s ambitions of a united Korea and helped to facilitate a successful invasion of the South.
             However, it is important to note that Stalin had, for a long time, rejected Kim il Sung's requests to attack South Korea. Stalin showed himself to be a "cautious actor in the foreign policy sphere" and took an extremely tentative view of events in Korea. This notion is supported by a letter from the Politburo to the Russian Ambassador in North Korea, in 1949, which insists that "it [invasion of South Korea] is not allowed"3. This stance is in line with a main Soviet foreign policy objective at the time, which was a desire to maintain relations with the USA. Thus, it appears that Stalin was not initially interested in expansion into South Korea, perhaps being more concerned with maintaining his status as global leader of Communism, whilst not provoking the USA. Subsequently, it seems that another factor influenced Stalin's decision to consent to a North Korean invasion.
             Therefore, it is plausible to blame the US for the conflict, as it seems that Stalin's shift in attitude towards a Nort
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