The Longest Battle: The Korean War Through American Eyes

The revised Chinese edition of John Toland's major work on the Korean War, The Longest Battle, has been republished, demonstrating the enduring vitality of Toland's writing and readers' continued interest in the Korean War and its impact. It is true that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice. Yet the place where the war was fought has remained a political and military hotspot in Northeast Asia for the past 60 years, and tensions are especially high today. Toland passed away in 2004 at the age of 92. In the final years of his life, illness left him unable to write. This was his last book apart from his autobiography. He poured into it a wealth of deep feeling and effort, fulfilling his wish to complete his East Asia trilogy: The Rising Sun, Occupation, and The Longest Battle.

Most of Toland's works concern the wars of the 20th century or subjects related to war. Yet he was a pacifist, and he wrote about war in order to oppose it. John Toland rose from humble beginnings, and throughout his life his conscience and actions stood with the disadvantaged. In his writing, not only were the oppressed people of Korea disadvantaged, but so too were the low-ranking American soldiers misled by the idea of civic duty and dragged into fighting for capital, as well as the soldiers from the other 15 countries that joined the “United Nations forces.” Judging by the outcome of the war, the United States gained little. The US government's decision to wage the war was unjust.

If Toland were still alive today, he would very likely continue to feel ashamed of the government leading his country. Any country that wants to lead the world must first correct its attitude toward the disadvantaged. The Korean Peninsula remains a focus of international attention, and tensions continue to escalate. The main cause is the United States throwing its weight around and bullying the weak, a tendency that has grown increasingly extreme. The result is fierce resistance from the countries involved, which feel insecure, and helplessness for some nations. At the same time, the United States keeps nurturing a tiger that may one day break free, bringing devastation and even turning on America itself. Let the past serve as a warning for the future. May the United States and all those concerned learn from this war and avoid becoming complacent.