What precedent did President Truman set when he sent troops to Korea? The President could send U.S. troops overseas without a congressional declaration of war.

Moving quickly, and without seeking a declaration of war from Congress, President Truman ordered U.S. air and naval forces to attack targets north of the 38th parallel. He also authorized General MacArthur to send American ground troops from Japan to support the rapidly collapsing South Korean Army.

Outraged, Truman reportedly responded, “By God, I’m going to let them [North Korea] have it!” Truman did not ask Congress for a declaration of war, and he was later criticized for this decision. Instead, he sent to South Korea, with UN sanction, U.S. forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur to repel the invasion.

President Truman responded to the events in Korea by assigning General Douglas MacArthur to be the leader of the UN army. Truman wanted to restore peace between North and South Korea and make sure China did not get involved.

Technically, the Korean War did not end. The fighting stopped when North Korea, China and the United States reached an armistice in 1953. But South Korea did not agree to the armistice, and no formal peace treaty was ever signed.

According to the American estimates, about 920,000 Chinese soldiers had been killed or wounded during the war. After they add North Korea’s casualties to this number, the Americans believed that the Chinese and North Koreans suffered a total of 1.42 to 1.5 million casualties.

In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement, ending open hostilities between the two nations. War between North and South Vietnam continued, however, until April 30, 1975, when DRV forces captured Saigon, renaming it Ho Chi Minh City (Ho himself died in 1969).

The U.S. entered the Vietnam War in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism, but foreign policy, economic interests, national fears, and geopolitical strategies also played major roles.