American Military History, Volume 2 by Richard W. Stewart

In 1950 President Truman frequently described the American-led effort in Korea as a police action, a euphemism for the war that pro- duced both criticism and amusement. But the President's term was an honest reach for perspective. Determined to halt the aggression, he was equally determined to limit hostilities to the peninsula and to avoid tak- ing steps that would prompt Soviet or Chinese participation. By West- ern estimates, Europe with its highly developed industrial resources, not Asia, held the high place on the Communist schedule of expansion; hence, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance needed the deterrent strength that otherwise would be drawn off by a heavier involvement in the Far East.

Indeed, Truman and many of his advisers, believing that Kim Il Sung was Stalin's puppet, suspected that Stalin had ordered the DPRK to attack in order to weaken the West's defenses elsewhere. To counter that possibility and to reassure America's allies, Truman in July had ordered a massive expansion of the U.S. armed forces, an enormous increase in nuclear weapons production, and a great increase in military aid to other nations. To reinforce NATO, the President in September announced a major buildup of American forces in Europe. For the Army, this meant dispatching four divisions and other units to Germany during 1951, where they joined the 1st Infan- try Division to form the Seventh Army.