America at War: 1950-2010
Examining Presidential Decision Making in Crisis
July 12 – 16, 2010
Monday July 12
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30
Introductions – Mark Adams, Truman Library & Museum
9:30 – 12:30
White House Decision Center: Korean War scenario
Tom Heuertz, Truman Library & Museum
In the White House Decision Center, teachers will examine historical documents for information about the Korean crisis. Advisers will then meet to discuss ideas and strategies that they will recommend to the President. The President meets with his advisers to decide what to do and to prepare a statement to the press. Finally the President delivers his or her statement at a press conference while others become reporters and ask questions.
12:30 – 1:45
Lunch & Tours
1:45 – 2:45
Why John Wayne Never Went to Korea?
Paul Edwards, Center for the Study of the Korean War
Vast misunderstandings about why America was involved in the Korean War, and the failure to accept its less than successful outcome-it was the only war about which John Wayne refused to make a movie-has allow this vastly important war to fade from memory. One significant outcome of this has been that the perceived military failure in Korea has prevented us from consideration of the vast social, political, and economic watershed this period encompassed. This gap, constantly ignored, leaves us unprepared for understanding much of what is happening in America's current participations.
2:45 – 3:45
Research orientation and Research time
3:45 – 5:00
The Cold War Turns Hot: The Truman Administration's Response to the Crisis in Korea
Sam Rushay, Truman Library & Museum
Documents, photographs, and other audiovisual materials from the Library's collections will be used to illustrate the policies, politics, and diplomacy of the Korean War, a pivotal time in American history. We will examine why President Truman decided to go to war in Korea. In the session, we will explore the Truman Administration's response to North Korea's invasion of South Korea in June 1950 and its ill-fated decision to "roll-back" communism by crossing the 38th Parallel. We will also examine the Truman administration's relations with Congress and Congressional critics, particularly Joseph McCarthy; and explore how President Truman dealt with a key Supreme Court decision during the war, the steel seizure case. In addition, we will look into the role of the United Nations in the war, and the Truman Administration's efforts to seek a diplomatic solution to the war in Korea.
Tuesday July 13
8:30 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15
The American Culture of War: A History of American Military Force from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom
Adrian Lewis, University of Kansas
10:30 – 11:45
Korea: Eisenhower’s First Cold War Crisis
Kim Barbieri, Eisenhower Library
On October 25, 1952, Presidential Nominee Dwight Eisenhower delivered a campaign speech in Detroit, Michigan, promising “to bring the Korean War to an early and honorable end.” Three weeks following his election, Eisenhower made good on that pledge, making a secret three-day fact-finding mission to Korea. While there, the President-elect consulted with top commanders, broke bread with the troops, met with South Korean President Syngman Rhee, and assessed the battle lines. As late as mid-May 1953, the National Security Council was considering alternative courses of action in Korea, ranging from the use of tactical atomic weapons to an armistice. Though Eisenhower called publicly for an “honorable armistice,” soon-to-be Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, military commanders, the Republican Party, and Syngman Rhee all opposed it. On a personal level, Eisenhower’s only child, John—a father of three—was himself serving on the frontlines in Korea. This presentation outlines the processes, issues, and personalities involved in achieving an armistice in Korea during the early months of the Eisenhower presidency.
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch & Tours
12:45 – 2:00 Research
2:00 – 2:45
Korean War Veterans panel
Kansas City area veterans will recount their experiences in the Korean War
2:45 – 4:00
Cuban Missile Crisis
Nancy McCoy, Kennedy Library
4:15 – 5:00
Vietnam War Veterans panel
Kansas City area veterans will recount their experiences in the Vietnam War
Wednesday July 14
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15
A Presidential Decision: July 21, 1965
Marsha Sharp, Johnson Library
This session examines the national security meeting scheduled for July 21, 1965, where key advisors were asked to prepare and deliver a report on the situation in Vietnam. The purpose of this meeting was to inform President Johnson of possible practical policy options concerning problems in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
10:30 – 11:45
Watergate and the Yom Kippur War
Mindy Farmer, Nixon Library
In the fall of 1973, the White House found itself suddenly embroiled in two very different assaults-one domestic and one foreign. While President Nixon and his staff were busy deflecting inquiries into the Watergate break-in, on October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel during the holy holiday of Yom Kippur. After weeks of tense negotiations and international maneuvering, the Yom Kippur War ended with a clear diplomatic victory for Israel, and in turn the United States. Yet, while the end is known the means remain unclear. For this session, we will examine documents from this incredibly tense time to gain insight into President Nixon’s involvement, and mindset, in the fight to protect U.S. ties to Israel and, simultaneously, his political career.
11:45 – 12:45
Lunch
12:45 – 2:00
Research
2:00 – 3:15
Saddest Hour: The Fall of Saigon
Barbara McGregor, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Using President Ford’s decision-making process and personal accounts, this session will examine the final days of United States involvement in Vietnam. As a young Congressman from Michigan, Gerald Ford served on the House Sub-committee on Defense and, in that capacity, visited Vietnam in 1953. By the late 1960s he still believed that North Vietnam could be defeated. In the end, that was not the case. While Richard Nixon officially ended U.S. involvement in the war in 1973, Gerald Ford inherited the task of ending our physical presence in that war-torn country. Late in April 1975, evacuation turned to panic as the remaining American personnel and tens of thousands of South Vietnamese raced to depart as North Vietnamese troops moved ever closer to Saigon.
3:30 – 4:45
Choosing Peace: Jimmy Carter and The Iran Hostage Crisis
Kahlil Chism, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum
From 1939 to 1975, a period of time spanning seven United States presidencies, there were only 11 years during which the United States was not involved in a major military conflict. When Jimmy Carter became president in 1977, the Vietnam War had just ended two years prior. And two years later, on November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the United States Embassy in Tehran and took approximately seventy Americans captive. This terrorist act triggered the most profound crisis of the Carter presidency and began a personal ordeal for Jimmy Carter and the American people that lasted 444 days. This presentation will look at the origins and resolution of the Iran hostage crises, and shed light on why President Carter, a military man who knew the importance of a strong defense, chose not to wage a war against Iran.
Thursday July 15
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15
Cold War Mindset: Hot War Engagement
Mira Cohen, Reagan Library
This session will examine the Executive Branch decision to send American troops to invade the Caribbean Island nation of Grenada in 1983. We will go behind the scenes to explore the relationships between the executive branch, Congress and the press. As the invasion of Grenada involved the first major military operation since the Vietnam War, we will explore and analyze the historical context of the decision through the lens of the Cold War framework. Other issues to discuss include the role of the United States in nation changing, international opposition, and the responsibilities of a United States President.
10:30 – 11:45
The Gulf War: Issues and Decisions
Shirley Hammond, George H.W. Bush Library
Beginning with the dispute claims concerning territory, oil, money, and U.S. Foreign Policy vs. the Iraqi situation, factors leading to Iraqi aggression against Kuwait are explored.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to advise the President on important decisions? Here is your chance to experience the White House Situation Room where the President is briefed by his advisors and critical decisions are made. Documents and political cartoons of the era are provided for a better understanding of relationships, issues, and actions.
11:45 – 1:00 Lunch & Tours
1:00 – 2:15
Research
2:15 – 3:30
Fort Leavenworth military historians
Ivan Welch
3:45 – 4:45
Military Offices War panel
Friday July 16
8:30 – 9:00
Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15
Presidential Decisions for War: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq
Gary Hess, Emeritus Distinguished Research Professor, Bowling Green State University
10:30 – 11:30
Teachers share lesson plan ideas in small groups
11:30 – 12:00
Evaluation and wrap up