June 25, 1950: Soviet-backed North Korea invades the Republic of South Korea. The following day, the U.N. Security Council demands that North Korea end its attack, and President Harry S Truman commits U.S. troops to enforce the demand on June 29. General Douglas MacArthur arrives from occupied Japan to command U.N. forces. In the early days of the war there was no censorship, but the military provided few amenities for reporters. No military transportation was available, and the single telephone line to Tokyo was only available from midnight to 4 A.M. Associated Press columnist Hal Boyle later complained, "Never since and including the Civil War have correspondents had so few of the facilities vital to their trade."