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The 1950's

The Never-Ending War

The Never-Ending War
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.94

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    blackmail, build-up, clear-cut, non-communist, nuclear, cease-fire, countryside, chairman, invasion, assault, rumblings, agenda, commander, launched, leadership, command
     content words:    General MacArthur, Communist North Korea, Wake Island, North Korean, As MacArthur, Chairman Mao, Yalu River, Eighth Army, One U. S., In April

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The Never-Ending War
By Toni Lee Robinson 		  
1     The UN forces under General MacArthur in Korea were on top of the game. They had driven deep into Communist North Korea. It looked like a done deal. It seemed a matter of time before Korea was reunited under a non-communist system.
 
2     The issues weren't as clear-cut as they seemed, however. The conflict in Korea was a prickly problem. Another player was about to come into the picture. Like underground tremors from a giant mountain, rumblings had come from China on the issue of Korea. Western forces must not cross Korea's dividing line, they said. China would take such a crossing as a challenge to its safety. The vast armies of the People's Republic of China would be sent in.
 
3     Truman was annoyed by the threat. He called it "a bald attempt to blackmail the UN." Still, the President was cautious about making the giant mountain mad. General MacArthur, on the other hand, had commented that the UN might as well take on China while they were dealing with Korea.
 
4     Truman traveled to Wake Island to speak face to face with his quirky commander. He made it clear that engaging China was not on the U.S. agenda. MacArthur was ordered to be very careful when pushing north of the 38th parallel. UN troops were to keep their distance from the Chinese border.

Paragraphs 5 to 13:
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