The Foreign Office and Post-war Planning for East Asia, 1944–45

Abstract

Between 1944 and 1945, the Foreign Office devoted considerable time to the problem of British post-war policy for China, Korea and Japan, even though the area was considered a low priority by the British government. Of course, diplomats and geographical departments have a tendency to write a lot about the region for which they are responsible, but do their great thoughts merit close scrutiny? A principal reason for exploring their thoughts in this case is that implicit in what these officials were writing was a notion that Britain must have a say in East Asia's future. This was not because they presumed China, Korea or Japan was of any importance per se, but because exclusion from the debate about their future would challenge Britain's role as a global power. In short, Britain's status in the post-war world was dependent on its having a say in all global affairs.