Far East owed much to the failure to come to terms with the newly emerging sense is `communism less to that there and appreciate much offensive to the of nationalism Asiatics than colonialism'5 ). The defeat of Japan had left a power vacuum in the Far East which five years of US drift in the Pacific had done nothing to fill. French difficulties in Indo-China, the British struggle in Malaya, and absence of any strong in Siam Burma danger just that or or stable government were all seen as signs one lead Asia falling into Communist to the push could more communist rice-bowl of hands and dealing a terrific blow to the Allied economy-particularly that of the Commonwealth. Nonetheless the Far East was not considered as vital to the survival Western Europe Middle East the of western civilisation as either or and defend be it in In to the consequently no reinforcements should spared event of war. Chiefs Staff Korea, the a report which made no mention of of suggested that the be to achieve some unified policy to clear up the Far East and liberate aim should forces tied up in the jungles of Indo-China for defence Malaya the of more vital and Europe. areas such as
The key here as in all things was to draw in the United States: in particular to get it to take responsibility for Pacific defence. In other words, to paraphrase Orme Sargent once again, to influence the US to use its power on British behalf: a policy described by David Reynolds as power by proxy. 6 recently The Chiefs of Staff's report by defence Ministers future for basis the was accepted as planning and action. On 20 June the Prime Minister approved a text for issue to the United States and older Commonwealth Korean Five days later North governments. forces swept into South Korea and for the next three years western resources were into defending poured a country which all were agreed was not in itself of any importance. strategic
The implications
Korea of
for British
Foreign
Policy
`The main issues are. (a) whether the invasion of South Korea can be stopped; (b) what action it is possiblefor the Security Council to take (c) repercussions elsewhere'
Dixon, 26 Juni 19507
Sir Pierson Dixon's early reaction was the first of a series of assessments in the Foreign Office in which the main questions asked were:
Ibid., No. 22. i: minute by Cripps, 30 July 1950; cf also No. 33. i for remarks by Roberts, 5 Aug. 1950. 6D Reynolds, Britannia Overruled:British Policy World Power in the Twentieth Century (London, 1991), and p. 296. ' DBPO, Series II, Volume IV, No. 2-ii: Dixon memo., 26 June 1950. (Dixon's prescient assessment led directly to the drafting of No. 19 on the implications of the situation in Korea for British foreign policy).
6