Hot Off the Presses in the Cold War: Canadian Newspaper Editorial Coverage of the Korean War, 1950--1951

A consistent theme throughout the Canadian historiography on the Korean War is that it is Canada's forgotten war. However, as evidenced by the newspaper editorials published during the first year and a half of the war, this was simply not the case. Editorialists were keen to disseminate their opinions about the war to the Canadian public. The purpose of this thesis is to provide a detailed examination of Canadian newspaper editorials pertaining to the Korean War between 1950 and 1951. This time period was the most active of the entire war, both on the battlefield, and with governments and organizations, where issues pertaining to the war were consistently discussed. Taking into account location, language, and political orientation, seven newspapers were selected to achieve a pan-Canadian understanding of the war: the Vancouver Province, Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, Le Devoir, and Halifax Chronicle- Herald . This thesis focuses on three major themes highlighted in the seven newspapers' editorials: the role Canada played in the war, the apparent threat of Communism, and attitudes regarding the United Nations. The English-language editorials generally argued that Canada should playa meaningful role in the Korean War, while editorials in Le Devoir raised some concerns. Furthermore, English-language newspapers were critical of the federal government's response to the war, and Canada's unprepared military, which were portrayed as leaving Canada vulnerable to Communist influence and attack. The threat of Communism was undeniable, though editorialists were unsure of its larger implications. The role the Soviet Union was playing in Korea, managing Communist China, and the influence of Communism in the United Nations were frequently debated in the newspaper editorials. In contrast to the standard historical argument that Canada has consistently been a strong supporter of the United Nations, some editorialists questioned how effective the UN could be in the Korean War. Others, however, believed the UN showed great promise. Opinion also varied as to whether the UN could dispel concerns that it was simply a renamed League of Nations, and, if it could move past this epithet, how would this be achieved. Finally, it was discussed whether the UN could even bring a lasting peace to the Korean peninsula