruce Cumings-style revisionist history [after a University of Chicago historian who first proposed the theory] about the origins of the Korean War is still accepted in South Korea.
Have you tried to correct their view of the Korean War?
Even if I say this to Koreans who come here, they don't listen. They're not interested. I was disappointed by their approach to history.
What do you think the MacArthur statue symbolizes today?
When it was erected in 1957, it expressed gratitude to the soldier who protected South Korea's freedom. It contained the clear understanding that MacArthur came not to conquer or occupy, but to stop a Communist invasion.
Some scholars claim that MacArthur prolonged a conflict that would have ended in a month and made it last three years by intervening in a unification war, someone else's domestic quarrel, and that he asked the U.S. government to intervene.
MacArthur didn't ask the U.S. government to intervene; in fact, he criticized Washington¡¯s decision to intervene without consulting the regional commander first. But he had the conviction that if the United States joined in the war, it had to win. After retaking Seoul with the Incheon Landing, he was ordered to unify the Korean Peninsula. The UN forces, which stretched all the way to the Yalu River, had unification in sight. But in December 1950, the Chinese Communist Army intervened and prolonged the war. So who's responsible for prolonging the war? If China hadn't intervened, the Korean War would have ended in a year and casualties would have been much fewer.
Some say the exclusion of South Korea from the U.S.¡¯ cold war East Asian defense perimeter, the Acheson Line, was one of the causes for the war.
That logic that is difficult for me to understand as a historian. From 1948 to 1950, the inter-Korean military conflict was along the 38th parallel. If the Soviet Union hadn't provided North Korea with T-34 tanks, Yak fighter planes and military advisors, it wouldn't have had the capability to set its sights on invading the entirety of South Korea.
Is there any basis for claims that MacArthur ordered the massacre of civilians, rapes and looting?
After the intervention of the Chinese, it's possible that civilians were killed during the bombing of logistic bases. But claims that MacArthur directly ordered the massacre of civilians are surprising. By that logic, how would you explain the rescue of countless Korean civilians during the evacuation of Hamhung?
MacArthur was born in Arkansas but considered Norfolk, Virginia, where his mother hailed from, his home. The city of Norfolk donated its historic city hall for use as a memorial to MacArthur, and it opened three months prior to the general's death aged 84 in January 1964. The tombs of the general and his wife are located near the entrance of the memorial. Norfolk named the area MacArthur Square. It is surrounded by five inlaid stars, symbolizing the general, one of only five in U.S. history to earn five-star rank.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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