Indo-American Relations, 1947?50: A Missed Opportunity in Asia

Abstract

The late 1940s mark a turning point in the history of U.S. diplomacy in Asia. During the second half of that eventful decade, revolutionary change swept across much of the Asian continent. From British India to French Indochina nationalist movements, some with a Marxist orientation, pressed their European colonial rulers for freedom. In China, Asia's largest and most populous country, Communist forces emerged triumphant in late 1949 after years of bloody civil war. Viewing these developments within the context of the Cold War, President Harry S. Truman implemented a strategy of anti-Communist containment in Asia. In late 1949 and early 1950, U.S. policymakers withheld diplomatic recognition from the People's Republic of China, strengthened American defense capabilities in Japan and the Pacific, and extended military assistance to anti-Communist regimes in Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Burma, and French Indochina. These bold initiatives helped to shape the course of U.S. policy toward Asia for the next quarter of a century.