Final answer:
General MacArthur and President Truman differed in their views on handling the Korean War; MacArthur favored total war and expansion into China, while Truman advocated for a limited war to prevent a broader conflict.
Step-by-step explanation:
The differing views of General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry S. Truman during the Korean War were a critical aspect of the conflict's management. MacArthur wanted to leverage a total war strategy which would include using nuclear weapons against China, expanding the war with the blockade of China's ports and the bombing of their industrial centers, and potentially assisting exiled Chinese nationalist forces. He believed that the stalemate should be broken with decisive action, even if it meant challenging China directly. President Truman, on the other hand, was concerned about escalating the conflict into a potential World War III. He preferred to maintain a limited war to prevent the spread of communism without triggering a larger confrontation with China and possibly the Soviet Union, fearing Soviet intervention. This culminated in Truman relieving MacArthur of his command for insubordination after MacArthur publicly voiced his disagreement with Truman's approach.