The morning of June 25, 1950 marked the beginning of a terrifying devastation known today as the Korean War. People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Il Sung, with Stalin's approval and Mao Zedong's promised support, invaded the 38th parallel in an attempt to unite the divided country into one. The attack was largely unexpected, as both the Central Intelligence Agency and the United Nations failed to notice the impending attack even after the mobilization of North Korean troops towards the South Korean peninsula. During the war, approximately 5 million human lives were lost, including soldiers and civilians. It was the first military initiative of the Cold War under communist command and the first US military involvement in favor of South Korea and its containment policy. US incentives for war were due to fear of a communist victory over East Asia and although Korea was not part of the Asian strategic defense perimeter, the Truman administration feared that if invaded South Korea was left alone , this would have triggered internationalization. of communism through military violence. The prevailing domino theory of communism assumed that if one country fell into the hands of the communist Soviet Union, all contingent countries would begin to "fall" under communist power. Therefore, it was imperative for the United States to at least delay and, at best, prevent the fall of South Korea to North Korea. “If we disappoint Korea,” said President Harry Truman, “the Soviets will continue to move forward and swallow up one [place] after another.” Consequently, it is safe to assume that the Korean battlefield was a battle not of soldiers but of ideologies. However, citizens and the media were not unanimous... middle of paper ......amounts to political and psychological censorship.” As the New York Times reported, they believed that “censorship, which was introduced here for 'security' purposes… was being used to cover up military mistakes and defeats.” The government was both constrained and desperate to at least delay the overwhelming flow of propaganda and media information that molded public sentiment like clay. In July 1951, peace talks began to begin in Panmunjom. Fighting continued along the 38th parallel but, after 2 years of careful negotiations, the adversaries signed the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953 to quell the prolonged ideological struggle. The Korean War helped highlight the role of the media as a powerful instrument of propaganda and public opinion formation. The media blitz during the war demonstrated the importance of how powerful this medium could become.