The President’s Plan for Action

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Describe it as if you were explaining it to someone who can’t see it. Think about: Is it handwritten or typed? Is it all by the same person? Are there stamps or other marks? What else do you see on it?

Which U.S. President released this statement?

Who was the President talking to?

Try to make sense of it

According to this document, what is going to happen?

What reasons did the President give for reaching the decision he did?

What was happening at the time in history this document was created?

What did the President mean by "subversion" when he said "Communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations"?

The President mentions North Korea and China, but what other country do you think he was referring to without naming when he talked about "Communism"?

What other places does the President mention? Why?

Use it as historical evidence

This is one piece of a larger story. What questions do you have that this primary source doesn’t answer?

This primary source shows one perspective on this topic. What other perspectives should you get?

In response to the President’s statement, the Soviet newspaper Pravda said:

“[The President’s] statement and actions, unprecedented in the international relations of the post-war period, are just one more indication that the American ruling circles no longer limit themselves to preparation for aggression, but have gone over to direct acts of aggression… As is known, neither the United Nations nor any other international organ empowered the government of the USA to take those actions related to Korea and China that [the President] announced yesterday. Undertaking their open aggressive act, the American government apparently intended to present the United Nations with a fait accompli.”

Fait accompli means a done deed – something that is already done and can’t be changed. This refers to the fact that the President’s statement was released in the morning, before he attended a meeting of the United Nations later that afternoon. At the meeting he proposed a resolution condemning the “breach of the peace” and urging all UN member countries to give assistance to South Korea, which the UN adopted.

How does the Soviet view of what is going in Korea differ from that of the President?
How would you describe the language used both by the American President and by the Soviets? What emotions do you think this language was meant to stir up? Give examples.
What does the President’s statement tell you about how the United States was responding to communism around the world?

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