Truman Declares Emergency: Cold War Escalates in Korea
President Truman declared a national emergency after 300,000 Chinese troops poured across the Yalu River and sent UN forces reeling southward in the Korean War's most desperate retreat. The declaration mobilized the American economy onto a war footing, tripling defense spending and expanding the armed forces by 3.5 million within eighteen months.
December 16, 1950
76 years ago
What Else Happened on December 16
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