"Traitorous Truman"

[Yelnoc]

My AP US History teacher called Truman a traitor today for "letting the communist take almost all of Asia."

Discuss.

[Yelnoc]

She also said we should have heeded Patton's warning and "dealt with the Soviets now, for if we don't we will be fighting them for the next forty years."  According to her, we should have taken German POWs and used them as meatbags to march east into Russia immediately after Berlin's fall.  Failing that, we should have used the Soviet blockade of West Germany as a cassus belli for war.  As if that wasn't enough, she claims MacCarthur was right in calling for total war against China in the Korean War.

The worst part of that class is almost everyone is stupid.  There is an amen chorus of six or so people that non-ironically support her in all of her bizarrely hawkish statements, as well as her obnoxious "big government is bad when the Democrats do it" mantra.

[Yelnoc]

I would've supported Patton going in and Inksing up the Soviets as well. However, I also like the strategy of nuclear deterence. Whatever, I'd likely just find a way to oppose her since she's a teacher and I always oppose whoever tries to teach me anything.

Presumably you died on the beaches of Normandy, but if your brother made it to the end of WW2, [inks]ing up the Soviets in 1945 is a good enough cause for him to die for, yes?

[Yelnoc]

She also said we should have heeded Patton's warning and "dealt with the Soviets now, for if we don't we will be fighting them for the next forty years."  According to her, we should have taken German POWs and used them as meatbags to march east into Russia immediately after Berlin's fall.  Failing that, we should have used the Soviet blockade of West Germany as a cassus belli for war.  As if that wasn't enough, she claims MacCarthur was right in calling for total war against China in the Korean War.

The worst part of that class is almost everyone is stupid.  There is an amen chorus of six or so people that non-ironically support her in all of her bizarrely hawkish statements, as well as her obnoxious "big government is bad when the Democrats do it" mantra.

God what morons.

If American History classes believe that Harry Truman was a commie lover I shudder to think what label they would give to Claude Pepper or Henry Wallace.

Let me guess: Joseph Kennedy Sr. is a left wing liberal according to your teach?

We haven't talked about him yet.  Hopefully she will talk about him once we get to the 1960 election.

[Yelnoc]

Well, Truman actually did play a role in the fall of China to the Reds and the much heralded General George C. Marshall played the leading role. In the Spring of 1945 Communist Chinese forces took the Manchurian cities of Changchun, Harbin and Siping and with it control of the China Eastern Railway. By the fall of 1945, however, Nationalist General Jiang had effectively reversed the Reds and taken back most of the major cities and rail lines in Manchuria. However, the Communist Central Committee ordered Red commander Lin Biao to hold Harbin, Changchun and the East Central Railway at all costs. This made little sense because of the reversals until one looks at General Marshall and his "peace plan."

Marshall arrived in China in December 1945 at the behest of President Truman. Truman apparently wanted to stave off a civil war which was silly and naive, but that does not surprise anyone who knows about the President from Pendergast. Marshall tried to save the Communists by convincing Jiang to abandon Manchuria, but he refused to do so. He actually was able to take Changchun and Siping from the Reds. In June 1946 Marshall was able to attain a cease-fire and it gave the Reds enough time to use the railway hub of Harbin to escape from the surrounding Nationalist forces in Manchuria. It was from here where the Nationalists lost the momentum and the Red victory of 1949 was achieved.

So Truman and Marshall did indeed "lose" China by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. 

Interesting.  I highly doubt my teacher is aware of this, but interesting nonetheless.