Editing Dean Rusk (section)

===State Department 1945–1953===

Rusk returned to America to work briefly for the [[United States Department of War|War Department]] in Washington, DC. He joined the [[United States Department of State|Department of State]] in February 1945, and worked for the office of United Nations Affairs. In the same year, he suggested [[Division of Korea|splitting Korea]] into spheres of U.S. and of Soviet influence at the [[38th parallel north]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marshall|first=Tim|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1166584909|title=Prisoners of geography : ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics|year=2016|publisher=Elliott and Thompson Limited |isbn=978-1-78396-243-3|oclc=1166584909}}</ref> After [[Alger Hiss]] left State in January 1947, Rusk succeeded him (as director of the Office of Special Political Affairs), according to [[Max Lowenthal]].<ref>
{{Citation
 | last = Lowenthal
 | first = Max
 | author-link = Max Lowenthal
 | year = 1948
 | title = 1948 Diary of Max Lowenthal
 | editor-last = Dawson
 | editor-first = Donald S.
 | url = https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2007085349 
 | pages = 155
 | publisher = Library of Congress
 }}</ref>

Rusk was a supporter of the Marshall Plan and of the United Nations.<ref name="Langguth, A.J. p.65">Langguth, A.J. ''Our Vietnam 1954–1975'', New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000 p.65</ref> In 1948, he supported the Secretary of State George Marshall in advising Truman against recognizing Israel, fearing it would damage relations with oil-rich Arab states like Saudi Arabia, but was overruled by Truman's legal counsel, [[Clark Clifford]], who persuaded the president to recognize Israel.<ref name="Langguth, A.J. p.65"/> When Marshall was asked to explain why he did not resign over the recognition of Israel, he replied that the secretary of state did not resign over decisions made by the president who had the ultimate control of foreign policy.<ref name="Langguth, A.J. p.65"/> Rusk, who admired Marshall, supported his decision and always quoted the remark made by Truman: "The president makes the foreign policy".<ref name="Langguth, A.J. p.65"/> In 1949, he was made deputy Undersecretary of State under Dean Acheson, who had replaced Marshall as secretary of state.