UN Forces Withdraw from North Korea Across the 38th Parallel
1950
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The original caption for this photograph reads: Crossing the 38th parallel. United Nations forces withdraw from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. They recrossed the 38th parallel.
The Korean War began on the morning of June 25, 1950, when troops from communist North Korea crossed the 38th parallel and attacked the Republic of Korea. Within hours the United Nations Security Council convened to adopt Resolution 82, which called for the withdrawal of all North Korean forces. When no withdrawal occurred, the UN passed a subsequent resolution asking member nations to provide military assistance for the removal of all aggressive forces below the 38th parallel.
General Douglas MacArthur was named commander of United Nations forces in Korea. By early September 1950, MacArthur's forces had pushed most of the North Korean troops back beyond the 38th parallel. MacArthur lobbied to push up into North Korea and crush further aggression. However, President Truman and his advisers believed that since North Korea shared its northern border with China, an aggressive surge by MacArthur could cause the Chinese to fear for their own safety and enter the war.
MacArthur dismissed the likelihood of Chinese intervention. A month later, MacArthur was proven wrong after Chinese forces attacked the Eighth Army. Once engaged in the conflict, Chinese forces began to inflict serious casualties on UN forces and change the shape of the war. This photograph shows United Nations forces withdrawing from their positions beyond the 38th parallel as Chinese forces pushed forward.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Information Agency.
National Archives Identifier:
541822Full Citation: Photograph 306-FS-259(21); Crossing the 38th parallel. United Nations forces withdraw from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. They recrossed the 38th parallel.; 1950; United States Information Service Filmstrips, 1942 - 1952; Records of the U.S. Information Agency, Record Group 306; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/crossing-38th-parallel, May 11, 2024]