The American Press and the Cold War : The Rise of Authoritarianism in South Korea, 1945–1954

During the Cold War, the United States enabled the rise of President Syngman Rhee's repressive government in South Korea, and yet neither the American occupation nor Rhee's growing authoritarianism ever became particularly controversial news stories in the United States. Could the press have done more to scrutinize American actions in Korea? Did journalists fail to act as an adequate check on American power? In the first archive-based account of how American journalism responded to one of the most significant stories in the history of American foreign relations, Oliver Elliott shows how a group of foreign correspondents, battling U.S. military authorities and pro-Rhee lobbyists, brought the issue of South Korean authoritarianism into the American political mainstream on the eve of the Korean War. However, when war came in June 1950, the press rapidly abandoned its scrutiny of South Korean democracy, marking a crucial moment of transition from the era of postwar idealism to the Cold Warnorm of American support for authoritarian allies. Acknowledgements Contents List of Abbreviations A Note on Transliteration List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction The American Press and Rhee-era South Korea Studying the American Press Argument Sources Structure Chapter 2: Occupation 1945–1946: Hope and Failure Rediscovering Korea Occupation Crisis Covering Korea The Critics The Rhee Lobby Conclusion Chapter 3: Occupation 1947–1948: Division and Independence Political Deadlock Washington Lobby Measuring Success Rightists Thrive Amid Confusion Picking Champions UN Intervention Rhee’s Triumph Conclusion Chapter 4: The ROK Problem 1948–1950 A Democratic South Korea? The Rebellion Test Selling the ROK Critical Press Voices Ambivalence Optimism Returns Conclusion Chapter 5: War 1950–1951 Finding a Narrative War Correspondents and South Korean Atrocities On the Defensive Conclusion Chapter 6: The 1952 Crisis: Rhee’s Takeover The Press and the ROK Spring Crises International Crisis Backlash Against Rhee Assessing the Crisis Conclusion Chapter 7: The Rise of the ROKA First Impressions Mixed Response New Leadership The ROKA’s Growing Strength Van Fleet and the ROKA A New Power Conclusion Chapter 8: Legacies of War The Post-armistice Narrative Rhee and the Anti-communist Right Rhee in America Rhee’s Silent Revolution Conclusion Chapter 9: Conclusions Press Narratives Press Limitations Military Influence The Rhee Regime’s Influence US Political Influence The Problem of Authoritarianism Final Reflections Chapter 10: Epilogue: Prelude to Vietnam? Bibliography Archival Collections News Sources Oral Histories Published Primary Sources Unpublished Manuscripts Secondary Sources Index During the Cold War, the United States enabled the rise of President Syngman Rhee's repressive government in South Korea, and yet neither the American occupation nor Rhee's growing authoritarianism ever became particularly controversial news stories in the United States. Could the press have done more to scrutinize American actions in Korea? Did journalists fail to act as an adequate check on American power? In the first archive-based account of how American journalism responded to one of the most significant stories in the history of American foreign relations, Oliver Elliott shows how a group of foreign correspondents, battling U.S. military authorities and pro-Rhee lobbyists, brought the issue of South Korean authoritarianism into the American political mainstream on the eve of the Korean War. However, when war came in June 1950, the press rapidly abandoned its scrutiny of South Korean democracy, marking a crucial moment of transition from the era of postwar idealism to the Cold War norm of American support for authoritarian allies