Chiang Kai-Shek

As a result of the first Sino-Japanese War (1895) that also made Korea a part of Japan, troops had been garrisoned along a railroad from the rich resources of Manchuria to Korean ports-of-trade. Raw materials and finished goods would roll down this railway to docks in Korea to be shipped to Japan.

In March 1942, the Allies were on the retreat everywhere. Most of the targets the Japanese high command had wanted were in their hands, or soon would be. The Americans began to realize that a bold stroke was needed to raise the morale of the public and of the fighting forces.

A common language, history, and culture bound the United States and the United Kingdom closer together than any other nation. Helping to cement that friendship was the close relationship of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and UK Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill.