Americans view the Korean conflict as an American war. After all, the U.S. lost nearly 38,000 men on that Southeast Asian peninsula.
But above all else it was a war between Koreans that began years earlier, according to author Allan R. Millett, who discusses his book The War for Korea 1950-51: They Came from the North on Wednesday, September 26, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.
Regarded as the world's pre-eminent Korean War scholar, Millett weaves together military operations and tactics, Cold War geopolitics, and civilian-military relations to create a full picture of the struggle and its many implications.
The war began in 1950 when Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, but quickly became an international conflict when the United States provided troops in support of the South and the People's Republic of China did the same on behalf of the North.
The fighting on the Korean Peninsula reflected the political Cold War being waged by the U.S.S.R.'s Joseph Stalin and President Harry S. Truman.
They Came from the North is the second volume in Millett's monumental trilogy about the Korean War (the first is The War for Korea, 1945-1950: A House Burning).
Millett is the recipient of the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for lifetime achievement in military writing. Among his books are Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps, A War To Be Won: Fighting the Second World War, and For the Common Defense: The Military History of the United States of America.
Prior to his talk, Millett will be presented with the Harry S. Truman Book Award sponsored by the Truman Library Institute. The award recognizes the best book published within the previous two years dealing primarily with Harry S. Truman or the period of his presidency. Past recipients include Dean Acheson, former secretary of state (1970); Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute (1988), and Stephen Schlesinger, director of the World Policy Institute.
This event is co-sponsored by the Truman Library Institute.
Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. RSVP online  or call 816.701.3407.