On April 5, 1951, Representative Joseph Martin read a letter from General Douglas MacArthur on the floor of the House. MacArthur disagreed publicly with the administration’s limited war in Korea. “There is no substitute for victory,” he wrote.
On April 11 President Truman relieved him. The statement said that MacArthur “is unable to give his wholehearted support to the policies of the United States Government and of the United Nations.” It also said: “Full and vigorous debate on matters of national policy is a vital element in the constitutional system.”