1982, while asking Congress for an initial $800 million in compensatory arms aid for Seoul; both proposals stir debate. Here four historians- Samuel Wells, John Wiltz, Robert Griffith, Alonzo Hamby-look back at the war and what it did to America. Retired diplomat Ralph Clough examines the two Koreas today.

Samuel F.
For most Americans over 40, the bitter conflict on the Ko- rean peninsula from 1950 to 1953 evokes memories and lessons that differ from those of other wars. The Korean War had spe-...