Korean War

On June 25, 1950, the cold war turned hot. Soviet-supported North Korean leader Kim Il Sung launched an invasion of South Korea in an attempt to reunify the peninsula under Communism. President Harry Truman interpreted the invasion as an attempt by Moscow to expand its domain and test Western resolve. He committed American troops and rallied support in the United Nations (UN), establishing a coalition of sixteen nations to defend South Korea and contain Communist expansion.