America’s Only War with China 1950-1953 Book Cover
Colonel Thomas Dale Smith (USA)(Ret.) Explores the SINO-American Korean War and How General Matthew Ridgway Saved the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) From Disaster
THE VILLAGES, FL, UNITED STATES, July 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Most people know some history of the Korean War. A far less understood fact: There were two distinct Korean Wars. Just launched, “America’s Only War with China 1950-1953” by Colonel Thomas Dale Smith (USA)(Ret.), explains in detail the difference of the two wars that took place between June 25, 1950, and July 27, 1953.
“America’s Only War with China 1950-1953” is a fascinating read of official reports, personal memoirs, and deeply researched documents that tell the story from many viewpoints including General Matthew Ridgway’s; General Peng Dehuai’s, Mao’s Chinese commander; and author and journalist, Edgar Snow’s. Col. Smith delves into the planning miscalculations, ignored CIA warnings, and strong personalities of the men in history who were catalysts for America’s only war with China.
“In researching General Matthew Ridgway, I discovered that on June 27, 1950, the Top Secret CIA Intelligence Weekly detailed a report to America’s leadership fully outlining the perils and repercussions of crossing north of the 38th parallel,” said author Col. Thomas Dale Smith (USA)(Ret.). “This vital CIA report was released only two days after the first Korean War began but was ignored. It did not surface again until 2007 when a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made it available to the public,” he continued.
The first Korean War was initiated by North Korean President Kim Il Sun who invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950 and cost 8,000 American casualties. It officially ended ninety-two days later on September 29, 1950, after General Douglas MacArthur’s Inch’on Landing attack destroyed the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA).
After this victory, President Harry S. Truman directed MacArthur to push his forces farther north across the 38th parallel to the Yalu River, a natural border between China and Korea, to unify the peninsula. This American-initiated invasion threatened Mao Zedong’s eleven-month-old People’s Republic of China (PRC) regime and resource rich Northeast provinces bordering Korea.
Truman’s ill-advised decision at the behest of General MacArthur whose hubris and misrepresentation of Mao Zedong’s military prowess precipitated the second war that began October 7, 1950. This nearly disastrous SINO-American Korean War with China was almost fatal to America’s powerful army.
On Dec. 25, 1950, Truman appointed Lieutenant General (LTG) Matthew B. Ridgway in charge of the EUSA. He reinvigorated the demoralized troops saving them from defeat by the sheer force of his dynamic energy. After his arrival in Korea on December 26, 1950, it was only 52 days before Ridgway’s forces defeated the Chinese Army in three battles ending February 15, 1951, changing the course of the war.
In April 1951, Truman replaced General MacArthur with Ridgway as Commander of the Far East Command (FEC). The 33-month SINO-American Korean War with 28,000 US Army and USMC troops killed-in-action (KIA) concluded with an armistice signed by Truman on July 27, 1953.
Meticulously researched by the author, there are over 448 resource endnotes included in this 424-page book. Colonel Smith’s bona fide military service provided him with an in-depth critical and credible analysis of this historical event.
“America’s Only War With China 1950-1953” by Colonel Thomas Dale Smith is available on Amazon.com (ISBN: 9798995104841 paperback} and as an eBook by AHA Publishers.
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About the Author: Thomas Dale Smith, Colonel, (USA) (Ret.) enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1967 and served twenty-seven years in the military. During this time, he received numerous awards including: Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters (OLCs), among others. After the military, he became a prosecutor in Florida for seventeen years and served as Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) for the United States Department of Justice. He and his wife, Christine, currently live in Florida.
Recent Books by Col. Thomas Dale Smith (USA)(Ret.)
• Declassified: Over the Fence Secret Ops (2025) ISBN: 9798993398693
• America’s Only War With China 1950-1953 (2026) ISBN: 9798995104841 (Paperback)
Media contact for more information or to schedule an interview:
Gina Snow
Gina Snow & Associates
gina@gsacommunications.com
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