What did the declassified documents reveal?

General Douglas MacArthur’s concept of the Korean campaign, memorandum of conversation, November fourteenth, nineteen fifty, United States Department of State. This declassified record is notable because it captures the senior commander’s strategic intentions for the Korean war at a pivotal moment in the conflict. The memorandum was released to the public through The Black Vault, which posted the full text on its website after the document was declassified by the United States government. The release does not cite a specific Freedom of Information Act case number, but the declassification authority is identified as the Department of State’s Office of Records Management. The document was made available online on the archive page for “US Intelligence on China CI00571,” and the text can be accessed at the URL provided in the archive entry. The memorandum opens with a personal note from a State Department official in Tokyo to a colleague named Dean, and then presents the conversation with General MacArthur: “Dear Dean, for your personal information, I am enclosing a copy of a memorandum of conversation which I had with General MacArthur yesterday. I feel certain that you will find this memorandum of interest, even though it does only put up the high spots of the conversation.” The subject line reads: “General MacArthur’s Concept of the Korean Campaign.” Participants are listed as General MacArthur and Ambassador Sebald. In response to a question regarding his goals for the Korean operation, General MacArthur said that his immediate objective is “to destroy the bridges across the Yalu River in order to isolate the area between the present line of the United Nations forces and the border.” He added that he had given orders, particularly to the Air Forces, that “the border must be scrupulously observed,” a directive that “is the object of considerable resentment on the part of officers who complain that Communist planes use the border sanctuary from which they operate and to which they retreat when convenient.” He continued, noting that the Manchurian side of the border contains many anti‑aircraft batteries that are “easy to employ against United Nations aircraft.” As part of the air campaign, the General said that orders have been given “to destroy as much as possible of the built‑up areas between the present United Nations front lines, thus obviating any possibility of the Communists moving off the line of contact.” He described this as a preparatory step for “an all‑out offensive designed to drive the Communist forces across the Yalu River. The United Nations forces would, of course, stop at the boundary.” General MacArthur stated that if this could be accomplished “during the next several weeks and before the river freezes, the Korean campaign would be at an end.” He warned that should the planned operation fail and Communist forces continue to stream into North Korea from Manchuria, “there is no alternative, from a military point of view

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

Case File · ARCHIVE-002Declassified

Filed OCT 29 · 2026Runtime 1 min

CIA General Douglas Macarthur’s Concept Of The Korean Campaign, Memorandum

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated October 29, 2026

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General Douglas MacArthur’s concept of the Korean campaign, memorandum of conversation, November fourteenth, nineteen fifty, United States Department of State. This declassified record is notable because it captures the senior commander’s strategic intentions for the Korean war at a pivotal moment in the conflict.

Date: OCT 29 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA General Douglas Macarthur’s Concept Of The Korean Campaign, Memorandum about?: General Douglas MacArthur’s concept of the Korean campaign, memorandum of conversation, November fourteenth, nineteen fifty, United States Department of State. This declassified record is notable because it captures the senior commander’s strategic intentions for the Korean war at a pivotal moment in the conflict.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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CIA General Douglas Macarthur’s Concept Of The Korean Campaign, Memorandum

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