Edited sentence: At the time of his appointment Johnson met the president's political needs, but by September 1950, with the Korean conflict in full swing, he had become a distinct liability.He was considered by many at the time a purely political appointee with presidential ambitions of his own, and a man too willing to sacrifice the interests of the armed forces to those of President Truman.Johnson also received much criticism for his handling of the super-carrier controversy, continued interservice quarreling, and his continual differences with Acheson.Johnson's extreme budget-cutting policies as applied to conventional force readiness proved catastrophic with the outbreak of the Korean War, and led directly to unnecessary U.Johnson's tenure as secretary of defense was controversial at time of his service.Of all those who have served in the position of Secretary of Defense, many historians today rank him at the very bottom in terms of leadership and positive contributions to U.armed forces readiness.forces proved incapable of defending themselves against a well-armed North Korean Army.troop casualties when U