A COLD WAR

MacArthur can feel victory slipping through his fingers in Korea. He was certain the Chinese had been scared off. He was very, very wrong. His choice lay between escalation or humiliation.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back to the Korean War and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir aka Lake Changjin. China and the UN/ROK forces fight in freezing cold temperatures. Well, when I say “fight”, I mean the UN forces were “advancing in a different direction”.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part four of our recent chat about the history of China and Taiwan with James Shone, a teacher who has lived and worked in Taiwan for over a decade. He’s recently started a podcast about the history of Taiwan - https://taiwanthroughtime.com/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Danny Orbach is an Associate professor in general history and East Asian studies, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His new book, Fugitives, is a history of Nazi mercenaries during the Cold War.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is part three of our recent chat about the history of China and Taiwan with James Shone, a teacher who has lived and worked in Taiwan for over a decade. He’s recently started a podcast about the history of Taiwan - https://taiwanthroughtime.com/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part two of our recent chat with James Shone about Taiwan. Don't forget to check out this new podcast about the history of Taiwan - https://taiwanthroughtime.com/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were recently invited by Paul Giordano, a listener of this show, to give a lecture to the kids studying the Cold War at EF Academy in NY where Paul is the Humanities Department Chair. We spoke for about 40 minutes then did some Q&A with the very bright kids in his class. This is a recording of our Zoom call. We're available for more school lectures, kids' parties, wedding and bar mitzvahs.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The backdrop to the early stages of the Korean War was a US Presidential election which Truman was expected to lose. He also survived his second assassination attempt, this time by Puerto Rican nationalists. The first assassination attempt was by Zionist terrorists. Back in North Korea, China and the US fight over the Chosin Reservoir, aka the Battle of Lake Changjin.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1949, the Kuomintang retreated from mainland China to the island of Formosa, now known as Taiwan. Ownership of Taiwan would become a major issue during the Cold War, and continues to be a cause of regional tensions, as well as China-US tensions, today. Joining us to talk about it today is James Shone, a teacher who has lived and worked in Taiwan for over a decade. He’s recently started a podcast about the history of Taiwan - https://taiwanthroughtime.com/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okay - no more foreplay. By early November 1950, Macarthur thought he had the Chinese scared and on the run and he continued his push to the Manchurian border, aka “the Home-by-Christmas Offensive”, assuring his troops they would all be home by Christmas. Little did he know that his 150,000 men were advancing unwittingly into 300,000 Chinese troops and 80,000 North Korean remnants and guerrillas. Neither the CIA or MacArthur’s own intelligence units had any clue what they were walking into. It was to become MacArthur’s Graveyard.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices