History Snippet: Did the Club play a role in launch of Korean War?

"Korea and the Club": It's a dubious honor, but some historians credit the National Press Club with a role in launching the Korean War.

That's because Secretary of State Dean Acheson, in a 1950 address to the Club outlining the American "defense perimeter" in the Far East, made no mention of Korea. That omission may have convinced the Soviet Union to arm North Korea with enough modern weapons to invade South Korea that same year. It happened at the National Press Club--where news is made in the nation's capital.

This Club history snippet is one of many put together by Art Wiese, who served as Club president in 1979. He was responsible tor planning much of the reconstruction of the Club during its renovation in the early 1980s. In his later years, he put together a series of snippets on the Club's history. In honor of his passing last year, the Wire is running one of them each week while they last.