This book was just on the shelf at our local library when I picked it up. Compared to our other wars of the twentieth century, Korea has not had a whole of publicity, and what there has been has been lackluster.Still, Inchon has always been a shining light in this otherwise lightly reported war. The authors begin in an almost casual way to tell this story, making it seem like a remote outpost in enemy territory. But, when the real action begins, the story becomes irresistible.
Besides the nitty-gritty of gathering information about Inchon, some fascinating bits of information are revealed. Previously, it had been understood that General MacArthur was a warlord off on his own adventures when he re-established Seoul as the capital and then went galavanting into the area under Communist control. At least this text suggests that his movements towards the Yalu were under orders from Washington D.C. Although it has been debated as to whether it was a good idea to invade the North, this text suggests a grand strategy at work towards the unification of all of Korea. One can only speculate how different the Far East might appear today had we persisted in a grand strategy of unification as opposed to the novel idea of a war of containment. ( )

My father, a Korean War veteran, loaned me this book some time ago, and I decided to read it when I started working on publishing photos from my dad's military scrapbook on my family history blog.

The Secrets of Inchon is a fascinating first-person account of the undercover espionage occurring before the important Battle of Inchon in the Korean War.  Naval Commander Eugene F. Clark (then a lieutenant), was sent to a nearby island along with two South Korean officers to obtain and transmit information needed for the United Nations assault to retake this South Korean city from the North Koreans.

Clark passed away in 1998, but wrote this account in 1951.  His daughter says her "mom, brother and I were breathlessly awaiting each page of this book as it came off the typewriter in the den of our rented house in Arlington, Virginia in the fall of 1951. We had returned from Japan that summer. We had, of course, not been aware of my Dad's spy missions while we were in Japan."  Although he had a Department of Defense clearance to publish it, Clark never did.  Thomas Fleming wrote an article about Clark in a military history journal in 2000, and Clark's family remembered the manuscript in a safety deposit box and sent it to Fleming, who saw about having it published in 2002.

Clark writes quite well, and gives credit where due to his Korean comrades (given pseudonyms to protect their identity in 1951), including the island villagers and resistance fighters in other locations who aided him.  His narrative is quite readable and exciting.  There is a map (albeit not the best) at the beginning of the book to help with locating the many islands referred to in the story, although a larger map with more detail of the island Clark was operating from (Yonghung-do) would have been helpful.  There are also some black-and-white photos of Clark, his Korean teammates, and the Inchon battle.

© Amanda Pape - 2014

[This book was loaned to me by my dad and has been returned to him. This review also appears on Bookin' It.] ( )

Referenced in the afterword of "Under Fire" by W.E.B. Griffin, a fictional story that includes Mr. Clark's situation.