As the communist crisis grows more severe in Korea, U.S. senators are divided on whether to take a defensive or offensive approach and the U.S. cabinet seems to be in disarray.
In recent years the presence communism has continued to grow, with Soviet Russia gaining immense military might and China experiencing a successful revolution. Now the focus shifts to Korea as North Korea is gaining military power from the support of Russia and China and is reported to be planning for a war. And with South Korea being under the protection of the U.S., the Cabinet and the Senate is in a scramble.
As gathered by our reporter within the U.S. cabinet meetings, the cabinet has reliable intel that North Korea is planning an invasion of South Korea and is currently in emergency meetings to plan a response. As one would expect, the Senate has also received this report and are currently discussing a possible bill to pass in response.
There are currently three major blocs in opposition, with vastly different viewpoints. The offensive or war bloc believes that an immediate military response is needed and is working to provide President Truman with the clearance to declare war. Sen. Herbert O’Conor (D-Maryland) vies for an even more severe response, stating:
“By using the power of nuclear weapons I believe that we can make a lasting impact in the battle against communists. As an official devoted to the safety of the country, the usage of nukes are what I would call optimal. The plan for nuclear weapons would involve striking North Korea and Russia with such force that they cannot respond. By doing this, we can kill two birds with one stone!”
On the other side of the issue, the defensive bloc believes that a war is a hasty decision and instead the US should simply send aid and troops to their ally, South Korea. They believe that a direct war will be devastating for the U.S. and its military.
The final block believes that this entire issue is a trap, and that the US should stay out of the situation entirely, with Sen. James Murray (D-Montana) stating that:
“We don’t want to poke the bear and start another costly war.”
In a similar vein Sen. Harry Cain (R-Washington) believes that involvement will be a waste of American lives, saying:
“We will not appease the communists!”
A similar debate is ongoing in the U.S. cabinet as members debate over the most beneficial action to take. But what is even more similar between the two government bodies is the heated debate that has turned into more of an argument. Our reporter in the U.S. senate relayed that at one time the entire room dissolved into a shouting match, including senators making what can only be called personal attacks against each other.
The situation in Korea is a rapidly moving one, and it’s not clear if our government can keep up.