Truman Orders U.S. Forces to Fight in Korean War
On July 19, 1950, in a radio and television address, President Harry Truman announces to the world that America will intervene in the Korean conflict in order to stem the spread of communism.
Related Speeches & Audio (10)
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Truman Orders U.S. Forces to Fight in Korean War
Truman Orders U.S. Forces to Fight in Korean WarAudio Clip (0:23)
Audio Clip (0:23)
On July 19, 1950, in a radio and television address, President Harry Truman announces to the world that America will intervene in the Korean conflict in order to stem the spread of communism.
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Eisenhower Announces Korean War Armistice
Eisenhower Announces Korean War ArmisticeAudio Clip (0:46)
Audio Clip (0:46)
On July 27, 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed, ending three years of fighting that involved two dozen nations. In his public statement delivered an hour after the signing, President Eisenhower commemorates those who fought to keep freedom alive.
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JFK on Korean War Armistice Talks
JFK on Korean War Armistice TalksAudio Clip (1:11)
Audio Clip (1:11)
In July 1951, John F. Kennedy, a promising young Democrat from Massachusetts, offers his views on the terms the United States should seek at the Korean War armistice talks in Kaesong.
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MacArthur on Communist Advances in Korea
MacArthur on Communist Advances in KoreaAudio Clip (0:32)
Audio Clip (0:32)
On January 21, 1951, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of United Nations forces in Korea, offers reassurance to the public that South Korea would not fall to communist forces.
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Korean War Progress Report
Korean War Progress ReportAudio Clip (3:57)
Audio Clip (3:57)
Upon his return from the Far East, Supreme Commander of U.N. forces Gen. Matthew Ridgeway addresses a joint session of Congress on April 22, 1952, and recounts stories of Allied bravery on the battlefield.
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Fall of Seoul
Fall of SeoulAudio Clip (3:47)
Audio Clip (3:47)
In his weekly Hear It Now radio program on January 5, 1951, Edward R. Murrow reports on the fall of Seoul to North Korea during the Korean War.
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Korean War Battlefield Report
Korean War Battlefield ReportAudio Clip (2:50)
Audio Clip (2:50)
A September 14, 1950, a live report from the battlefield by combat correspondent Ens. Jack Seigal captures the U.S. Marines landing at Wolmi Do Island in Ichon Harbor, Korea.
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Truman Threatens Japan With Atomic Attacks
Truman Threatens Japan With Atomic AttacksAudio Clip (0:26)
Audio Clip (0:26)
In his radio address to the American people, on August 9, 1945, President Harry Truman speaks about the Hiroshima bombing, and reasserts his threat to use additional atomic bombs against Japan until it surrenders.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt Reports on Teheran and Cairo Conferences
Franklin D. Roosevelt Reports on Teheran and Cairo ConferencesAudio Clip (2:36)
Audio Clip (2:36)
Following the 1943 Big Four meetings in Teheran and Cairo, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers a Christmas Eve broadcast promising the nation that they can look forward to peace, though at a high cost.
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Truman Announces Japan's Surrender
Truman Announces Japan's SurrenderAudio Clip (1:57)
Audio Clip (1:57)
On September 1, 1945, in a radio address to the American people, President Harry Truman announces the unconditional surrender of Japan, formalized aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.
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U.S. Jetfighter Ace of Korea
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Get to know Colonel Ralph Parr, one of the greatest jetfighter aces in American history, whose three-decade Air Force career encompassed three wars and five combat tours.
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First Hispanic-American Jet Ace
First Hispanic-American Jet AceVideo Clip (1:20)
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Get to know the first Hispanic-American jet ace in United States history, Captain Manuel J. Pete Fernandez, Jr. Fernandez flew the F-86 Saber for more than 125 combat missions in the Korean War.
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LBJ: Gulf of Tonkin Incident
LBJ: Gulf of Tonkin IncidentVideo Clip (3:49)
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The Gulf of Tonkin incident was the result of mounting tensions between the U.S. and North Vietnam.
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P51 Pilots
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Video Clip (3:20)
Veterans Frederick Blesse and Walker Mahurin P51 fighter jets during the korean War.
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Korea Vet Recalls War
Korea Vet Recalls WarVideo Clip (3:12)
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Veteran Sherman Pratt recalls the tough conditions during the Korean War.
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Soviet MiG-15 Fighter Jet
Soviet MiG-15 Fighter JetVideo Clip (1:40)
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The Soviet MiG-15 took part in the first jet-versus-jet dogfights of the Korean War, and even outperformed the American F-80 due to its blistering rate of climb.
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Gerald Ford: Mayaguez Incident
Gerald Ford: Mayaguez IncidentVideo Clip (2:54)
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Watch this historical clip of President Ford as he announces that the crew men of the SS Maya Guez have been rescued from Cambodian forces. This was a very exciting and popular move for President Ford.
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Korean War Veteran Edwin Simmons
Korean War Veteran Edwin SimmonsVideo Clip (2:44)
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Brigadier General Edwin Simmons recalls the Korean War.
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Korean War Homecoming
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Korean War soldiers returned home to a population that was largely disinterested in the war effort.
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Korean War POW
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Korean War veteran William Allen recalls being taken prisoner by North Korea.
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Throughout American history, a number of controversial generals have clashed with presidents and other officials.
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Korean War
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On June 25, 1950, the Korean War began when communist North Korea invaded South Korea. The United States, fighting under United Nations command, would lose more than 36,000 soldiers in one of the first clashes of the Cold War.
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