Diplomatic Successes
Although Canadian diplomats felt deeply apprehensive about the direction the war was taking at the start of the year, developments throughout 1951 improved Ottawa’s spirit. In late spring, General MacArthur—who many diplomats feared was too rash—was replaced as Commander of the UN Forces in Korea by General Matthew Ridgway. Additionally, the Canadian proposal to seek negotiations with Peking had begun to turn up early successes, sparking peace talks and a tentative ceasefire before the end of the year.