Korean War Podcast Paul Kendrick

For years President Truman had failed to invest in South Korea's defence, the North Korea invasion invasion in June 1950 came as a shock but Truman decided to commit American troops to the defence of South Korea.  General Mac Arthur invasion at Inchon turned around the Korean but his relation with the Truman became strained leading to the firing of the General.

By 1945, the Soviet Union had established a highly effective spy ring operating in the United States.  Many of their spies were key figures within the American Government, they also spies in the atomic bomb programme, who would pass on information which helped the Soviets build their own atomic bomb.  A biograph of two Soviet spies who would be executed, Julius and Ethel Rosenburg.

The rise and fall of Senator Joe McCarthy, a biography of him is given.  Following a speech by him in 1950 he became the most famous anti-communist in American.  Hearing he chaired destroy the reputation of many.  However when he started to investigate the Army, President Eisenhower was prepared to the same tactics to bring down Senator McCarthy. 

When Eisenhower ran for President in 1952, the Korean War was an important issue during the election campaign.  When he became President he tried to end the Korean War, at first time without success but then in March 1953, Stalin died and it was possible to begin talks to end the war.

The story of the early years of the American Central Intelligence Agency and it most important director Allan Dulles.  The CIA go on from a disappointing start during the Korean War to became the oversea convert operations agency for the American Government but some of its actions would latter be questioned.

American involvement in Central America in the first half of the 20th Century.  The story of two countries, in the post war period which the Americans supported coups, one in Costa Rica, which established a stable democracy and in Guatemala which overthrow and a left wing democratic Government and would led to a 36 year long civil war.