War in Peacetime: The History and Lessons of Korea

Book excerpt: As Army Chief of Staff during the Korean war, General Collins directly monitored operations in the Far East for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He describes the actions of President Truman, Dean Acheson, George C. Marshall, Robert Lovett, Omar Bradley and the field commanders: Walton Walker’s desperate defense of the Pusan perimeter, MacArthur’s brilliant success at Inchon and disaster at the Yalu river and Ridgway taking over from MacArthur to rebuild the morale of a dispirited army. “General Collins... has produced an absorbing book which will be of great interest to the general reader... The book is clearly written... and covers its subject well.” — Denis Stairs, International Journal “[A] superior memoir of policy making on Korea.” — Richard K. Betts, The American Historical Review “[T]he story is told in compact and clear fashion, from the broadest standpoint and in gripping detail, and is supported by excellent cartography... Collins weaves an extremely useful account of his own role within the Joint Chiefs of Staff system. He is particularly informative on the unified department of defense... If he was a cold-war warrior, Collins was of the most responsible breed: a general of intelligence and balance who recoiled from the insanity of playing with global fire.” — Alvin D. Coox, The American Historical Review “This volume should not be missed by those of our citizens who want a view of the Korean war from the vantage point of the Chief of Staff of the United States Army at that time.” — Virgil Ney, Ordnance “As a primary source for decision-making studies and American historians, the book has self-evident value.” — Kirkus