Pickering shrugged his agreement.
"We're about to go to war over there," Truman said. "The League of Nations failed because nobody paid any attention to it. Remember when Mussolini was getting ready to in-vade Ethiopia in 1936? The Emperor of Ethiopia... what's his name, Dick?"
"Haile Selassie, Mr. President," Senator Fowler fur-nished.
"Haile Selassie went to the League of Nations," Truman went on, "and the League of Nations told Mussolini to stop. He knew the League of Nations had no teeth, so he invaded Ethiopia. And the League of Nations didn't- couldn't-do a damned thing about it."
"I remember, Mr. President," Fowler said.
"And so the dictators of the world-Italian, German and Japanese-drew the logical conclusion that since the League of Nations was a joke, they could get away with anything they wanted to do. And that gave us World War Two."
"You think the United Nations is going to be different?" Fowler asked, on the edge of sarcasm.
"For one thing, Dick," Truman said. "We belong to the UN; we didn't belong to the League of Nations. For an-other, we now face the indescribable horrors of a nuclear war. We can't afford to have the UN fail."
Fowler shrugged, in agreement.
"The UN has just told the North Koreans to get out of South Korea," Truman went on. "If the UN can't make that order stick, the whole world's likely to go up in a nuclear explosion. So the North Koreans are going to have to get out of South Korea. I've decided the United States has to do whatever is necessary to see that's done."
"By ourselves, if necessary?" Fowler asked.
"I don't think it will come down to that, but if it does, yes, by ourselves."
"Mr. President, have you read McCoy's assessment?" Pickering asked.
"Admiral Hillenkoetter told me about it."
"McCoy feels that the Army of Occupation of Japan is neither equipped nor trained for combat-that they are fac-ing a superior force."
"He's competent to make a judgment like that?"
"I have absolute faith in his judgment, Mr. President," Pickering said.
"Well, he's been right so far, hasn't he?" Truman said. "MacArthur feels he can `contain the situation.' I told him to send a team to Korea to see how bad things really are."
For a long moment, no one said a word.
"There're two possibilities," Truman said. "That once the North Koreans understand we're taking action-I've given MacArthur permission to bomb railheads and bridges, that sort of thing-they'll back down, as the Rus-sians backed down in Berlin after we ran the airlift."
"Mr. President, they may have interpreted Acheson's speech, leaving Korea out of our zone of interest, as mean-ing we would not react."
Truman looked at him, and nodded, and then went on.
"The other possibility is that they-and the Russians, who are behind this-will decide it's the League of Na-tions and Ethiopia all over again, and keep up their attack. That means the involvement of American ground forces. I think that's what's going to happen."
He looked between Fowler and Pickering.
"After Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt fired the Pearl Harbor brass-Admiral Kimmel and General Short-for what amounted to dereliction of duty. They hadn't ade-quately prepared for what happened, and they deserved to be fired. General MacArthur-if we are to believe this young captain of yours, General-has not adequately pre-pared for what is happening there now. Do I have to ex-plain the problems that would be caused if I relieved MacArthur for dereliction of duty and ordered him home?"
"No, sir, Mr. President," Fowler said.
"If I have to say so, Dick, I'm not talking about political damage to Harry Truman. I don't really give a damn about that."
"Mr. President, I will not make... Captain McCoy's as-sessment and what happened in Tokyo will not be made available to the press," Fowler said.
"Or to, for example, Senator Taft?"
Senator Robert Taft (R., Ohio) who had presidential as-pirations, was one of Truman's severest critics.
"I won't tell Bob, either," Fowler said. "Or anyone else. At least for the time being."
"The American people are going to have enough trouble with us going to war in the first place. If we start taking a whipping in the beginning, and it came out MacArthur was warned this was coming and did nothing about it..."
"I understand, Mr. President," Fowler said.
"I'm glad you do," Truman said. He looked between the two of them again. "Now I'm getting hungry. I had no ap-petite at all when I walked in here."
"Mr. President," Pickering said. "I don't want McCoy hurt by what he did."
"I'll tell you what's going to happen to Captain McCoy, General," Truman said. "The Commandant of the Marine Corps has been ordered (a) not to separate him and (b) to have him report as soon as possible to Admiral Hillenkoetter. I declined to tell the Commandant what this is all about, and I'm not going to tell any of the brass, either."
"I don't want him hurt, Mr. President," Pickering re-peated. "He's a captain. When people are looking for scapegoats, captains are expendable."
"What Captain McCoy needs is a protector in high places-is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, Mr. President, I guess it is."
Truman looked at him for a moment, then nodded and smiled.
"I was going to save this for later," Truman said, "but we're clearing the decks, right?"
"I don't think I follow you, Mr. President."
"How's your health, General? Could you pass a physi-cal?"
"Yes, sir, I probably could."
What the hell is he suggesting? That I go back in the Marines?
"I think what's about to happen to you, General, is going to happen to a large number of other people in the next few weeks," Truman said.
"Sir?"
Truman walked to a wall-side credenza, picked up a telephone, and dialed a number from memory.
"This is the President," he said. "Get the Commandant of the Marine Corps for me, will you, please?"
It took less than sixty seconds.
"This is the President, General," Truman said. "I under-stand you're acquainted with Brigadier General Fleming Pickering, USMC Reserve?"
There was a very short pause.
"Please cause the necessary orders to be issued calling the general to active service for an indefinite period, effec-tive immediately, and further placing him on duty with the Central Intelligence Agency," Truman ordered. "It won't be necessary to notify him-he's with me now."
"Jesus H. Christ!" Pickering said.
Truman put the phone down and turned to Pickering.
"Take as long as you need before actually reporting to Ad-miral Hillenkoetter," he said. "But obviously, the sooner the better."
He smiled at Pickering's obvious discomfiture.
"Can we now have our breakfast?" he asked.
[SIX]
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY CHIEF FOR OFFICER RECORDS
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF STAFF, G-l
HEADQUARTERS,
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA
2330 29 JUNE 1950
Captain Kenneth R. McCoy had learned the legalities of leave as a PFC of the 4th Marines in Shanghai.
Leave is earned at the rate of 2.5 days per month, which adds up to 30 days a year. Leave may be accrued up to a to-tal of 60 days; anything over that is lost. Leave begins at 0001 the first day of leave and ends at 2359 on the last day.